PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES

HES Mentoring Service

Move On’s mentoring service for young care over aids the transition and improve a range of outcomes for young people in their journey from care into adulthood and more independent living. Through the uptake of social, cultural and leisure opportunities, the service seeks to encourage positive image, raise self-esteem and social confidence. Additionally the young people benefit from their relationship with the volunteer mentor discouraging dependency on paid workers.

Approved Provider Standard

The 'Approved Provider Standard' is a national framework that evaluates safe and competent practise for mentoring and be-friending projects. Move On completed the portfolio and were among the first five Scottish Organisations to apply for accreditation. The service was evaluated at a very high standard all the way through as a model of excellence and will now be recommended for other agencies setting up mentoring or be-friending projects. Move On received an outstanding achievement award at the National Mentoring & Befriending Conference in June 2006.

Over the last year we have had 22 matches on going at any one time. Currently we have 13 mentors and 11 of them are in active relationships.

On average Mentor meetings happen 2-3 times a month and generally last between 2-3 ½ hours a time, depending on the focus of the activities. Some examples of the activities include: climbing, guitar and drumming lessons, judo, football (both playing and watching), hill walking, swimming, cinema, socialising, golfing and going to the gym.

Outcomes

To date our experience has been that where a mentoring relationship has time to develop, young people achieve a range of benefits. Each matched pair set goals and targets, and to date young people have had considerable success in achieving these. Although the route to achieving goals is social and leisure activities the 'soft' indictors are sometimes more important in the development of the young people (and the mentors), and include increased self awareness and self worth, as well as confidence, self esteem and being more able to make informed choices about the direction of their own lives.