Children's Group And Individual Supporter (Supporting 5-25 Year Olds, Bradford)

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 Children’s Group and Individual Supporters** work with children and young people on a Group and Individual basis, to build their self-confidence, skills and positive relationships. The group or individual support could be focused on a particular need, such as confidence building or developing coping mechanisms, or it could be more focused around achieving specific goals, such as building community networks or accessing further education. We are looking for volunteers with a friendly and approachable attitude, who have the ability to engage with children and young people, empowering them to take steps towards improving their situation and achieving their goals. Barnardo's WRAP (Wellbeing Recovery Action Plan) service provides early intervention support to children and young people aged 5 – 18 (or up to age 25 for young people with additional needs) to support their emotional and mental health. This is done through both one-to-one and groupwork. We are looking for passionate volunteers to lend a hand at our WRAP groups for young people. Full training in WRAP facilitation will be provided. Possible tasks include: facilitating WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Planning) groups for young people within school and community-base settings; providing intervention support to individual children within group settings; collecting and inputting data; completing initial and closing assessments with young people who have been referred to the WRAP service; and encouraging and supporting our young people to become peer mentors. For more information, contact Rebeca Wilkins at rebecca.wilkins@barnardos.org.uk.
Barnardo's protects, supports and nurtures the UK's most vulnerable children. Barnardo's helps bring out the best in children – no matter who they are or what they have been through. Our volunteers help make this happen.

• Tasks: Supporting children and young people in both group settings and on an individual basis to achieve desired outcomes.
  Building positive relationships with children and young people.
  Assisting with group activities, which take into consideration age, abilities and interests of members.
  Setting up group activities in advance and clearing away afterwards. This might include preparing refreshments/snacks, organising the layout of the room, preparing resources and tidying the room after the group.
  Meeting with individual children and young people on a regular basis to provide additional support to assist them in working towards positive goals.
  Assisting children and young people to improve their self-confidence, develop social skills and build positive relationships.
  Encouraging children and young people to access resources, groups and activities within their local community, such as after school activities, youth groups, and sports clubs.
  Role modelling positive behaviour and interactions during Group and one-to-one sessions.
  Supporting children to have their voices heard on decisions that affect them.
  Collating and evaluating feedback from children and young people.
  Adhering to Barnardo's policies and procedures at all times, including Barnardo's: Safeguarding; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Health & Safety; Data Protection; Confidentiality; Recording policies and procedures.
  Participating fully in training and supervision.
  Volunteering within Barnardo's Values and Behaviours

• Skills: Reliable, punctual and trustworthy.
  Approachable and welcoming.
  Good listening and communication skills.
  Being passionate about making a difference in the lives of children, young people and families.
  Preferably have some experience of working with children and young people.
  The ability to empathise with and support children and young people who may be facing difficult times in their lives.
  Awareness of factors impacting on and issues facing children and young people (e.g. Disadvantage, poverty, disabilities, health conditions including mental health).
  Being non-judgemental and positive in their attitude to working with individuals from different backgrounds.
  The ability to manage and respond positively to challenging situations.

• Benefits: Full induction and training.
  Other training opportunities relevant to the volunteer role.
  Regular supervision and support.
  Out of pocket expenses agreed in advance.
  Access to the Barnardo’s internal vacancy listing.
  Our volunteers tell us about lots of other benefits of volunteering including; experience of working with children, young people and families; experience for your CV; supporting your local community; meeting new people; increasing self-confidence; feeling like you are making a difference; improving your health and wellbeing; and a chance to contribute to a worthwhile children’s charity.