Sean volunteered for Home Link as he was a father who knew some of the pressures that can be around when bringing up young children, especially when there is little support. He wanted to help other families who might be having stressful times. He was also interested in making a career change to Social Work and wanted to experience some first hand family work to help him decide.

 

Coinciding with this, Home Link had a request from a social worker to provide a good male role model for a young boy who had had some very bad life experiences.

 

Sean was matched with this child, taking him out weekly and building a relationship of trust. He interacted with the social worker and foster carer as well as his Home Link Project Worker, which gave Sean insight and experience in this field.

 

The most important outcome of his work, though, was the assessment, after a year of contact, that his input had helped move this little boy on in trust and self esteem and confidence to try new things.

 

Sandra has been volunteering as a befriender with Home Link for four years. She had decided that after being helped herself by another voluntary organisation previously, she would like to give something back. She came into contact with Home Link at a local volunteer fair. She had looked at various stands from different voluntary organisations but nothing had really appealed. She got talking to one of the project workers from Home Link who was at the fair and they got chatting about Home Link and what befriending involved. Sandra decided this would be something she might enjoy as she had brought up her own family and her grandchildren were now teenagers, and she felt she could pass on some of this experience.

 

Sandra has befriended 4 families over the 4 years she has been with Home Link. She currently befriends a family with 3 children and usually takes the family on outings such as to the beach or country park. As the mum is a single parent she finds taking 3 young children out extremely difficult so Sandra's help is very much appreciated.

 

As well as spending time with the family Sandra really enjoys the social side of being a Home Link befriender. She always attends the training events which are run throughout the year and has made good friends with some of the other befrienders.