Sharon McIntyre on how mentoring can change the lives of both the child and the mentor for the better
There are 15,000 looked after children in Scotland, and the highest proportion of them, more than 3,000, live in Glasgow.
Over the past 40 years, outcomes for this vulnerable group have remained devastatingly poor. Despite the best efforts of government, local authorities, social workers, and schools, these children remain significantly less likely than their peers to realise their potential.
Behind each of these numbers is a young person with ideas, ambition, and talent held back by circumstances beyond their control
Sharon McIntyre
For the past two years, Wheatley Group has been supporting MCR Pathways Young Glasgow Talent programme, a pioneering mentoring scheme that supports children in and leaving care. Four members of staff have been seconded to work for the programme for a year, while more than 50 have volunteered to be mentors.
MCR Pathways works with children aged 13 and over, giving them one-to-one support from a carefully-matched and trained adult mentor in school for an hour each week. It makes school a more positive place to be, and encourages participants to stay on, explore their interests and, ultimately, leave with an apprenticeship, job, or place at college or university.
These young people may face challenging home lives, a disrupted education, or severe low self-esteem. But things other young people take as a given, such as further and higher education, a job, or a modern apprenticeship, are things they don’t even dare to dream about.
Just 2% will go to university, compared with 47% of the wider population, and around a third won’t be in employment, education or training when they leave school.
Last year, three quarters of looked after school children who left school were aged 16 and under, compared with a quarter of their peers.
Behind each of these numbers is a young person with ideas, ambition, and talent held back by circumstances beyond their control. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Statistics don’t tell you about individual young people like Ellie, who I’ve been privileged to mentor for 18 months.
When I met her, Ellie was on the verge of dropping out of school. She had low self-esteem, and felt stigmatised because she was in care. I’ve watched her flourish. The MCR Pathways scheme has given her time to talk with someone she can trust and given her the confidence to pursue her dreams.
Doors that seemed firmly shut are opening, from a modern apprenticeship with the Wheatley Group to a place at college. She has so many plans and is excited about her future for the first time.
My job as welfare reform manager at Wheatley is a busy, rewarding role, but the time I spend with Ellie is a really valuable addition to my working day. I always leave her feeling calmer and more determined to make a difference.
I’ve seen other members of staff who volunteer grow in confidence and develop empathy and trouble-shooting skills through mentoring. What organisation wouldn’t want their workforce to have more of those qualities?
Wheatley’s partnership with MCR Pathways is changing the future of children who would have been written off because of their disadvantaged start in life.
MCR Pathways model is a simple idea that has delivered extraordinary results. In 2015, the rate of mentored young people staying in school after the age of 16 rose to 79%, compared with 27% for non-mentored children, and 73% of leavers went onto further and higher education.
While Wheatley will provide 100 volunteers over the next year, in Glasgow alone, more than 1000 young people need a mentor.
Our relationship with MCR Pathways is just one of the ways we are “making homes and lives better” for families and communities across Scotland. Wheatley’s chief executive Martin Armstrong believes in the value of the MCR Pathways scheme. But it needs more organisations and more individuals to sign up. Interested?
Sharon McIntyre is Wheatley Group’s welfare reform manager
