Progress: 0/6 completed
Monitoring and support are the invisible backbone of any successful mentoring programme. They are how coordinators make sure that mentors and mentees feel guided, safe, and valued — without turning mentoring into supervision. In sport-based mentoring, where relationships are built through informal activity, gentle monitoring helps maintain rhythm, address barriers early, and ensure that both sides benefit equally.
The goal is simple: keep relationships healthy, trustful, and purposeful from the first meeting until closure.
Light, planned check-ins provide space to discuss how the match is going, what is working, and what needs adjusting. They should be short, predictable, and supportive — not evaluative.
Typical timeline: first check-in after 2–3 meetings (≈ Week 3), then mid-programme (≈ Week 8), and pre-closing (≈ Week 12). Add extras only if concerns arise.
Format: 5–10 minute call, WhatsApp voice/text, or a tiny online form. Consistency and tone matter more than length.
Encourage, unblock, and confirm next steps. End with one concrete action and date.
Sometimes a sign appears that something is not safe or appropriate. Safeguarding means taking those signs seriously and following clear steps.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead is the person responsible for responding to safeguarding concerns and ensuring the right procedures are followed. If your organisation doesn’t have one, appoint a trained coordinator/board member to act as DSL.
Write notes as if the person could read them tomorrow — neutral, necessary, and kind.
Often it’s a small mismatch, not a failure. Catch patterns early and correct gently.
If two or more signs persist for 2–3 weeks, schedule a short reset conversation.
Offer help to mentors, mentees, or both — whoever needs it to keep the relationship healthy.
Measure success by small wins: “The next meeting happened and both felt OK.”
Sometimes, despite effort, the match doesn’t click. Rematching is a respectful step forward that protects goodwill and re-energises participation.
Handled well, rematching often rebuilds trust in both the process and the organisation.
Monitoring is also about improving the programme. Keep admin light but useful.
Choose the best answer. You can Reveal or Reset.
1. What’s the best monitoring approach?
2. A mentor flags an immediate safeguarding concern. You should…
3. What’s the right way to handle rematching?
Your note is saved on this device. Print the page to save externally.
Which single light-touch improvement will you adopt this month (e.g., a Week-3 check-in template or a quick “barrier scan” message)? How will you know it helped?