Independent Visitors

Are you someone:

  • Who wants to make a difference?
  • With 3-4 hours per month you could spare to give something back?
  • With the skills to befriend, listen to and support young people?
  • Committed to the safety and wellbeing of young people?

If the answer is Yes, why not become an Independent Visitor!

Children and young people benefit from having kind and reliable adults who are interested in their wellbeing and help them lead active, fulfilling lives. Looked after children and young people may have experienced difficult relationships in the past and can experience difficulties in the present.

Trafford Children’s Services runs an Independent Visitor scheme that recruits, trains, and provides ongoing support to adult volunteers who provide a long term befriending relationship to some of our looked after children and young people.

We value, support, and are committed to volunteer Independent Visitors (IVs). We recognise the significant value of the befriending relationships developed between our IVs and our children and young people. We appreciate how these relationships positively impact on the social and emotional development of our children and young people and want to promote this.

Main purpose: To build and maintain a befriending relationship with a child or young person being looked after by the local authority.

Aim: To contribute to the welfare of the young person in care by providing a positive and reliable relationship outside of the care system. To promote the young person’s social, emotional, educational, religious or cultural needs by providing them with positive leisure activities.

Commitment: Volunteers must be able to commit to at least one session per month, for a minimum period of 24 months. Volunteers must also be able to commit to undertake training.

Key task: To spend time with your matched child/young person on a one-to-one basis sharing leisure activities like cinema trips or bike rides.

Hear from our Independent Visitors

Debra from Stretford talks about what being an Independent Visitor means to her.


Yolanda explains how she got involved, about the role, and the difference it has made.

Find out more about the role of an Independent Visitor

18 care-experienced young people who have an independent visitor produced this video for the National Independent Visitors Network.

Who to contact

We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of all backgrounds and would especially encourage people from black and other minority ethnic groups to apply to join our volunteer pool.

For more information and an application form contact Alex Bridge: