Community Mentoring
Roles and Responsibilities
Responsibilities of providers of Community Mentoring services:
- To establish service governance arrangements which involve key stakeholders including local older people and voluntary sector representation.
- To establish and maintain a comprehensive awareness of community facilities and provision (including transport) and must ensure that mentors have access to and awareness of this. Where any gaps exist in mapping of local communities, mentoring organisations make this good.
- To promote mentoring to referring agencies and to establish routes in the community through which early identification of appropriate individuals not likely to be referred by Primary Care Teams can take place.
- To provide mentors in such numbers and of the competence described below as required.
- To provide mentors with suitable training and skills to assess and engage with individuals across the spectrum of need outlined.
- To provide access to a range of activities and services that will maximise the ability to tailor social engagement activities to the needs and interest of individuals. This includes developing opportunities where necessary.
- Long term support is not the primary aim of mentoring. Where withdrawal seems difficult, organisations providing mentoring consult with referrer before determining ongoing support arrangements
- To make arrangements to meet the general standards expected of organisations working in the health and social care field – e.g. policies for protection of vulnerable adults, confidentiality, risk management, volunteer recruitment.
- To establish and maintain close working relationships on a basis of full confidence and mutual respect with each GP cluster MDT, local voluntary sector, local older people’s organisations.
- To establish audited self monitoring arrangements to continually review effectiveness and provide evidence of value for money
- To establish arrangements to enhance “value for money” for example by providing a “gain” through synergy with other community activities or by being able to “lever in” other resources to complement the contracted services.
- To establish and maintain guidance, resources and processes for promoting the sustainability of groups set up or supported to fulfil service user’s needs.
- To make arrangements to ensure that any groups to which they refer vulnerable older people, and groups they establish for vulnerable people are continuing and that their referees are continuing to benefit. They take action to “refresh” groups where this is necessary.
- To provide evidence of understanding of work with volunteers and voluntary organisations, and to maintain a positive approach to these appropriate to the organisation’s type.
- To maintain professional oversight of mentor’s work and standards, and to provide them with regular opportunities to review their practice.
- To provide a consistent quality of service across the designated area.
