Volunteer with Us – Become a Mentor
Do you feel that you can ‘be there’ for a young person?
Mentoring can be an incredibly rewarding experience, as well as making a big difference to the life chances of a young person.
Our volunteer mentors receive ongoing, specialist training and support and become a valued part of our friendly team.
If you’re interested in volunteering with the Layberry Foundation, then please do get in touch with us to find out more. We look forward to hearing from you.
Phone: Keith, Project Co-ordinator on 07787 344802
Email: team@thelayberryfoundation.org
Further Information for Volunteers
The Layberry Foundation is a Registered Charity. It began in 2016, and aims to help meet the needs of young people who have at some time been in Care or have left Care. We will also work with other vulnerable young people, and our Charity Constitution allows for this provision.
The Foundation was set up by Marion and James (Knocker) Layberry who live on their 52-acre farm in the village of Knockholt, Kent. They were foster carers for several years and many of the young people they cared for are now adults who still visit and remain connected to them.
Marion is a Social Worker and Special Needs Teacher and has worked with young people, helping to prepare them for leaving care and assisting them when this happens. Marion has also founded two Fostering Services in her career. She received an OBE in 2014 for her work in Children’s Services.
The Layberry Foundation Mentoring Project is about supporting young people to achieve their goals. All of our volunteers will receive training to enable them to support the young person with whom they are matched and to assist them to reach their full potential. The support work could include direct mentoring with help towards preparing a CV, identify training courses or work experience opportunities, helping them to seek employment, independence skills and knowledge or joining an activity class or group. All these help to raise a young person’s self-esteem and confidence.
We are mindful that in the current pandemic, and going forward, that young people will inevitably be experiencing additional difficulties. We aim to reach out to these young people and to offer them support – with the help of our volunteers.
The Layberry Foundation has a range of policies in place, including a robust Safer Recruitment Policy and Application Process for Volunteer Mentors. We ensure that everyone connected to the organisation undergoes Safeguarding Training (for both adults and children). Our mentors are trained to put appropriate boundaries in place enabling them to focus on their role. They also receive training to assist with the all-important engagement process of working with children and young adults. Specialist ongoing training is also provided on relevant subjects (e.g. County Lines).
All of the volunteers who come to join our exciting Project will be supported by the Project Co-ordinator throughout their time with us. This will included one-to-one and group support sessions.
The Layberry Foundation, Wood Farm, Burlings Lane, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, Kent. TN14 7PF
Charity Registration Number: 1166536