Nottinghamshire County Children’s Rights Services

A man and a child at a skatepark
A girl stood in a park

What is an independent visitor?

An Independent Visitor is an adult volunteer who gives up some of their free time to meet you once a month to do an activity together. You'll be matched with a volunteer who has similar interests to you.   

If you're a child or young person in foster care or a children's home and you're aged between 6 and 17.5 years old, we can match you with an Independent Visitor.   

A girl at the cinema

What activities can we do?

There are lots of things you could do with your Independent Visitor, like:  

  • Bowling  
  • Ice skating  
  • Trampoline parks  
  • Cinema trips  
  • Eating out  
  • Shopping  

The Independent Visitor will collect you from your address and take you back after you've done the activity.  

How do I get an independent visitor?

Are you aged 6 – 17.5? Do you live with a foster family, in a residential home, or by yourself?  

With your permission, your social worker can refer you to us.   

Call 07435925216 or 01332294534. You can also email [email protected] for a referral form. 

Contact us

If you'd like to find out more about becoming an Independent Visitor, please do get in touch.  

Email:  [email protected] 

Phone: 07435925216 or 01332294534            

You can also search for volunteer vacancies here (opens in a new window) on our volunteer recruitment site.  

 

Out of hours number 

This number is for any child or young person who needs to contact the service out of hours and is also a support line for Independent Visitors and foster carers.   

It is not a number for professionals. If you are a professional, please contact the project directly.   

Emergency out of hours number: 03003035355   

Monday to Friday: 8am – 9am and 5pm – 8pm   

Saturday and Sunday: 10am – 4pm  

Contribute to our project

If you are unable to volunteer on a regular basis, there are other ways you could support us.  

  • Word of mouth. Do you know someone who may want to be an Independent Visitor, or would your company be able to promote the service internally?  
  • You could fundraise 
  • Offer us deals and discounts  
  • Collect and donate raffle prizes  
  • Green Token Giving- Asda information below 

 

Lots of national and local organisations offer the project discounted rates so that our young people and volunteers can spend time together enjoying fun activities or eating out at different establishments. Over the years we have had people do marathons, fun runs, and help us by donating prizes so we can raise money for an annual Christmas party.

Any funds and donations will go directly to the Nottinghamshire County Independent Visitors Project.

 

How you can support us 

You can support our work in a number of ways, including: 

  • Making a one-off donation 
  • Setting up a monthly contribution  
  • Fundraising via an event like a coffee morning or a 5k run.

If you’d like to make a direct donation, please contact [email protected] for more information.