Once an adult has started working in a Programme Section Team they should be assigned a Mentor. The Mentor for Programme Section Team members will normally be the Programme Section Team Lead; the Mentor for Programme Team Leads will normally be the Group Leader or a Deputy Group Leader. The Programme Section Team Lead may nominate some other suitable person to mentor the adult, for instance if there is a trainer on the Programme Section Team, that person may well be a suitable Mentor. The Programme Section Team Lead should discuss the selection of Mentors with the Group Leader or with someone designated by the Group Leader such as a Deputy Group Leader or experienced Scouter or Trainer.
The Mentor will support the adult by:
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- Providing them with support with their training
- Helping them to access other help and information they may need
- Helping them to play an effective role on the team
It is important that each Mentor adopts a suitable approach, one which is respectful, honest and supportive.
The Group Leader is ultimately responsible for all Scouters in the Scout Group so it is important that they know who is mentoring whom and that they review how this is going on a regular basis. A periodic meeting of all Mentors in the Scout Group would be a good way to ensure that all Mentors are doing the job and that they are sharing best practice in this regard.
It may be useful to link your approach to Mentoring with your approach to Mutual Agreement and Review, perhaps the Mentor would be the person for each Scouter to do their Mutual Agreement and Review with.
You may find the Supporting Adults in Scouting – Mentoring publication useful to help explain the process.