Befriender (Perth and Kinross)

Barnardo’s is committed to providing ‘Better Outcomes for More Children’. Our children’s services volunteers help the charity to deliver essential services in local communities, providing support to over 300,000 children, young people and their families. This role provides a great opportunity to join our fantastic children’s services and help make a real difference.

Barnardo’s Befrienders work with young people a 1:1 basis, offering practical assistance and emotional support, to build their self-confidence, coping mechanisms and positive relationships. The work could be focused on a particular need, such as confidence building, or it could be more focused around supporting the young person to access local community groups.

We are looking for volunteers, with a passion for making a difference in young people’s lives, with a friendly and approachable attitude and an ability to engage young people, empowering them to take steps towards improving their situation and achieving their goals.

In Perth and Kinross, the children and young people we support will be or have been affected by parental substance use, poor parental mental health, domestic violence or have an additional support need. They may also have experienced impact of poverty, neglect and abuse, homelessness, their own poor mental health and emerging substance use issues, as well as a care histories and behavioural issues. As part of our whole family approach, we offer support to all members of the family – children, young people, parents, carers and kinship carers. This can be around the impact of substance use, including those who have challenges with substance use and those who have been impacted by substance use within the family setting. Additionally, we use a whole family approach to supporting families who have been impacted on by poor mental health and/or impacted on by domestic violence and abuse. We also offer support to children and young people with additional support needs and are a listening ear to parents and carers with children and young people with additional support needs.

We are looking for volunteers from 18+ to be able to provide 1:1 or 2:1 (along with another volunteer or a worker) to support a child or young person once a week or once a fortnight for around 2 hours per session out and about in the community. The role can take place after school, early evening or at weekends. The purpose of the role will vary but a volunteer could be linked with a child/young person to encourage the child/young person with new activities, to help them build relationships with peers, improve mental wellbeing and to build up their confidence. Activities could include going for walks, going to local parks, activities within the community, going swimming, dance groups and going to a café for a chat. We potentially have some roles that take place in a school setting during term time, 9-3pm, but this will depend on the individual need of the child/young person. Befriender roles are for a 6 month commitment.

We are also looking for volunteers who have experience and knowledge in supporting children and young people with additional support needs. Previous experience is not essential with children and young people with additional support needs but for some of our roles previous experience would be much welcomed.