FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Welcome to our FAQ page. Here you can find answers to our most commonly asked questions and find the right person to contact. If your question isn’t here please get in touch with us on the most appropriate email below.

For general enquiries:
admin@bespokementoring.org

For safeguarding questions or concerns:
safeguarding@bespokementoring.org

For session time enquiries:
rota@bespokementoring.org

Regarding weekly plans and arrangements:
mentoring@bespokementoring.org.

FAQ NAVIGATOR

REFERRAL PROCESS

How do I make a referral?

We take referral enquiries via email and through the contact form on our website. Please visit the contact page or email us on admin@bespokementoring.org.

Please do introduce yourself and the circumstances you would like us to support with. We aim to get back to any admin enquiries within 24-48 hours.

Will we automatically be accepted if we request a referral?
Each referral is reviewed by our management team, and we make a collective decision about moving forward based on the mentee's needs and our capacity to provide the right support. While we are able to accept the majority of referrals, there are some cases where we may not be able to meet specific needs. In those situations, we provide clear feedback on our decision.

How long does the referral process take?

Once we agree to take on a mentee, the timeline to begin their first session is typically between 2–4 weeks. This timing depends on the level of due diligence required by our safeguarding team, as we consider the mentee's starting point and history in our preparation.

Delivery PROCESS

Can parents, carers or mentees request session time changes?
Yes, requests to change session times can be made by email to rota@bespokementoring.org ideally at least 24 hours before the scheduled session. Our General Manager, who oversees the rota, will assess the request and respond.
Please note that mentors themselves cannot make changes to session times or dates.

Can Bespoke Mentoring request session time changes?

If Bespoke Mentoring needs to reschedule a session for any reason, we will communicate the change via rota@bespokementoring.org, ideally providing at least 24 hours’ notice before the planned session.

Will I receive any communication from my chosen mentor if I try to contact them pre-session?

Our mentors have busy schedules and are not available for communication outside of session times. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our management team via email. We ask for your understanding if a mentor does not respond to contact outside of session times.

How will I know the plan of action for a mentee, when will I find out and how?

Our SEN Manager will discuss the weekly plan with parents, carers, or mentees. We have a weekly planning and rota day on Wednesdays, during which individual needs are reviewed, and mentors are assigned. The SEN Manager will then make calls on Thursdays to share the plan for the following week, including mentor assignments and cover arrangements.
If you have questions following the planning call, please contact us at mentoring@bespokementoring.org.

Does a mentee have just one allocated mentor during their time with us?

We try to keep mentors in place for consistency but do realise with holiday cover and sickness that this is not always easy to set up. We try to create a mini team around the mentee, where appropriate, so cover can be set up with little fuss and minimum impact on the young person.

What happens if my allocated mentor is ill?

Unfortunately, there are days when mentors are off sick. On the day, you will be contacted by a member of the management team who will discuss the updated plan.

Within our rota system, we set aside a mentor every week who is available for cover at short notice. This cover person will be shared the previous week with you, so you’ll already be informed of the cover option.

Are there set start and finish times for mentoring?

Our best outcomes happen when we run mentoring over a period of 5 hours a day. We also see that a 15 hour a week contract gets premium outcomes.

Sessions run between 9am and 2pm on weekdays. Sessions can start later on a morning but still usually finish in line with our rota timelines. There may be times when a mentor has the availability for the session to go on later than 2pm however this is not guaranteed. In these cases, the management team must be informed first. We do also offer PM sessions on weekdays between 3pm and 8pm, if needed.

Do Bespoke deliver mentoring over 52 weeks a year?

We do not provide mentoring services all year round. Our sessions mostly follow the school term schedule, and we are closed for mentoring during school holidays. However, a team member is available to address any safeguarding concerns via email during this time.

You’re still welcome to send referrals via admin@bespokementoring.org during the school holidays, and our SEN Manager will address them upon return to work.

Creating sustainable relationships

What do we look for when working alongside parents, carers and mentees?

At Bespoke we have 3 key values of Love, Support and Guidance. Each of these values we apply internally as well as towards all external stakeholders. We have expectations around respect, communication and interaction. We are committed to maintaining respectful communication at all times and expect the same in return. We do not tolerate any form of abusive behaviour under any circumstances.

What happens if conduct expectations are not adhered to?

If aggressive communications of any kind escalate to a level where conduct needs to be brought up, we will pause the mentoring process and conduct an internal reflection before resuming communication and mentoring.

If conduct expectations are repeatedly disregarded, mentoring services may be permanently discontinued.

We see communication as a key part of our practice and when this becomes difficult, we struggle to keep momentum, and this hinders progress.

SAFEGUARDING

What if you have any safeguarding concerns you’d wish to share?

We offer a 24-hour email at safeguarding@bespokementoring.org. Here you can report any issues or concerns or ask questions around safeguarding. Our team monitor this on a week day, daily basis. Anything that you think needs immediate attention, and is out of term time or on a weekend, please call 999 and use the Police guidance to support you.

What happens when one of our Mentors turn up to a session and the mentee is not there or not ready?

Any ‘No show’ sessions are reported to our SEN Manager within the first 20 minutes of the session. These sessions will then either start at a later time, or be registered as cancelled and marked as no attendance.

What if I need to report a problem with my Mentors performance or conduct?

We have set up an email to support you with this process. Please send any feedback on your mentor in via people@bespokementoring.org. This email will then go straight to one of our managers who can reflect on your feedback and take this forward, initially with a call to discuss the issue in more detail.

SUSTAINABILITY

Are we looking to put in more sustainable modes of transport?

Yes! We get asked this a lot. We are currently looking to decrease our impact on the ozone layer by reducing the mileage our mentors report on a daily basis.

Mentors have been tasked with using alternative paired transport arrangement other than their cars and their planning time is used to research the best ways to incorporate this into the mentee’s weekly plans.

We are looking to engage with bus companies, train networks and additional taxi companies who have already started the transition from diesel and petrol cars to electric versions.