Mentoring service gets go-ahead to support emotional health and wellbeing of children in Hartlepool

Council bosses have approved plans for a mentoring service focusing on helping children and young people in need.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s children’s services committee backed proposals to go out to the market for a new mentoring programme for young people.

The council currently has a contract with Changing Futures North East, ending in June 2019, which offers a mentor service for children and young people who may feel that they need support in their life.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The mentors are volunteers and offer their time to spend with children and young people to improve self-confidence and offer them new opportunities.

Danielle Swainston, assistant director of joint commissioning on the council, said the council plan to redesign the current service for the following year and go out to tender for a new provider.

She added the approach will focus on the ‘signs of safety’ approach which focuses on safety planning with families where children are considered to be at risk of harm.

She said: “The proposal for us to redesign our mentoring service is to be more based on the family network and the network around signs of safety.

“We feel this is really important.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A council report noted the successful provider would work with social work teams to provide a volunteer mentor to be part of the wider safety network.

The service will be commissioned for one year from June 2019 to June 2020, when a review will be held at the end to evaluate the impact and future service decisions.

Nic Marko , Local Democracy Reporting Service