May 2026 Issue: National Youth Advocacy Service

Tija Fitzgerald

Solicitor

Brabners

NYAS is a leading rights-based charity that supports children and young people in care across England and Wales, ensuring their voices are heard and their wishes and feelings are represented during important decisions about their lives.

As an Independent Visitor, you are matched with a young person in care and build a long-term, consistent and trusted relationship with them. The role is entirely independent from social services, schools and placement settings; NYAS describes Independent Visitors as trained volunteers who "befriend and spend time with children in care, creating special memories and becoming someone, they can rely on."

I meet with my young person regularly, and together we choose activities that help build their confidence, independence and self-esteem. The heart of the role is simply being a stable, reliable presence, someone who chooses to be there for them, and over time offers continuity that can be difficult to find within the care system.

Volunteering as an Independent Visitor is immensely rewarding and it has deepened my awareness of the social challenges faced by children and young people in care.