Training Principle 4: Boundaries of the IV role by National Independent Visitor Network

Welcome!

ivnetwork — 2023-06-14 15:48:48 UTC

A space for all boundaries-related links/resources/content, following on from our TP4 review session on 20/06/23. As well as sharing the link/resource, please share what you use it for and what IV scheme you're from. This Training Principle is: Independent Visitor services set out clearly the responsibilities and purpose of the IV role.

As well as sharing the link/resource, please share what you use it for and what IV scheme you're from.

Boundaries scenario

simonheyes — 2023-06-20 10:57:09 UTC

This is an example of a scenario we use on our training on boundaries

IV & young person's code of conduct

simonheyes — 2023-06-20 10:58:10 UTC

Sets some boundaries at the start

Emotional labour

simonheyes — 2023-06-20 17:05:36 UTC

One thing that came to mind was the complexity of the role and how we manage the competing demands from what the children want, as well as the wants of the volunteers, carers, the social workers and management. Reminded me of concept of emotional labour. I have a report I got a few years from someone at De Montford University about Managing a Volunteer Workforce. It referenced emotional labour quite prominently as part of the volunteer coordinator role.

1. Recognise emotional labour as a key leadership and management skill

Having an ability to remain calm, make volunteers feel valued and listened to, consider their feelings and make them feel a key part of the team is often hard, relentless emotional work but it is one that pays dividends. Volunteers are a highly committed, vocal and often fearless voice in the National Trust but they are also an incredibly valuable resource for these very reasons. Management of volunteers is emotionally complex and needs to be acknowledged as such. The importance, skill and ability to perform emotional labour is a key leadership skill in the management of volunteers. The ability to perform emotional labour in a sustained and authentic way is likely to be the determining factor between those that succeed in harnessing the commitment, resilience, energy and support of volunteers and those that antagonise them or are seen as less effective. Those who manage volunteers should be given specific support and training to help develop their abilities to perform emotional labour in a management context.

Boundaries exercise from Leeds

ivnetwork — 2023-11-15 14:34:54 UTC

Boundaries exercise from Leeds: they create a grid where at the top there are different types of boundaries along the top, grouped broadly in terms of the role, activities, different aspects of the role and the match itself.

Along the side, there are different people who might set these boundaries: the scheme, young person, independent visitor, foster carer.

Then there are different cards that volunteers are asked to place on the grid e.g. length of visit or frequency of visit or what activities you’re going to do.

This exercise encourages people to reflect on who makes these kinds of decisions and generates conversations around which rules are generated by the scheme and which are more flexible.

Dilemmas exercise from Wiltshire

ivnetwork — 2023-11-15 14:35:29 UTC

IVs are made to stand in a line, step forward if you would do something and stay in place where you are. For example: if your young person asked if you ever smoked marijuana, what would you say? Good exercise for assessing those who might bend the rules of the role.

Toilet roll activity from Doncaster

ivnetwork — 2023-11-15 14:35:54 UTC

Toilet roll activity from Doncaster: hand out a toilet roll and asks everyone to each tear off between 1-5 sheets. At the end, for each sheet of toilet roll someone has they have to talk about something you can do within the boundaries.

IV AGREEMENT

2024-02-13 12:05:08 UTC

This is the first section of our IV Agreement. Each person involved with have their own section ie S/W, IRO, YP, Carer, Coordinator. When everyone has read and signed their own section if will be clipped together as a live document that will follow the young person no matter where they go or who their worker is. The idea is to be clear of everyone's role in this match from beginning to end. I'm finishing of the other sections but will upload then when I do. Its a bit wordy but its designed to be clear and fits in with our guidance booklets etc.

richardmasters — 2024-02-21 13:00:55 UTC

Here's a summary explaining the levels of disclosure diagram

'What If' scenario wheel

ivnetwork — 2024-03-06 14:45:47 UTC

Create a ‘What If’ scenario word wheel – Participant spin the wheel and respond to different dilemmas/scenarios e.g. what would you do if your young person told you a

secret? This enable the trainer(s) to

gauge prospective volunteers’ personal opinions are before sharing what the IV service’s stance on that scenario would be.

Ten qualities! Kent Young Lives Foundation

ivnetwork — 2024-03-06 15:11:42 UTC

Ten Qualities that an Independent Visitor should have were chosen by Medway Children and Young Person’s Council. Participants are each provided with a copy of the individual qualities and asked to prioritise them in relation to their own personality.

Good listener
Contactable
Good timekeeper
Resourceful
Understanding
Non judgemental
Focused
Honest
Consistent and stable
Realistic

Activity outcomes:

· It allows the facilitators to assess how well participants have absorbed information in relation to the IV role

· It can feed into the matching process as it helps give a sense of their personality to support matching

· It is an example of visual/reading learning.

‘Yes, No, Maybe …’ to explore boundaries around activity budget. West Sussex IV scheme

ivnetwork — 2024-03-06 15:14:36 UTC

This is an activity we use for exploring the rules/ boundaries around the IV expense budget. However, it could be easily adapted to other topics.

We have 3 signs up in different corners of the room using red, green and orange card – one says ‘YES’, one says ‘NO, and one says ‘MAYBE’. We then read out a question/ scenario – for example, “You are going to play tennis with your young person, are you allowed to use the budget to buy a tennis racket?” People then move to the sign that they think answers the question in relation to the volunteer expense policy. We then ask people why they have chosen the answer they have and discuss our guidance. Some questions/scenarios are designed to bring up interesting discussions about things like ‘gifts’ and related issues around ‘grooming’ and also around safeguarding/ adequate care being provided by foster placements.

This activity can also be run virtually with participants requested to write ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ on paper and hold up – or just respond verbally.

Activity outcomes:

· It allows the facilitators to assess how well participants have absorbed information in relation to IV expense policy

· It’s an example of aural learning

Resources:
Yes, No, Maybe on green, red and orange card. Blue tack to attach cards to walls.