Somerset Council’s Youth Justice Team and Route1 Advocacy Team need more volunteers who want to make a real difference to young people in Somerset.

The Youth Justice Team aims to reduce youth offending. The team works with young people and their families after a young person has been arrested by the police. Our Youth Justice Team volunteer teams support families in two ways to help the young person achieve their potential.

They are currently looking for volunteers for two roles:

• Family Group Conference Volunteers: A family group conference is led by family members to plan and make decisions for a child who is at risk of coming in to care. Volunteers in this role support parents who may struggle to express their views. The role of the volunteer advocate for any vulnerable adult at the Family Group Conference can be essential to its success
• Reparation Mentors: Volunteers in this role support young people to participate fully in reparation work – compensating for damage or wrong – as part of a Court Order. This is a really rewarding role where you are actively supporting the young person to develop life skills, whilst supporting their local community. The YJT is looking for volunteers who would be prepared to support young people.
• Route1 is a service where volunteers support children and young people in care.
• Advocates: Volunteers work alongside individual children to ensure their voices are heard and their wishes and feelings are taken into account when decisions are being made which affect them. Each child’s support is usually short term (maybe two or three days) and there is no expectation of a long term commitment to any particular child.
• Independent Visitors: These volunteers make a long term commitment to one child in care. They visit the child once or twice each month – sometimes more often – and build a trusting, supportive relationship and friendship that can sometimes last many years. This can bring life-changing experiences and opportunities to a vulnerable child or young person.

Cllr Tessa Munt, Lead Member for Children, Families and Education said:

Not only do these roles do amazing things for young people in Somerset, they represent great opportunities for local people to learn more about the services they support. Volunteering can be a great way into work in related areas.

I would strongly encourage local residents to come and help children and families, do some real long term good, use and expand their existing skills and experience and make a huge difference to young people in Somerset.

If you’re interested and want to find out more about volunteering with Somerset Council, please visit volunteering.somerset.gov.uk. You can also follow us at facebook.com/volunteeringatsomersetcouncil/. You can contact the Central Volunteer Team by emailing volunteer@somerset.gov.uk or by phoning 01823 35920

If you would like more information about the Youth Justice Team, please go to somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/somerset-youth-offending-team/

For more information about Route 1 Advocacy and Independent Visitors, you can contact them by emailing: route1independentvisitors@somerset.gov.uk, phoning 01749 822801, or by writing to Route1 Advocacy: SC, PO Box 5176, Somerset BA4 9DD. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and on our website.