You’ll be asked to sign a Collaboration Agreement with us. This document defines each party’s role and responsibilities (especially in the context of the safeguarding) and sets the framework for how programme management, communication, and dispute resolution will be handled. 

This should take no more than 2-4 hours per month. Each month the MC will need to ensure the room where mentees will be sitting is set up properly. If mentoring is taking place online (rather than on site) they will need to set-up and administer the video conferencing platform. 

MCs are also responsible for reminding mentees to attend the session, flagging to mentors if a mentee cannot attend, and supporting mentors and 1MM to resolve any issues. 

1MM’s approach to mentoring is designed to work for everyone.  Wherever they are starting from, however they feel about things now and wherever they want to go.  

We focus on offering mentoring to young people who aren’t getting a fair chance to fulfil their potential and play a positive role in their community. Young people who don’t have family, friends or colleagues able to act as mentors in the way they’d want.   

So, the type of young person 1MM mentoring is designed to support is… every young person who needs encouragement, support, and guidance from an independent mentor and is willing and able to commit themselves fully to the relationship and making the most of the opportunity is offers. 

Our approach is based on connecting mentees with mentors who have the right level of ‘real world’ working and life experience (not industry- or career-field-specific skills/knowledge).  

We therefore require that mentors have at least five years’ work experience (or two years’ worth for graduates). 

All potential mentors are actively encouraged to consider if they are a good match to the role, and in a position to fully commit to it.  

Potential mentors are subject to an approval process on sign-up, and we require ‘suitability to work with young people’ reference checks and our mandatory initial training to be completed before mentors are matched to a young person. 

If any of the young people on your programme are aged under 18 or classed as a vulnerable adult it is an essential condition of our partnership that you complete an enhanced DBS and ID check for all the mentors on your programme. 

If a mentor is registered on the DBS Update service with an enhanced DBS check within the same workforce (i.e. a mentor who has a certificate relating to the ‘child’ workforce’ can’t use that in connection with mentoring a young person who is a vulnerable adult) you can make sure this is valid by entering their name and certificate number onto the website at www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.  

Mentors will need to give explicit permission for you to check their record, as well as provide their DBS certificate number and a photo ID (such as driving license or passport). This check only takes a few minutes and is completely free. 

Mentors are required to complete a profile on our platform prior to being considered for matching. The profile includes details of their professional background, and a personal ‘bio’ statement, and asks them to indicate which areas of mentoring support they feel confident and equipped to help a young person with.  

Mentees are also required to complete a profile on our platform prior to being matched and to indicate – using the same list of areas – what their goals are for the mentoring relationship. 

Our platform will then suggest ‘strong matches’ between what support a mentee is looking for and what support mentors feel equipped to provide.  

This information – alongside the wider information available from mentor profiles and a youth partner’s knowledge of their young people/their profiles – is then used to agree optimal matches of mentees to mentors within a youth partner programme. 

A key strength of 1MM mentoring is bringing people with different backgrounds and perspectives together (a bridging rather than bonding approach) but if there are specific reasons why a mentor needs to have particular ‘characteristics’ this can be taken into consideration. 

If your programme includes under 18-year-olds, all meetings must be arranged and supervised by you in line with our safeguarding policy. Meetings outside of arranged sessions are not permitted. Whether your sessions are onsite or online, mentees must be onsite and in the designated area for the duration of the call. 

If your programme includes only mentees aged 18 or over, meetings can take place anywhere, but we strongly recommend meeting (onsite or online) from public places that allow a degree of privacy e.g. coffee shops, university campuses, employer’s offices etc. 

Yes, we have slide decks and flyers for you to use with your young people, and a suggested letter/flyers for you to share with parents. 

Yes, we have slide decks and flyers available that both explain more about the programme – so young people understand not just how it works but why it is in their interest to engage – and provide space for customisable content outlining your own invitation/application process. 

Young people aged 18 to 25 can sign up independently for 1MM mentoring. We have flyers, suggested emails etc. to support you in communicating this opportunity to them – whether they are already aged 18 or over or are approaching their 18th birthday (e.g. about to leave at the end of Key Stage 5) and whether they are still with your organisation or are (relatively recent) alumni. Please reach out to your 1MM contact or email us at Delivery@1MM.org.uk