Help make sure children in care have a friend they can count on
Lynn Perry
Friday, July 22, 2022
A lot has changed in the world of Westminster since the publication of the independent review of the children’s social care system in England in May.
At Barnardo’s we know the voices of vulnerable children and young people still need to be amplified, and their experiences understood, if we are going to achieve the lasting change we all want to see.
The start of the school holidays is traditionally when children get to enjoy activities and days out with friends and family.
Whether it’s going to the seaside or playing football in a park, we believe every child deserves to feel happy and safe this summer and all year round. However, at Barnardo’s, we also know from our direct experience of supporting children growing up in foster care or in a care home that many feel cut off and isolated, with around a fifth 19%) saying they feel lonely always or often.
Since 2014, Barnardo’s has been proud to host the National Independent Visitor Network (NIVN). This network of befriending services work together to ensure more children can access their legal right to a trained befriender, known as an Independent Visitor or IV. Independent Visitors are separate from children’s social care services, and can act as positive role models, building trusting, stable relationships with children and young people over time. We welcomed the fact that the Care Review highlighted the vital role an Independent Visitor can play as part of a child’s network of loving relationships, and we agree with the review that this role should be extended to all young people who leave the care system up to the age of 25.
Independent Visitors were introduced under the Children Act 1989. Their role was strengthened further under the 2008 Children and Young Persons Act, which set out that all children in care should have the right to an Independent Visitor if it’s in their best interests. But despite this legal framework, very few children in care receive this support - a recent Freedom of Information request made by NIVN to all local authorities in England and Wales reveals just over 3% of all children in care in England are matched with an Independent Visitor, with the figure dropping to 1% in Wales.
That’s why Barnardo’s supports the National Independent Visitor Network’s ‘Right Friend’ campaign which calls for at least 10% of children in care to be matched with an Independent Visitor by the end of this year to bring this in to focus and increase the numbers of children and young people able to access this statutory entitlement. Every child and young person growing up in care deserves to have the support of a friend who can guide and encourage them over time, who is interested in supporting them to have fun and fulfil their potential. We would expect nothing less for our own children, and we all have a role in making sure care-experienced children and young people can have the Right Friend.
To make this a reality, we need to do more to encourage members of the public to step forward and become Independent Visitors. High-quality independent visitor services also require investment so these services can spend the time finding, training and matching volunteers with children to help build relationships that last. That is why it is important that these services are given a high profile and appropriate financial resources in the implementation plan for the Care Review in England so that all children in care and care-experienced young people who want access to an Independent Visitor can have one.
Lynn Perry is chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo’s
To find out more visit https://ivnetwork.org.uk