Mentoring and Befriending

You may also like to browse the general resources in the Good Practice Bank's Core Themes. They cover topics such as 'Equal Opportunities and Diversity', 'Protection and Safeguarding of Vulnerable Clients' and 'Creating Volunteer Roles'. Visit the Good Practice Bank index to find a full list of themes.

Overview

• What is 'mentoring' and what is 'befriending'? - VE article

Articles

• Research findings on the role of Volunteer Development Agencies in mentoring and befriending - IVR report
• Evaluations of mentoring projects - Joseph Rowntree Foundation
• Evaluations of mentoring projects - Youth Justice Board

Examples, Samples and Templates

Real life examples

• Example policy for "Endings" - guidance for befrienders in an NHS Community Befriending Project (PDF)

Please note that Volunteering England has not produced the 'real life example' documents listed directly above and is therefore unable to take responsibility for the content. Volunteering England and the organisations that contribute example documents to the Good Practice Bank can accept no responsibility for how they are used. They are presented as examples of good practice, but it is every volunteer-involving organisation's responsibility to ensure that their volunteers are safe, and that policies and procedures meet current legal requirements. For further information about the resources listed in the Good Practice Bank, please visit our 'top tips' page.

Case Studies

• Volunteer Development Agencies: activity in mentoring and befriending
• Goldstar Exemplar Programme - good practice examples in working with mentors and befrienders
  (external link)

Links

• The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation
  Offers guidance, publications, training packs, a resource and research directory and "APS", a national award for good practice in mentoring and befriending
  http://www.mandbf.org.uk

• The Befriending Network (Scotland)
  http://www.befriending.co.uk

• What Can I Do?
  A guide to volunteering in the criminal justice system, includes case studies on several mentoring schemes. Produced by PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust) and the Churches Criminal Justice Forum
  http://www.whatcanido.org.uk/

• Volunteer Solutions
  Sells ready-made training outlines and resources to deliver training for volunteers. Pack 7 is called “Exits and Endings” and is particularly relevant to mentoring and befriending schemes.
  http://www.volunteersolutions.org.uk/
• Goldstar Exemplar Programme
  A national programme aiming to highlight good practice in working with volunteers from socially excluded groups. Many of the exemplar projects run mentoring and befriending schemes.
  http://www.goldstar.org.uk/

Publications

Free publications

• Clinks and Mentoring and Befriending Foundation have produced guidance on Setting up a Project for organisations working with offenders and ex-offenders.
  http://www.clinks.org/volunteeringguides.aspx
• Mentoring and Befriending: An Introduction - Mentoring and Befriending Foundation (external link)
• A Guide to Insurance for Mentoring and Befriending Programmes - Mentoring and Befriending Foundation(PDF, external link)

Priced publications

• Square One: Developing New Befriending - Befriending Network Scotland (external link)
• 10 Steps to Setting Up a Mentoring or Befriending Programme - Mentoring and Befriending Foundation (external link)
• A Guide to Effective Evaluation - Mentoring and Befriending Foundation (external link)
• Training Mentoring and Befriending Volunteers: a trainers' resource pack - Mentoring and Befriending Foundation