Services Mentoring Mentoring Service Mentoring Services What We Do All children and young people need the support of caring role models to grow into confident successful adults. Growing up isn‘t easy and there are many roadblocks along the way. Children First Derby Mentoring Service aims to match your child with a caring mentor who can provide new experiences, guidance and support. The support offered provides effective help with managing challenges as well as building self confidence. Our trained volunteers offer one to one support, usually through activities which are agreed upon with the young person. We have found our mix of mentoring and activities allows young people to develop new skills and make positive community connections. All the young people that we work with are referred to us by organisations that work with children. Referral criteria: Aged 10 -16 and living in the Derby city area Child/young person and parent/guardian are aware the referral is being made and in agreement Child/young person is at risk of or experiencing one or more of the areas we support Our Mentors All our mentors are volunteers who are passionate about supporting children and young people. Our mentors go through a robust selection process. They are police checked and attend a detailed training programme. They will support your child for a few hours a fortnight, encouraging them in their studies, introducing them to new activities and inspiring them to think about their future goals and dreams. As a mentoring service provider, our role is to identify a suitable mentor and match them to the right family. Once a suitable mentor is identified, our coordinator will introduce him or her to you and your child. Our coordinator will visit you every three months to review the action plan and discuss any changes required. The meetings will reduce as the need for support lessens, but this will always be after discussion with you and your child. How to access our Mentoring Services We accept referrals from organisations supporting children and young people aged 10 – 16 years, who need early intervention help. We support young people who are: Experiencing issues relating to low self-esteem & confidence Disengaged, excluded or at risk of exclusion from education Experiencing family breakdown Involved in anti-social behaviour Our Coordinator will confirm with you that a referral has been received, make arrangements to visit the child/young person (with parental agreement) in their own home to discuss the service and the young person’s potential requirements. Once a suitable volunteer is identified, our Coordinator will introduce him or her to the young person and meetings will take place outside the family home. An initial visit is arranged where the Mentoring Service coordinator discusses the support required. This will identify needs and set up an action plan. There can sometimes be a waiting list for the service, our coordinator will explain how this operates. Meetings will then take place outside the family home and our coordinator will make sure that you are aware of the arrangements. Our coordinator will visit you every three months to review the action plan and discuss any changes required. The meetings will reduce as the need for support lessens. The frequency of the meetings will be decided upon with the parent and child involved. It is our policy to liaise with referring agencies during the period of the service. We would expect the referring agency to keep us informed of any changes to the child/young person’s situation. Should you wish to discuss the service during the period of our support, please contact the Coordinator on 01332 341516 and not the volunteer. How to apply to be a Mentoring Service Volunteer Download our Mentoring Service Volunteer Application form here. Fill in the form and return the completed form to Kerreene Davidson, Children First Derby, 13 Leopold Street, Derby, DE1 2HE or alternatively email the completed form to [email protected]