‘MY MENTOR HELPS ME SORT OUT THINGS IN MY HEAD AND MY HEART’:

Mentoring for Looked after Children and Young People Susan Elsley Consultant and Chair, LACSIG Mentoring Hub

WHAT IS MENTORING?

 ‘ Mentoring is the support of one individual by another within a relationship developed through regular contact over a period of time, in order to achieve a stated objective’.

Ref: Yeowart, Copps and Sandford (2007) Lean on Me: Mentoring for young people at risk, The Pear Foundation

WHY MENTORING?

Where children and young people don’t have a trusted, constant relationship in their lives, mentoring can have a place.

Can provide additional positive relationships where children and young people don’t have them Can be the primary focus of a programme or can be used along with other approaches Lawner, Beltz and Moore (2013) http://www.policypointers.org/Page/View/15337

MENTORING

Big Brothers and Big Sisters Programme in US  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcnCXl7fpSs&list=SPE087 51EE32C822FE  http://www.youtube.com/user/BBBSofAmerica?feature=watch

WHY MENTORING FOR CHILDREN LOOKED AFTER AT HOME?

Can help to tackle thorny issues  Support educational outcomes  Provide positive, trusted relationships  Help to avoid risky behaviours  Promote resilience  Provide aspiration and confidence  Others?

LACSIG MENTORING HUB

Our starting points… Acknowledge the need for a constant relationship for looked after children and young people  Presence of a constant person in the child’s life; an individual who takes an active interest, provides encouragement and support, and can challenge services and systems so that they meet the child’s needs Recognise the value of relationships and roles of other people  Family members and peers  Named person and lead professionals, teachers, social workers, care workers and health professionals, Hearing panel members and advocates

LACSIG MENTORING HUB

Our aims  To explore the potential benefits of mentoring for looked after children and young people  To consider how a national mentoring scheme for looked after children and young people could be developed and implemented What we have been doing    Examining evidence Engaging with experts Engaging with young people   Exploring positive attributes and challenges And now developing proposals …

WHAT EVIDENCE SAYS

 Mentoring focused on helping children with their education, social skills and relationships more frequently effective than those focused on behavior problems such as bullying or programs aimed at reducing teen pregnancy Lawner, Beltz, Moore (2013)  Mentoring highly valued by young people in helping them with relationship problems, building their confidence and improving their emotional well-being. Clayden and Stein (2005)  Benefits of mentoring are apparent from early childhood to adolescence Dubois, Por tillo, Rhodes, Silver thorn and Valentine (2011)

ENGAGING WITH EXPERTS

What we learned  Expertise out there: mentoring programmes run by local authorities and the voluntary sector  Wide target range: age groups, needs, approaches to referrals  Different models and approaches: e.g. use of volunteers, part time sessional staff and professional co -ordinators  Experience in ensuring quality and standards: approaches to evaluating and measuring outcomes  Intervene early

WHAT EXPERTS FOUND

Evaluations do show benefits and positive outcomes for young people  YMCA Plusone mentoring found that 85% young people had significant changed behaviour after 6 months  Msupport (Renfrewshire Council) found positive impact on self-esteem of young people and their capacity to engage in preparing for employment, education and training

WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE SAID

 YES to a mentor  YES to someone they trust, respect them and listens  YES to be able to choose someone  YES to peer mentors with similar experiences and mentors with range of backgrounds  YES to getting involved in recruitment and training  YES to mentors at RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PLACE and RIGHT INTERVENTION

WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE SAID

 ‘take you out. be friends with you. have a laugh. stick up for you.speak on the phone.’  ‘Take part in activities. come to sports days and parents days. Go out and about with the young person. Take an interest in how the young person is getting on. Be in touch with parents’.

 ‘Be part of a young person's life. Not just when times are hard. You need to build trust and the mentor would need to support you even when you are in difficulty.’

ATTRIBUTES AND CHALLENGES (1)

Challenges  Another adult in a crowded space  Need training and support for mentors to deal safely with children’s complex experiences  Effective link with others supporting children  Not undermine positive relationships at home or in care  Ensure that mentoring supports transitions  Available to those who need it when they need it

ATTRIBUTES AND CHALLENGES (2)

Attributes  Trusted and positive relationships are freely entered into: not prescriptive  Active choice by young person  Young person matched well with mentor  Families support mentoring relationships  Procedures and policies help quality mentoring  Access to mentoring is consistent and longer term  Outcomes explored and shared

CHALLENGES AND ATTRIBUTES (3)



Plan for ‘mentor-rich environments…*



…which are supported by YMCA’s idea of ‘anchor community organisations’

*Freedom, M (1999)

WORK IN PROGRESS!

All ideas, thoughts and comments welcome  Susan Elsley, Mentoring Hub [email protected]

 Carolyn Younie, Scottish Government [email protected]

 Ben Farrugia, CELCIS [email protected]

REFERENCES

  Bishop, J (2008) The Mentoring Support Project: Final Evaluation, Renfrewshire Council & Paisley Par tnership Blazek,Brown,Smith,and Van Blerk (2011) Plusone Mentoring: Evaluation, University of Dundee   http://www.policypointer s.org/Page/View/15337   Lawner,Beltz, and Moore(2013) What works for Mentoring Programs: Lessons from experimental evaluations of programmes and evidence: Research Brief Child Trends Clayden and Stein (2005) Mentoring young people leaving care‘Someone for me’, York: JRF http://php.york .ac.uk/inst/spru/pubs/102/ Dubois,Por tillo,Rhodes, Silver thorn and Valentine (2011 ) How ef fective are mentoring programs for youth? A systematic assessment of the evidence, Psychological Science in the Public Interest  Freedom, M (1999) The Kindness of Strangers of Strangers: Adult Mentors, Urban Youth and the New Voluntarism Yeowar t, Copps and Sandford (2007) Lean on Me: Mentoring for young people at risk, The Pear Foundation