Barnardos Needs Parent and Baby Volunteers

How does it work?

At the heart of the programme are a neighbourhood baby and parent, who visit a primary school classroom every three weeks over the school year. Over the course of the year, a trained Roots of Empathy Instructor leads the pupils in noticing how the baby is growing and changing. The children also watch the loving relationship between the parent and baby, seeing how the parent responds to the baby’s emotions and meets the baby’s needs. The baby needs to be between 2 -4 months old at the start of the programme (October 2018).

What does the programme do?

The programme is proven to increase empathy - the ability to understand how another person feels. Children learn to care for and respect each other, which leads to a reduction in bullying and aggression.

What’s involved for the parent and baby volunteers?

• A baby with one or both parents visits a local primary school classroom over the course of a school year with a Roots of Empathy Instructor.
• The visits are about 30 minutes long, once a month starting in October and ending in June.
• The programme helps children to learn about a baby’s needs and how babies develop, and lets children observe the loving relationship between a parent and baby.

I’m interested – how do I get involved?

If you would like to become part of this wonderful programme, please fill in our short volunteer form.

Or, if you know of a family with a baby who would be 2-4 months old in October and who may be interested in participating, please pass this information on!