10: Ongoing Caregiver Engagement

Standard of Practice: Programs should implement, as relevant to the population served and program model, several strategies for meaningfully engaging caregivers (or others who are directly supporting the mentoring relationship) in program activities and in the mentoring experience of the youth.

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Practices Supporting this Standard

The program has a written caregiver engagement plan that outlines how it will engage and support parents, guardians, and others in creating and fostering the mentoring relationship.

This plan should include how the program will obtain the caregivers’ input on several processes, including selection of the mentor, supporting the relationship, and celebrating the relationship when it ends. It should also detail how often the program will check in with the caregiver (see Element 11), how the program will engage them in the mentoring relationship, and how it will support both caregivers and mentors in forging collaborative partnerships to support mentees.

The program provides information to caregivers throughout the mentoring relationship detailing the youth’s achievements in the program, changes in program policies or procedures, upcoming program activities, and tips for how they can support the mentoring relationship.

This information should be provided through multiple channels (and in multiple languages, as needed) throughout their involvement in the program, including, but not limited to:

  • print or e-newsletters;
  • phone calls, emails, or texts;
  • dedicated parent sections of the program website;
  • handouts and flyers youth share with caregivers;
  • frequent solicitation of caregiver feedback and input on program design and delivery; and
  • caregiver advisory groups or alumni associations.

The program involves caregivers in special program activities and events to foster engagement and enthusiasm for the youth’s mentoring experience.

For example, many programs offer “parent/caregiver nights,” monthly “family picnics,” or special celebrations around holidays or the end of the program cycle.

If it has the capacity, the program offers learning opportunities or additional services or supports to caregivers to enhance program impact. Some mentoring programs may wish to offer additional, direct forms of support to caregivers. This may include:

  • classes, learning opportunities, or support groups on relevant topics;
  • establishing a referral network to other service providers that can be used when caregivers express needs beyond what the program can directly address; and
  • offering ongoing training on how caregivers can support the youth’s mentoring experience, find the youth’s next mentors, or even create new mentoring experiences for themselves.

Because there is tremendous diversity in how and where mentoring is delivered to young people, here we offer additional practices and recommendations related to this Element for some common mentoring contexts. Readers should note that there may be overlap in the following categories (e.g., a peer mentoring program in a school or a Boys & Girls Club offering a group mentoring program on-site) and read all that may be relevant to their work. The next recommendations may help certain programs collaborate more effectively with caregivers and other “champions” of a young person’s mentoring relationship.

GROUP MENTORING MODELS

Because group mentoring programs are often located in schools or other sites where caregivers may not spend much time, there may be an increased need to be creative in how they are informed about and involved in the mentoring the young person is experiencing. Many of the core recommended practices, such as program newsletters, special caregiver events, and end-of-year celebrations, can help caregivers feel more engaged, even if they aren’t directly facilitating their youth’s participation. Messages from the group’s mentor(s) about the work of the group and their perceptions of how the experience is supporting their child might also be particularly meaningful for caregivers in these programs.

PEER MENTORING MODELS

Peer mentoring programs have additional considerations around caregiver engagement given the simple fact that the mentors are also young people, doubling the number of caregivers who will need information and opportunities for engagement. Caregivers of mentors in these programs might especially benefit from information about and opportunities to celebrate the work their child is doing — serving as a peer mentor may be bringing out a side of the young person they haven’t seen before, and they may have questions about program activities or benefits. Bringing the caregivers and families of mentors together with those of younger mentees at special events throughout the year can be a great way of connecting families and building community through the program.

E-MENTORING MODELS

Caregiver engagement in virtually delivered mentoring programs is a challenge because of the technology barrier inherent in the way mentors and youth communicate. This complicates not only the relationship support practices detailed in Element 11, but also other engagement practices. E-mentoring programs may consider strategies such as:

  • holding virtual special events or end-of-year celebrations that bring caregivers together using virtual meeting technology (e.g., web-conferencing software);
  • establishing special caregiver virtual newsletters or sending caregivers written quotes or recorded content of staff or mentors discussing the progress youth are making in the program; and
  • offering skill-building workshops or other online learning opportunities to caregivers.

SCHOOL- AND OTHER FORMAL SITE-BASED MODELS

As discussed above with respect to group models, school- and site-based programs can struggle to engage caregivers when they are not spending much time at the program site. Special events that get caregivers on campus or to the program site can help build familiarity with program staff and mentors and provide a window into what the mentoring experience is like for their youth. These programs can also benefit from asking site staff to connect with caregivers about the mentoring experience, for example having counselors, teachers, or other school personnel discuss the mentoring program during events such as parent-teacher conferences or back-to-school nights. This will help caregivers feel like the mentoring is woven into the fabric of the school or site and help them understand its importance to their child. Because caregivers can have such a limited connection to the relationship in site-based programs, sending updates on how youth are progressing, activities they are engaging in, and program milestones is particularly important and valuable to caregivers in these programs.

INFORMAL MENTORING MODELS

Youth development programs that offer informal mentoring support may already be doing several things to engage caregivers in the services being offered. It can be helpful to share information about the mentoring youth are experiencing at events involving caregivers. This not only helps caregivers understand how mentoring is supporting the overall program experience but can also build interest in caregivers and youth who have not yet explored a mentoring relationship with program staff.

  • Is our program meeting caregivers where they are at? Or are we expecting them to accommodate to our program’s working hours, procedures, and viewpoints?
  • What are common barriers that prevent caregivers in our community from being more engaged in program activities? How have we tried to address these barriers? If those efforts have failed, have we adequately held ourselves accountable?
  • What are the best methods for engaging caregivers in our community (e.g., in-person, online, group, one-to-one)? What times of day or locations seem to work best?
  • Do we provide program information to our caregivers in multiple ways to ensure it has the best chance of reaching all caregivers?
  • How and when do we share our program values with caregivers? How do we handle situations when caregiver’s values are misaligned with those of our program? How can we prioritize youth and mentor well-being and safety in those situations?
  • What kinds of additional supports might caregivers in our community benefit from? What is our capacity to extend our services to them?
  • Ask caregivers, especially those whose youth have been in the program for a while, to plan and execute special events designed to engage other caregivers. They may have critical understanding of what other caregivers may want to learn or fun ways of celebrating the success of their youth. Programs may wish to consider compensating caregivers for this type of meaningful program support.
  • Young people should also contribute to caregiver engagement opportunities. They may have a keen understanding of what their parents/guardians are curious about or activities those adults would find engaging. Having youth plan and lead caregiver engagement events is a great way to get caregivers interested and attending, as they will not want to miss an event their youth helped put on. As noted above for caregivers, programs may wish to compensate youth for their additional role in supporting the program in these ways.

Programs may want to set benchmarks and track progress around metrics such as:

  • Number of newsletters or other caregiver-directed communications sent in a program cycle, metrics related to downloads or views, and number of caregivers reporting receiving/reading these communications.
  • Number of caregiver trainings or other learning opportunities offered, number (or percentage) attending each, and number attending at least one over the course of a program cycle (e.g., school year).
  • Number of events, support groups or other special gatherings held during a program; number (or percentage) attending each; and number attending at least one over the course of a program cycle.
  • Caregiver ratings of satisfaction with and helpfulness of engagement events.
  • Number of community referrals made for caregivers.
  • Number of community referrals made for youth.

“Practicing Cultural Humility” from Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies to Be There for Young People. Sánchez, B., MENTOR.
This chapter defines cultural humility, discusses what it looks like in practice, and highlights the importance of learning about mentees’ identity and cultural experiences.

Reducing Barriers to Family Engagement. Panorama Education.
A school-focused resource that offers helpful insights, tips, and other resources relevant for mentoring programs to address barriers and enhance family involvement.

“Working with Others in the Mentoring Relationship System” from Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies to Be There for Young People. Keller, T. E., MENTOR.
This chapter discusses the value of partnering and working collaboratively with caregivers and other important people in mentees’ lives.