We welcome adult Mentors of all ages (over 18) and from all walks of life, and we provide full training and support throughout our journey together.   Mentors need to have patience and kindness, and a willingness to walk alongside a young person. Our mentors don’t have to be perfect, they just need to be present!

We recommend that our mentors spend a couple of hours a month with their ‘littles’ and ask for a long-term commitment of a minimum of a year, in order to best help the child, but many relationships far surpass that. The key to our mentor relationships is consistency so we do expect our mentors to organise regular meetings with their ‘little’. We recognise that people lead busy lives so the timing and duration of these meetings will be flexible and dependent on what works best for the mentor and their 'little'.In the beginning the meetings will probably last about an hour, but as the relationship grows it is likely that this will increase.

These children are typically aged between six and eleven (Primary School age) and have been identified as in need of a Mentor to support their development.In West Sussex, children are referred to our mentoring programme by West Sussex County Council’s Kinship Care team as they are no longer able to live with their birth parents and are under a Special Guardianship Order. In Surrey, the children are referred by link workers and social workers.

We recognise that everyone has other things happening in their lives so initially we would suggest that outings are restricted to community settings, such as a park, and these are kept brief ie no more than one hour. It is not expected that mentors take their ‘little’ on expensive outings and in fact, it is better to do free activities such as going on a bike ride, taking them to the park or playing football, so that they can enjoy the simple pleasures of being a child.   Once a relationship has been established with the ‘little’, visits can be longer and further afield. In time, if both sides are happy, ‘littles’ can visit their mentors’ house, although this will need to be agreed with the Mentors Coordinator beforehand.

In most cases the answer is probably yes, but this doesn't happen straight away. This will only happen when you have built a solid relationship with your little and have got to know them and their family better. Permission must always be granted by the family before a home visit can take place.