Bromley Mentoring Initiative
Mentoring in the community Advice for parents and carers
www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring
Who we are The Bromley Mentoring Initiative (BMI) is part of the London Borough of Bromley (LBB). Formed in 1999, we provide a multi- agency and boroughwide approach to mentoring children and young people.
What we do We coordinate a number of mentoring programmes aimed at making a difference to a young person’s life.
What does a mentor do? Our mentors are adult volunteers who want to help young people develop and grow. A mentor will get to know the young person, give them advice and encouragement and share with them their own life experience. A mentor becomes a unique and valuable educational resource who can contribute to the progress made by a young person in developing skills ,whether academic, social or personal. A mentor is not meant to take the role of a parent, carer or teacher. Their role is to build a trusting relationship that will support their mentee and boost their self-esteem. A mentor sets aside time from their day to meet with a young person. Meetings are usually for an hour once a week and take place in the community at a mutually convenient location such as a coffee shop. The overall aims of the mentoring programme will have been agreed and within that the mentor and the young person work out together what they want to achieve from their relationship.
www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring
Some examples of how a mentor might help a young person are by: Encouraging them to maximise their potential
Helping them to find out more about work and what it's like
Helping them with time management and organisational skills
Encouraging the development of life skills
Finding out information for them or helping them to find it
Helping them develop communication, interpersonal and relationship skills
What checks do our mentors undergo? Before being matched with a young person, all our mentors undergo a rigorous application process and complete an enhanced DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service). This is a legal requirement and is in line with Bromley Safer Recruitment and Keeping Children Safe in Education. We provide full training and ongoing regular support for mentors.
How are young people matched with mentors? Mentors volunteer and young people agree to mentoring support and therefore commit to meeting regularly. They will then be 'matched' by the Bromley Mentoring Initiative, often according to interests or something they have in common which is usually established through a meeting or by filling in a questionnaire about themselves.
www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring
How long will the mentoring last? All mentoring relationships are setup on an individual basis. This makes it difficult to be precise about how long the support will last. We initially ask for one year’s commitment from a mentor to allow the relationship to establish in an unhurried manner. During the programme, progress will be monitored to ensure that the young person and mentor wish to continue meeting. It is important that the ending of a mentoring relationship is well managed and we support with this.
How can you help? Parentalconsentis required for mentoring to proceed. Parents and carers can help by reminding young people to keep to the arranged meetings with their mentor. Sometimes meetings may need to cancelled or re-arranged. The young person will have the mentor’s contact details so changes can be made. You might want to consider becoming a mentor yourself for a young person and find out what is really involved.
www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring
Quotes from young people involved in the mentoring initiative
‘Mentoring has made me realise the importance of education at a young age and the advantages it will bring later.’ ‘Having a mentor has helped me feel more comfortable and happier at school. I had a lot of worries before about secondary school but now I feel much more confident.’ ‘My behaviour at school has improved, I was getting detentions before but my mentor helps me focus, now I know what I want to do.’ ‘Everything is better because I have a mentor!’
For further information, please contact your school mentoring coordinator. Get in touch bromley.gov.uk/mentoring or scan
020 8461 6240 mentoring@bromley.gov.uk
www.bromley.gov.uk/mentoring
‘Mentoring has made me realise the importance of education at a young age and the advantages it will bring later.’ ‘Having a mentor has helped me feel more comfortable and happier at school. I had a lot of worries before about secondary school but now I feel much more confident.’ ‘My behaviour at school has improved, I was getting detentions before but my mentor helps me focus, now I know what I want to do.’
Produced by Children’s Services London Borough of Bromley Bromley Civic Centre, Churchill Court 2 Westmoreland Road Bromley, BR1 1AS April 2025
A product of the Strategy, Performance and Corporate Transformation Division