Visitors well-being : build your own toolkit

This page provides you with a snapshot of strategies and tips you can use to improve your own wellbeing. The aim is to give you tools you can use to reflect on your own experiences 

What help and support is available to you as a visitor? 

In order to be able to effectively support the needs of those in detention, it is important to be mindful about your own boundaries and your own wellbeing. Visiting can be stressful, and visitors need support for themselves. Your first line of support is your visitors group (your peers), who will have a great deal of expertise, and they would have gone through the same experience as you. The support from your peers, talking or sharing your experience is often the best way to share problems, come up with solutions, and defuse tension and stress. 

 AVID advocate that it is important to provide full support throughout your visiting experience. It will be upto you to work out your own way of being a visitor in adhere to your group' 'code of conduct' or 'volunteer role description', and also that you develop your own methods of coping with the upsetting and disturbing personal stories that you will hear as a visitor. 

Example of support that is available for you as a visitor: 

  • Coordinators; 
  • Peer support group;
  • Buddying system with experienced visitors; 
  • Few visitors groups have access to conselling service; 
  • Relevent training from your group and AVID(online).

If you would like to find out more about these support services, or you are having difficulty, you should contact your visitors group coordiantors or AVID for help. 

How to take part: 

Disclaimer: 

These pages are not intended for individuals in an emergency. If you are in a life-threatening situation, please immediately dial UK's emergency number available here, or go to your nearest Accident and Emergency department.