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GUIDELINES FOR SOCIAL WORKERS REFERRING TO FRIENDS UNITED NETWORK
At Friends United Network we aim to establish and sustain long term friendships between adult volunteers and socially isolated children aged 5 - 16 in lone parent families living in Camden and Islington.
We welcome referrals from Statutory and Voluntary agencies and will give consideration to all children referred. In order to make successful matches (and to avoid disappointing a child) please read these guidelines carefully before making a referral.
-
A parent needs to be motivated to support the friendship. This may include
organising a child to be ready and available for the volunteer's visit,
and to recognise the volunteer is there primarily for the child and
not for their own needs. Our experience has shown that a match has little
chance of working if a parent sabotages the match either consciously
or unconsciously.
- The
child should have some understanding of what is being offered through
FUN and a willingness to be open to a new friendship. Some of the most
needy children have sadly lost the ability to take in positive experiences
and form satisfactory relationships. This may show in their rejecting
or disturbed behaviour or severe withdrawal. Alternatively a child may
already have sufficient key relationships and thus feel confused or
even pressurised by the arrival of a new adult.
- Friends
United Network does have a duty to make matches which are within the
scope of what can reasonably be expected of a dedicated but unqualified
and unpaid volunteer. A child with severe emotional/behavioural difficulties
may be best helped by an appropriately trained professional worker.
- A
child/family that requires a full package of care input from childcare
professionals may not be available for a friendship. It is hard for
a match to develop where there is a likelihood that the child may be
received into care.
- We
normally only accept referrals from children living at home with a parent
or relative on permanent basis. It is not usually possible to match
a child placed in a boarding school or Residential Therapeutic Community.
Experience has taught us that transitional/looked after arrangements
are too fragile and complex for us to introduce yet another person into
the family system.
- We accept referrals of siblings but it is important to stress that our focus is on one to one friendships so we would usually phase in new matches to allow the family to make a gradual adjustment to a new person.
We hope these guidelines are helpful and look forward to receiving your referrals.
