A Guide to Youth Mentoring

Over the past decade a solid body of evidence has emerged, showing which types of mentoring lead to the most significant outcomes for young people. This book is a timely summary of current understanding, and a well structured and meticulously referenced tour of best practice.

Dolan and Brady first take a step back to examine one of the best-proven theories in social science: that good social support networks build resilience in young people. They then go on to define what makes for positive social support and how mentoring can have the most impact by mirroring these attributes. According to the authors, there is now clear evidence that long-term mentoring, which places relationships and not outcomes first, leads to the largest positive impact for young people. They also provide an excellent explanation of why developmental mentoring is more effective than a prescriptive, target-driven approach.

The authors warn against assuming that all vulnerable children can benefit from a mentor and challenge providers to find the necessary resources to assess each young person’s existing network of support.

Whether you are a policymaker deciding whether to fund mentoring or a practitioner starting or improving a programme, ?A Guide to Youth Mentoring will help you to understand what works and why.

Reviewed by Richard Turner, chief executive, Friendship Works