Mentoring Support Project

 

A successful component of the Teenfocus service has been the mentoring service, which is provided by a dedicated group of trained volunteers within the Teenfocus service.
 

Child/Teen Mentoring

• The mentoring programme provides young people with both a positive role model and a unique opportunity to engage in a new activity of their choice
• The aim of the programme is to support the young person in engaging in appropriate activities  which will enable them to make friends and further develop their social and life skills
• Throughout the mentoring experience the Mentor is on hand to provide a listening ear, encouragement and support to the young person
• There is an emphasis on empowering the young person to become actively engaged and to find ways of overcoming any difficulties they may be facing

We also offer a parent mentoring support service for parents: this is an acknowledgement that sometimes parents/carers, or those who are looking after children, might need help.
 

Parent Mentoring

• The Parent Mentoring service is open to parents/guardians of young people up to the age of 18 years and is based on the principle that adults caring for young people often require a range of support options, one of which is the informal support system provided by an ISPCC Parent Mentor.
• The aim of the Parent Mentor relationship is to increase each parent’s confidence in their ability to meet their child’s needs and empower parents to find new ways of coping with the daily challenges that parenting a young person can bring.
• A parent mentor can be of huge benefit to a parent and family as it offers the opportunity for a parent to receive informal support from a peer which in turn can help strengthen families and nurture children.

In 2009, the demand for the service continued to increase receiving 502 referrals. TeenFocus staff worked with a total of 403 individual clients, a staggering increase of 63% from the previous year. 102 clients received therapeutic support over the web and 61 individuals received support over the telephone.

There are currently124 referrals on the TeenFocus waiting list.
 

Funding

April 2010, The Baxter International Foundation €113,345 to be given over two years to the Mayo branch of the ISPCC.  This funding enabled the ISPCC to recruit an additional Support Worker for its TeenFocus service in Mayo, enabling the ISPCC to specifically address the needs of children facing adversity in their lives in Mayo.

For more information on the Mentoring Support Project please contact

Catherine O’Donohoe
Mentoring Support Project
South East Region
Unit 4F
Cleaboy Business Park
Old Kilmeaden Road
Waterford
Telephone: 051 591 631
Email: waterford