This article reports on a multi–methods longitudinal evaluation of the PROMISE mentoring scheme which was developed in Somerset UK to offer a continuing relationship for vulnerable young people with a volunteer mentor. The overall findings indicate that mentoring was experienced very positively and contributed to both fostering a sense of trust and to reducing the insecure attachments of the young people. The findings are considered within a relational and attachment framework to offer a model of how mentoring achieves positive change. Implications for development of the service and encouragement for others to develop similar services are discussed.
BartholomewK.HorowitzL. M. (1991). Attachment styles against young adults: A test of the four category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 612, 226–244.
2.
BordinS. (1994). Theory and research on the therapeutic working alliance: New directions. In HorvathA.GreenbergL. (Eds.), The working alliance: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 13–37). New York, NY: John Wiley.
3.
BowlbyJ. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. New York, NY: Basic Books.
4.
BraunV.ClarkeV. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.
5.
BurtJ. (2015). Following the mixed methods trail: Some travel advice. British Journal of General Practice, 65, 264–265.
6.
CrittendenP. M. (2015). Raising parents: Attachment, representation, and treatment (2nd ed.). London, England: Routledge.
7.
DallosR.Comley-RossP. (2005). Young people’s experience of mentoring: Building trust and attachments. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 10, 369–383.
8.
DuboisL.KarcherM. J. (2005). Youth mentoring: Theory, research, and practice. In DuboisD. L.KarcherM. J. (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 2–11). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
9.
EvansI. M.AveK. T. (2000). Mentoring children and youth: Principles, issues, and policy implications for community programmes in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 29, 41–49.
10.
GoodmanR.MeltzerH.BaileyV. (1998). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A pilot study on the validity of the self-report version. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 7, 125–130.
11.
GrossmanJ. B.RhodesJ. E. (2002). The test of time: Predictors and effects of duration in youth mentoring relationships. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 199–219.
12.
HaenslyP. A.ParsonsJ. L. (1993). Creative, intellectual and psychosocial development through mentorship: Relationships and stages. Youth & Society, 25, 202–221.
13.
LanghoutR. D.RhodesJ. E.OsborneL. N. (2004). An exploratory study of youth mentoring in an urban context: Adolescents’ perceptions of relationship styles. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 293–306.
14.
LlewelynS. P. (1988). Psychological therapy as viewed by clients and therapists. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 27, 223–237.
Renick-ThomsonN.ZandD. H. (2010). Mentee’s perceptions of their interpersonal relationships: The role of the mentor-youth bond. Youth & Society, 41, 434–445.
18.
ResnickG. (1993). Measuring attachment in early adolescence: A manual for the administration, coding, and interpretation of the Separation Anxiety Test for 11–14 year-olds. Rockville, MD: Westat Inc.
19.
RhodesJ. E. (2005). A model of youth mentoring. In DuboisD. L.KarcherM. J. (Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring (pp. 30–34). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
20.
RhodesJ. E.HaightW. L.BriggsE. C. (1999). The influence of mentoring on the peer relationships of foster youth in relative and nonrelative care. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 9, 185–201.
21.
SpencerR.CollinsM. E.WardR.SmashnayaS. (2010). Mentoring for young people leaving foster care: Promise and potential pitfalls. Social Work, 55, 3225–3234.
22.
Tarren-SweeneyM. (2008). The mental health of children in out of home care. Current Opinions in Psychiatry, 21, 345–349.
23.
Tarren-SweeneyM. (2010). It’s time to re-think mental health services for children in care, and those adopted from care. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 15, 613–627.
24.
ZandD. H.ThomsonN.CervantesR.EspiritR.KlagholzD.LaBlancL.TaylorA. (2009). The mentor–youth alliance: The role of mentoring relationships in promoting youth competence. Journal of Adolescence, 32, 1–17.
