MENTOR PROGRAM

ABOUT

 

The Mentor Program provides services to Young People who are ‘stuck in transition’. The service is between a Mentor, paired with a Young Person for the purpose of improved personal development and reducing ‘high-risk’ behaviours including refusal and non-compliance in participation for personal development, rejection of case-plan goals, and open resistance, defiance and even hostility toward carers and caseworkers. The Mentor Program seeks to be culturally competent.

 

Mentoring focuses on improving motivation, performance and behaviour to higher levels in the short term. Mentors emphasize the improvement of a specific skill set, with the aim of improving performance. Mentoring encompasses aspects of both mentoring and coaching for young people. The aim is to improve the life skills of each young person to a level of independence that helps the young person to reduce ‘high-risk’ behaviours, move forward and get back on track.

 

The Mentor Program is about a positive experience for the young person. The Mentor is someone who the Young Person can easily connect with and develop a positive relationship.

 

The Mentor Program supports the Young Person to develop their own strategies for,

o  Reducing ‘High-Risk’ behaviours

o  Increasing Motivation and self-esteem

o  Personal development, risk mitigation, capacity building and coping skills

o  Daily living, practical support and crisis management

o  Support planning and goal setting

 

The Mentor supports the Young Person to reduce their own risk factors, build strengths and equip themselves with knowledge, skills and resources required for a good life.

 

Objectives

The objectives of the Mentor Program are to help Young People reduce ‘high-risk’ behaviours toward a good life. Specifically, the Mentor Program seeks to,

o  Assist Young People to identify their own strengths and identify protective factors in their lives

o  Empower Young People to build capabilities and protective strengths toward a good life

o  Support Young People to identify and reduce risk factors/triggers and implement strategies to reduce the risk of future risk behaviours

 

TARGET GROUP

The target group for the Mentor Program are Young People 10-16 years in Out of Home Care who are not developing as they should, they are not advancing and their behaviours are becoming more high-risk. The Young Person may be developing risk of harm behaviours including substance abuse, offending, transience & homelessness, self-harm and suicide. The Young Person may have,

o  Low or no motivation toward case/care plan goals or personal development

o  Actively defy or refuse caseworker or carer support, assistance and instruction

o  May have a diagnosis of ADHD (ODD) and /or social anxiety, depression or conduct disorder

o  Have setbacks including low self-esteem, video game addiction and petty crime

o  In some instance have defiant, hostile and aggressive behaviours

o  Experienced trauma including abuse and/or neglect

 

The Young people who make up the target group may have low insight into risk behaviour thus increasing their vulnerability.

 

ENGAGEMENT

 

The Mentor

The Mentor is a behaviour specialist who has extensive experience working with Young People on statutory orders including justice, child protection and out-of-home care who present with significant risk factors and high-risk behaviours. The Mentor is responsible for the planning, leadership, organisation and control of the Mentor Program and implementation of the strategies that will help the Young Person reduce ‘stuck’ behaviours and work toward a good life.

 

The minimum level of qualifications and experience for the Mentor is Certificate IV in Mentoring or similar training, and/or two years of experience in Mentoring/Coaching related work, or lived experience of Out-of-Home Care or cultural competence.

 

The Mentor has the following qualities to best support the Young Person.

o  Compassion, kindness and understanding

o  Strength and patience to facilitate robust support and focused learning

o  Calm and resilience to get through crisis and ‘tough times’

o  Communication skills to help the Young Person mitigate risk and develop capacity

o  Commitment and resilience to continue until the Young Person succeeds

 

The Mentor has a rich and developed understanding of the, plans to be made, risk factors to address, capacities to build, skills to develop, barriers to overcome, problems to deal with, crisis to overcome, beliefs/feelings/attitudes to change, and goals to achieve in order to support the Young Person to overcome risk of harm and/or problem behaviors.

 

A team of professionals support the Mentor where required and work with the Young Person including social worker, psychologist and peer-support work to help the Young Person to transform their negative thoughts, feelings and behaviour.  

 

Engagement

A number of engagement strategies are implemented by the Mentor to attract the Young Person to the Mentor Program and maintain participation including,

o  The development of a positive role model relationship based upon empathy and respect

o  The application of adventure, recreation and athletic activities

o  A continued focus upon the positive expectation of a good life

o  Compassionate, warm, and trustworthy Mentors who care about the Young Person.

o  Acknowledgement of the Young Persons interests and goals

 

The Mentor Program identifies the Young Person as the chief agent of change, the single most important factor in planning and most influential contributor to a successful outcome. The Young Person is the centre of the Mentor Program at all times.

PLANNING

 

Support Planning

The Mentor Program has a strong emphasis on personal development activities that connect the Young Person to community including sport, education, the arts and culture. To address unmet need the support plan is developed to increase personal functioning and development. The plan specifically addresses problems with,

o  Welfare, accommodation, justice compliance and material aid

o  Physical and mental health coordination, substance use management

o  Education and employment

o  Family and peer connection and inclusion

o  Self-esteem and confidence

 

The development of the plan may include consulting, family, extended kin networks and community members and may include members of cultural communities in the planning and implementation of the support plan.

 

Goal setting

The Mentor Program is concerned with the Young Person’s formulation of personal development goals that equip Young People with knowledge, skills and resources to satisfy life values including,

o  Healthy living and functioning – feeling good

o  Freedom from emotional turmoil and stress

o  Familial relationships

o  Knowledge and creativity

o  Excellence in work and play

 

The Mentor Program is based upon a strengths approach that emphasizes the need to build capabilities and strengths.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

Building Capacity

Young people reducing ‘stuck’ behaviours need to build capabilities and strengths toward personal development. The Mentor supports the young person to develop mental toughness including,

o  Confidence to make things happen

o  Resilience to push past barriers

o  Flexibility and the ability to adapt

o  Discipline to maintain routine and effort for compliance

o  Focus of attention and effort in a positive direction

 

A key goal of the Mentor Program is to help the Young Person develop strategies to overcome ‘stuck’ behaviours, the young person is empowered to develop mental toughness to overcome the future barriers and challenges.

 

Risk Mitigation

Young People who are ‘stuck’ need to be able to identify risk factors and triggers to risk behaviour and implement strategies to address and reduce the risk of risk behaviours continuing. The Mentor supports the Young Person to modify disempowering personal values, beliefs and attitudes, and build protective factors comprising,

o  Anger management and pro-social behaviour

o  Social and problem solving skills

o  Trauma resolution and stress reduction

o  Coping skills for daily stressors and living

o  Healthy mind and body

 

Whilst risk mitigation is an essential component to overcome risk of harm or behaviours the Mentor Program is a strengths-based approach therefore the focus of the Mentor Program is to equip the Young Person with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary for personal development.

 

Coping Skills

Young People with ‘stuck’ behaviors may be living semi-independently, some for the for the first time. Learning how to cope with the stressors of living alone can be a daunting task. Mentors help the Young Person to develop practical living skills including,

o  Financial management including budgeting, banking and bill payment

o  Meal preparation and grocery shopping

o  Personal and environmental hygiene

o  Self-reliance and personal security

o  Practical skills for daily living

 

The Mentor helps the Young Person to develop coping skills for everyday and managing life stressors. The Young Person learns how to manage themselves toward personal development.

DAILY LIVING

 

Practical Support

Where required the Young Person is empowered to live independently. The Mentor supports the Young Person to interface with organisations including,

o  Housing for accommodation

o  Health for the treatment of physical complaint and mental illness

o  Centrelink for welfare and identification

o  Justice for compliance with orders bail and bond

o  Non-government organisations for community support

 

A key indicator that the Young Person has resolved their unmet need is whether they can participate in employment and/or education. The Young Person’s enrollment into an education Program and/or gaining employment is a high priority of the Adolescent Program.

 

Crisis Management

Crisis’ frequently occur for Young People who have ‘stuck’ behaviours and often the crisis has profound effects. Crisis usually comes as a surprise to the Young Person and there is often little time to respond. The Mentor helps the Young Person manage the crisis in a number of ways by supporting the Young Person to,

o  Develop crisis management plans and contingencies

o  Diffuse and mitigate potential threats

o  Deal with threats during the crisis

o  Bring the crisis to an end quickly

o  Control the crisis and collateral damage

 

The Mentor supports the Young Person to implement crisis management strategies. If the Young Person does not resolve the crisis the Mentor is able to directly intervene and coordinate emergency and community services, and provide crisis support until the threat has ceased. Once the Young Person has achieved their goals the Mentor maintains contact as required.

 

Intensive Support is an approved Department of Communities and Justice, Out-of-Home-Care and Child Protection Casework Support Scheme (CSS) provider, the Mentor Program is charged using ‘CSS Mentor’ rates.

 

To refer a Young Person please email info@support.org.au

 

Intensive Support

02 9144 1447 or 0422 9144 20

info@support.org.au           

www.support.org.au