News@www.adoption-net.co.uk
This story published August 11, 2000

Can you help teenagers?
by www.adoption-net.co.uk staff

Do you understand teenagers, can talk to them and gain their trust? If so, Wigan Council would like to hear from you.

Its social services department is urgently looking for volunteers to help teenagers in care or who may be in trouble with the police.

Volunteers need no particular qualifications, just determination, resilience, tolerance, patience and understanding and and sympathy and understanding of young people.

Training is given and all volunteers are supported and supervised. Some of the skills they develop carry formal accreditation, and being a volunteer could be useful in finding a job.

Volunteers are needed for:

  • Advocacy - Speaking up for young people who might have difficulty in speaking up for themselves in threatening situations.

  • Befriending - Children whose families are experiencing crisis can often badly need an independent friend.

  • Independent visitors - Some children who are being looked after by the local authority have no contact with their families for a variety of reasons and there only contact is with social workers. Independent visitors simply agree to visit these from time to time and take an interest in their affairs.

  • Appropriate adults - By law young people must be accompanied by an 'appropriate adult' when being interviewed by the Police. In cases where parents or family cannot be present, the social services department will nominate a volunteer Appropriate Adult to stand in.

  • Mentoring - This involves becoming a friend and adviser to young people during the difficult transitional period between being looked after by the council and living independently. They particularly advise about education, training and employment.

  • The Youth Extra Support Scheme (YESS)- Young people living in temporary accommodation can become very isolated and depressed at the lack of accessible recreational activities. YESS provides general support and organises appropriate activities.

    For further information contact Jenny Stewart on 01942 827579.

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