News

Independent visitors are an invaluable source of companionship for children and young people in residential care, says child and family services manager Elizabeth Ewart-James.

“It was my 13th birthday and I was spending it in a police cell. The whole of the next day and most of the following day I was locked up. Then I went on a very long journey, mostly in the dark, and only when I was in the car did they tell me where I was going. I was used to the care system but this was scary. The new residential unit was OK and I liked the staff, but I felt very homesick so far away from my family.

“After a few weeks this lady came to visit - an independent visitor, they said. The lady looked shocked when she heard about my arrival from up north. She asked if I would mind her writing to social services to ask how it had come about that I had spent such a long time in a police cell. Strange, I thought, her wanting to do this for me. The staff told me she doesn’t get paid. All the people who look after me get paid. She comes quite often, brought chocolates once - she likes to just chat. She’s nice.”

Under the Children Act 1989, independent visitors are supposed to be available to children who have no family contact or are placed a long way from home. They are there to befriend, act as an advocate if necessary, and be part of the protective process. The importance of their role has increased as local authorities depend increasingly on private organisations, such as ours, for very difficult-to-place children. These children are exceptionally vulnerable, most are far from home, and often their placing authority and hard-pressed social workers struggle to visit regularly. Also, home visits are often infrequent and many parents visit rarely, if at all. In addition, the children’s behaviour makes it difficult to judge whether their complaints about their treatment are justified. Most have low self-esteem and have been so let down by adults in the past that it is difficult to trust anyone. And some have been used to being badly treated by their families and the care system, so they have no concept of stability.

At Marlowe Child and Family Services, we have recruited six visitors - one for each local residential unit. References and police checks are done, and staff are trained in issues such as confidentiality and disclosure. Also, they are invited to attend the induction course, which covers areas such as restraint training, so that they know what is and what is not acceptable. In addition, we ask them to attend lectures on attachment disorders and child protection, and arrange for them to visit the local authority inspection unit to receive advice about standards.

Later, the visitors form groups and meet independently. But the process has not been without its problems. For example, one unit manager’s experience of independent visitors was of ex-employees with an axe to grind, so he was dubious about their value. Another insisted that his residents were unlikely to want to talk to their volunteer.

Visitors are very reliant on managers and staff to encourage them to visit. They need to facilitate this or the volunteer will become discouraged and an important safeguard will be lost. Similarly, they need to be asked to team or house meetings, invited to meet new residents and become known to the children before they can expect to be trusted. If the staff are suspicious, the children are unlikely to confide in them.

I always suggest to potential placing authorities that they contact the independent visitor before placement, but few take advantage of this. One social worker says that visitors could not be independent if they only received expenses rather than being paid. But if a visitor is paid then - rather like inspectors - there might be a temptation to find fault to justify the wage. He also says that he uses central organisations that pay independent visitors to travel widely. This, however, can be costly, and visitors have sometimes become lost and not turned up. Besides, there are advantages in visitors being local. They can visit unannounced and frequently.

As an organisation, we are extremely grateful to these volunteers who give up their free time to do this work. All children in the public care system should have access to a visitor.

Elizabeth Ewart-James is the manager of Marlowe Child and Family Services, a therapeutic community with a range of projects for children aged from eight to 18.