Volunteer Community Companion – Children and Young People

Do you enjoy spending time with children with special needs? Can you spare a few hours every other week? Would you like to help a parent carer by giving them a few hours respite or time with their other children? If so, have you considered volunteering with the Community Companions at Northamptonshire Carers?

What's involved?

A volunteer companion enables individuals with a caring responsibility for a child with additional needs to take some time away from their caring role. Depending on the time of the visit, and the age of the child it may be more of a babysitting role or a befriending role. You will not be expected to do any personal care or to give any medications. The majority of the children will have autism and/or ADHD although there is no criteria for whom can and cannot be supported, each case is looked at on an individual level. 

This role would be ideal for someone who enjoys meeting new people and would like to befriend a child or young person. Whether you want to develop new skills and increase experience or you have had a career in childcare but now find you have enough time to support a charity, any experience of working with children with special needs would be invaluable. Training will be provided along with on-going support. Volunteers will be matched with a family living in their local area and travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Apply here:

Volunteer Community Companion Parent Application Form | Northamptonshire Carers Association (northamptonshire-carers.org)

Skills

You must be:

• Understanding 
• Caring and trustworthy
• Patient
• Empathetic, with good communication skills.
• Willing to undergo training and improve knowledge and awareness of children with additional needs.

Experience:

It is essential that you have some experience in a form of childcare – looking after your own or someone else's children, helping at children’s clubs and activities etc. 

Personal or professional experience with children with special educational needs would be beneficial, but not essential.