Recruiting, training and supporting volunteer mentors

Volunteer mentors from the local community befriend and support adult offenders to help their resettlement in the community. They are trained (by SST) to help offenders deal with the many challenges surrounding resettlement, including social prejudice, and provide support with practical everyday issues.

The improvement needed
Offenders living in the community encounter significant challenges to their rehabilitation, resettlement and entry into education, training and employment. These challenges may include having few or no friends or family around them, poor role models, poor communication skills, underdeveloped life skills and unemployment. Volunteer mentors can help deal with these challenges and support resettlement in the community.

The approach
Potential candidates are interviewed to assess their motivation to act as a mentor and their suitability for the role. Successful applicants then undergo a 3 day training programme.

Day 1: Taster to allow volunteers to find out if mentoring or the more specialised Circle of Support and Accountability with sex-offenders is for them

Day 2: Specific training on mentoring (Circles of Support Training takes a week-end)

Day 3: Follow-up training following a period of practice

The training focuses on:

•    their motivation
•    dealing with stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination and equal opportunities
•    establishing boundaries: the difference between friendship and befriending
•    health and safety
•    confidentiality
•    challenging inappropriate behaviour
•    SST policies and procedures.

On completion of the first two days of training, volunteers are invited to a second interview to discuss any concerns or issues arising. Staff assess the suitability of volunteers for mentoring during the training programme.

The mentors are matched with ex-offenders according to their needs, interests and circumstances. Once matched, the mentor develops an action plan related to the ex-offender’s keyworking support plan , which records the kind of support the ex-offender will receive. Mentors strive to:

•    support the development of hobbies and interests (to help unemployed offenders occupy their time)
•    help the offender to deal with housing, bills and benefits issues
•    facilitate integration into the community
•    encourage and support offenders to take up training and employment opportunities
•    help develop skills for life
•    foster an offender’s motivation and confidence.

When the appropriate time comes,  the termination of the mentoring relationship can be facilitated an exit strategy if this is what the mentor and mentee desires.

Impact – outcomes and benefits
For volunteers:
•    the scheme provides an opportunity to develop skills for work in offender management.
•    provides and opportunity to “give back” to the community.
For offenders:
•    offenders receive emotional and practical support which helps with their resettlement and helps to prevent re-offending.

Making it work
The following strategies ensure the success of the scheme:
•    potential volunteers are assessed throughout recruitment and training
•    the flexible training programme ensures that volunteers develop key mentoring skills and knowledge
•    mentors are supervised and supported by experienced and qualified staff
•    all contact with the offenders is logged and monitored

•    all meetings between the mentor and offender occur in public places
•    mentors are not expected to have expertise in all areas where offenders encounter challenges
•    the mentor/offender relationship is monitored to keep it professional and make sure the offender does not become dependent on the mentor.

If you are interested in seeing if this type of volunteering is for you, please feel free to contact our CEO, Mick Holloway, who would be happy to meet with you for an informal and non-committal chat.

mick.holloway@steppingstonestrust.org.uk

020 8253 0450