Becoming a support person
A support person is an adult outside of the child's or adolescent’s home who meets the child or adolescent 1-4 times a month. The meetings are a few hours long and are spent doing things together, for example having a hobby. We are looking for balanced, reliable and committed adults of different ages. Both an adult living alone and an adult with a family can act as a support person.
Those who need support are usually between the ages of 12 and 17. The support person can support the child in everyday matters, such as finding a hobby, problems related to school or social relationships. A support person can support an adolescent who is becoming independent in practical matters related to starting an independent life.
The activities are based on the interaction and cooperation between the child and the support person. An important part of being a support person is cooperation with the child’s parents, a social worker and perhaps the child’s other network. Compensation is paid for being a support person.
A support person is expected to
- want to help
- be willing to commit to being there to support a child or adolescent
- commit to being a support person for at least a year, as it takes time to build a confidential relationship with a child.
Before becoming a support person or support family, support relationship training must be completed. The aim of the training is to provide basic information on support relationships, the development of a child or adolescent, and skills to support children and adolescents. The training is about three hours long and free of charge for the participants.
You can take part in training without committing to becoming a support person or a support family. Those starting as a support person or support family are interviewed and a home visit will also be made to the support families.
How to apply to become a support person
You can apply to become a support person with an application. The application form can be found on the page for forms for social services. The application will be sent by post to a social advisor at Villa family centre.