Leaving care (Local Offer for Care Leavers)
Peer mentors
As part of the sessional worker programme, we employ five care experienced young people as peer mentors.
If you are care experienced and aged 16 to 25, you can ask to access our peer mentoring programme.
Our peer mentors are all qualified to Level Two in mentoring.
What our peer mentors do
Our peer mentors are available to:
- offer one to one support to our care experienced young people
- support with group activities
Peer mentors use their:
- own experiences from growing up in and leaving care
- mentoring training to support you
Our mentors will be matched to you for 3 months, with regular updates and check-ins on achieving your goals.
What help is available
Peer mentors:
- have experienced care
- understand what it is like going into and leaving care
- understand the issues you might be facing
Our mentors can support with issues around:
- your accommodation/home
- accessing education/employment/training
- health and wellbeing
- finance and advice
- positive activities
- relationships
Peer mentors are there for you to talk to as someone who understands what you are experiencing, and to make sure you don't feel isolated or lonely.
How to get support from a peer mentor
If you would like support from a peer mentor, you can ask your social worker or personal adviser for a referral form.
You can also email Alex Simpson, Leaving Care Opportunities Broker, at alex.simpson@sotuhtyneside.gov.uk.
Benefits
Being a sessional worker helps to improve the service that we are able to offer our young people.
This is because you are able to share your own views with staff in leaving care services, and other Council teams and services.
Being a sessional worker helps to raise the profile of care leavers across the Council and in the borough.
If you're interested in becoming a peer mentor
To become a peer mentor, you have to be employed as a sessional worker.
You will need to complete a level two training programme with a local training provider.
We usually hire new sessional workers once a year.
Ask your personal adviser if we are hiring, or you can get in touch with Alex Simpson, Opportunities Broker, at alex.simpson@southtyneside.gov.uk.