A two day programme was undertaken with Adult Social Care workers from Kirklees Council in preparation for the creation of a mentoring scheme for effective safeguarding investigations. During the sessions, the group engaged in a range of activities in order to learn how to be an effective mentor, before having an opportunity to practice and refine their newly acquired skills. Despite some initial misgivings regarding the role-playing nature of the practice session, the team engaged positively and feedback was excellent, with many commenting that they had developed skills that would not only prove invaluable when participating in the mentoring scheme, but also when interacting with colleagues in their day to day roles. The group found particular value in the GROW model, which can also be used in a wide variety of settings (for example during regular supervision sessions).
Some comments on the programme included:
“The facilitators were really knowledgeable and clearly have lots of experience, and were good at getting people to be involved”
“At a pace that facilitated my learning”
“I feel more confident in my ability to mentor than I did when I started the course”
“Informative, professional, fun”
“The content was essential for my individual needs and I will be able to transfer skills learnt to all areas of work”
