Return from missing

When a Hampshire child or young person goes missing, Children’s Services will upon their return, offer them a conversation. Guidance states this conversation should be with an independent person (not a social worker or other professional already involved with the child). Return conversations 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 conversations 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 conversation to take place. Volunteers will receive a full training programme on how to deliver support which will equip them to conduct the conversations. Volunteers will also have access to Volunteer Coordinators, who will provide guidance, advice, and supervision whilst they delivering their volunteering activities.
The Volunteer will:
• Receive details from the volunteer coordinator about the return conversation
• Contact the young person/family to make arrangements for the conversation
• Meet with the child/young person to conduct the conversation and complete the standard form

Process:

You will need an account to register your interest for this role. Once you have registered your interest you will receive an automatic email with next steps. If you have not received this in a couple of hours, please do get in touch as it may not have registered (volunteering@hiveportsmouth.org.uk). 

You will need to respond to the "Criteria Check" email to progress with this role. 

Please check your junk email folder in case any emails end up there.  Friendly reminder that the charities/organisations emails may end up here too. 

Don't forget you can add up any volunteering hours as part of Team 100 Opportunity - Hive Portsmouth or part of the Donate 100 things challenge Opportunity

Skills

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.

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.