Missing children - return conversation
About the opportunity
This role will involve a Volunteer making contact to arrange interviews with children and young people who return from being missing, within 72 hours of their return.
When a Hampshire child or young person goes missing, Children’s Services will upon their return, offer them an interview. Guidance states this interview should be done by an independent person (not a social worker or other professional already involved with the child). Return interviews need to be completed within 72 hours of a child’s return from missing. Meetings may take place in a variety of settings including: the child’s home, foster care address, residential care setting, or other agreed local venue.
Return interviews are an important part of safeguarding and can help to put things in place to make sure children/young people do not go missing in the future. A Volunteer Coordinator will liaise with Volunteers to help make arrangements for the return interview to take place.
Volunteers will receive a full training program on how to deliver support which will equip them to conduct the interviews. Volunteers will also have access to Volunteer Coordinators, who will provide guidance, advice, and supervision whilst they delivering their volunteering activities.
Find out about the Children and Families Volunteer Programme.
The volunteer will:
- Receive the details from the volunteer coordinator about the return interview
- Contact the young person/family to make arrangements for the interview
- Meet the child/young person to conduct the interview and complete the standard form
- Record the meeting on a standard form
- Agree any follow-on actions with the child/young person/family
- Feedback and return the completed interview form to the Volunteer Coordinator via the secure online portal
Requirements / commitments:
All volunteering expenses including mileage and parking will be paid. In order to claim mileage, volunteers are required to hold ‘business use’ insurance, and provide evidence of this and their MOT certificate to the Volunteer Coordinator.
Because these are one-off pieces of work, the time commitment for this opportunity is flexible; volunteers can opt to give a couple of hours as and when they are available.
This volunteering opportunity is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.
Skills & experience
Training and support will be provided therefore previous experience is not essential. We are seeking volunteers who feel able to:
- Establish good relationships within a short space of time, to communicate and ensure children and families, with varied levels of ability, understand information and feel able to respond
- Listen and remain calm and impartial when dealing with families
- Record information
- Respect differing views of individuals and work in a non judgmental way
- Respect confidentiality and the agreed information sharing process
- Have the confidence to report concerns to their Volunteer Coordinator
- Be able to describe their role and maintain professional boundaries
How to apply
If you would like to apply for this role, please complete the application form.
If you would like more information, email [email protected]
References required
Disclosure and barring service check required
