At Family Welfare we’re lucky to have some wonderful and valued volunteers who support the work of our core team. But there’s always room for one more! We sat down with Volunteer Advocate, Liz Dodson, to find out about her story. She tells us how much she enjoys using her experience to give young people a voice – and still has time to look after her four grandchildren!
If you’d like to know more about volunteering at Family Welfare, you can contact the team on 01942 867888 or email admin@familywelfare.co.uk
How did you hear about the work of Family Welfare?
I was working as a volunteer youth mentor with Wigan Youth Services. I attended an awareness session hosted by Wigan Council in which Stuart Parsons, Family Welfare’s Chief Executive Officer explained all about the charity and the openings for volunteers. His words resonated with me and the volunteer advocate role he described was the perfect match for my skillset.
How is the role of volunteer advocate a good match for you?
I used to work at Barnardo’s where I was responsible for setting up the Children’s Rights and Advocacy Services for looked-after children. I trained young people who had been through the experience themselves to train the Local Authority Children’s Services staff, including managers and councillors. Their honest accounts and real-life experiences were invaluable.
Being a volunteer advocate is all about giving young people a voice by listening to their views, wishes and feelings. I love what the role stands for and it feels good to continue using my skills and experience to support young people.
Can you tell us a bit more about the children you’ve been supporting?
I can’t discuss individual cases for confidentiality reasons, but the young people I represent are generally going through challenging family situations. They could be in a care home or living with a foster family, or their parents might be going through a divorce, or fighting over access rights. Whatever the situation, my role is to ensure the young person’s voice is heard by the relevant authorities, carers, parents or legal team.
Describe a typical day as a volunteer advocate
There’s no such thing as a typical day! I volunteer at Family Welfare up to two days a week. I work every Tuesday and split my remaining hours over the rest of the week. This gives me flexibility to schedule appointments with young people when they want to see me. On the Tuesday I can either be in the office writing up reports, making calls from home, or out at appointments with children, social workers, schools or Children’s Services.
My priority is always to ensure the young person feels comfortable, secure and able to speak openly about their situation. To help with this, I offer to meet at a neutral venue like their school or invite them to our Family Welfare offices where we have some warm and welcoming private spaces to chat.
How do you fit volunteering around family life and other activities?
I’ve been volunteering for 6 months now and it fits perfectly into my lifestyle. I keep the Advocacy team up to date on my movements: so they always know where I am and what I’m working on. The team put complete trust in you to manage your own time. It’s very fluid and I enjoy that. If I need to rearrange things to look after my grandchildren, I can.
What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about volunteering at Family Welfare?
You don’t necessarily need a career background in the area you want to work. Everyone gets training on legislation, safeguarding and the various situations you might encounter. Being an advocate is about providing a voice for someone who is finding it difficult to make their voice heard. If you feel passionate about this, that’s all you need to succeed.
What kind of person is suited to advocacy work?
As I’ve said, experience in the field isn’t necessary. That said, former teachers and pastoral care workers can make great advocates. Generally, anyone who has a child’s interests at heart and can see things from someone else’s perspective would be a good fit. You also need to be able to block out the views of other professionals and focus entirely on the young person at the heart of the issue.
What’s the best thing about being a volunteer advocate?
The best thing is being able to make a small difference to a young person’s life. In representing them you’re giving them an opportunity to say what they think when decisions are made which directly impact on their lives. Children and Young People, especially those in the Care system often have decisions made for them. The simple act of listening to a young person recording and passing on their views and wishes can be life changing for a young person. I’m happy and proud to be part of the Family Welfare team.
Thank you Liz!
If Liz’s story has inspired you to become a volunteer, contact us on 01942 867888 or email admin@familywelfare.co.uk to find out about our current opportunities.