Mentoring Programme
Before the recession, three organisations in the North West started an internal coach mentoring project with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). The programme was the brainchild of two ULRs – Ruth Passman (FDA) and Cardy Camara (PCS) and covered the Government Office (GO), Department of Health and NHS North West. The scheme offered staff the opportunity to gain a certificate in Foundational Coach Mentoring Skills.
As a result of the project, junior staff were able to gain new skills and provide support to peers and other civil servants and public sector colleagues. For more senior staff (up to Assistant Directors), this was an opportunity to brush up their skills and tackle new challenges as the recession began to bite and the Manchester Government Office was targeted for closure.
Financial support from the FDA through its ULF Professionalism and Skills project and MiP through its Skills for Health project, also funded through the ULF, enabled ULRs to focus on the needs of those facing job insecurity and to develop their transferrable skills. Working in the civil service no longer provides a job for life. One civil servant said, ‘I have little contact with people outside the civil service. What do I do to change this?’
The ULRs contacted a number of third sector organisations to offer the skills of the coach mentors more widely to help the coach mentors gain additional skills. Third Wave, a social enterprise focused on community engagement, leapt at the chance to become involved in the scheme.
Earlier this year, the pilot event designed around health and wellbeing, drew participants from a wide range of backgrounds including ancillary staff from GO, DH and NHS North West, refugees, asylum seekers and local Sure Start parents.
The venue was generously provided free of charge by the Whitworth Gallery as part of its strategy on health and wellbeing. Third Wave’s volunteers produced a substantial lunch for the 60 people who attended and issued travel vouchers to those who needed them. As mentors and mentees began to establish trust and overcome language barriers, the benefits of the non-traditional coach mentoring started to become apparent. The mentors with responsibility for policy and statisticians were able to better understand the effect of their work and mentees were able to raise issues important to them.
Following the success of the pilot, the Whitworth Gallery offered to work with the ULRs and partner organisations to roll out a cultural programme of seven Saturday workshops each with a theme or speaker, yet all featuring creative groups including: a choir group, Persian calligraphy, a percussion group, mask making, watercolour drawing and a textile group amongst others. To widen participation still further, home workers from the Asian communities and ex-offenders were encouraged to attend. Over the weeks word spread outside Manchester.
Throughout the programme new ULRs have emerged and further coach mentors have taken training with MMU. For those facing redundancy the transferrable skills through coach mentoring in non-traditional ways and greater cultural awareness has opened up opportunities for the future. Several mentors and ex-ULRs are exploring the possibility of portfolio working to include working as arts and crafts facilitators for the gallery and Third Wave. Those still working within the NHS and civil service have discovered that finding time to support refugees, ex-offenders and other groups has been eased by the support of Third Wave. At work, they have been able to highlight possible statistical anomalies, better understand the health and other issues of the mentees and their families, build on the good areas of their work while developing their skills and enhancing their CVs.
The benefits for the mentees are numerous and varied.They feel more included in the community, have greater confidence and have discovered a mutually supportive network. There are many interesting stories emerging from this initiative.
