What is involved?

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) mentoring services aims to help young people to make positive social connections with others. Having an improved social network and social support system acts as a buffer in times of stress helping to ensure the young person has added resilience in times of difficulty.

Parent mentoring fosters a supportive relationship between a parent  /carer and a trained volunteer mentor. Parent Mentors support and encourage parents in the use of positive parenting approaches with their children. Parent mentoring services increase the capacity of families to care for, and meet the needs of their children.

What is required for the position?

A young person or a parent are matched with a volunteer mentor for periods of up to one year. Our dedicated volunteers are good listeners who meet their mentees weekly at an arranged time and place. Mentees receive guidance and support throughout this period and afterwards through our tracking service.

Qualities we look for in volunteers;

• Belief in the child centred ethos
• Non judgemental
• Flexible and committed
• Communication skills
• Genuine positive interest in children
• Open and honest

**Essential:

Volunteers must hold a full drivers licence and have access to a car.

Age restrictions

All volunteers are required to be 21 years or above.

Time and commitment required for the role?

Volunteer mentors are required to commit to giving 2-3 hours a week for at least 12 months to the ISPCC.

Location

Volunteer mentors will be matched with youth or parent mentees throughout Limerick County.

Screening for role

Our recruitment process is thorough and includes;

• Expression of interest,
• A group information event,
• Application form,
• Interview,
• Reference checks,
• Garda vetting,
• A six week training programme,
• Shadowing, ongoing supervision and support by an ISPCC Childhood Support Worker. 

Benefits for you as a volunteer

• Become a member of The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), Ireland’s national child protection charity, committed to best practice, high quality services and securing outcomes for children
• A chance to support a young person/parent’s to make changes that will improve their life for the better through being a reliable and consistent support
• An opportunity to grow & develop both personally & professionally
• Opportunities to make friends & learn new skills
• Participation in a comprehensive training schedule
• Practical training in the form of shadowing
• Practice shadowing by staff to allow for one to one feedback
• One to one and group supervision
• Continuous Practice Development & ongoing training
• Annual appraisal system
• Team meetings
• Staff availability for support
• Manager on call out of hours for child protection concerns
• Annual Volunteer Recognition Event
• One to one counselling support service

Expression of Interest

To express interest in this volunteering opportunity please contact Shellie Murnane, on 087 153 0001 / shellie.murnane@ispcc.ie.

You can also find out more about the ISPCC on our website www.ispcc.ie