The Role of the Mentor In Veterans Treatment Court

Transcription

1 The Role of the Mentor In Veterans Treatment Court

2 Mentoring Models Vary LARGE VS SMALL I will present The Buffalo Model Mentoring 101 There are other models which you will hear about during this Webinar What works for your Court? All models share several key concepts: -Mentors are not Counselors -Mentors are not Drill Sergeants -Maintain confidentiality -Most important, BE A FRIEND/WAR BUDDY

3 Start Small Find coordinator Only need 1 or 2 or 3 mentors to start Slowly build Resource Book Use it! DON T OVERWHELM MENTORS MAKE SURE YOUR MENTOR GUIDELINES ARE DOCUMENTED Court admonishes, Mentors motivate

4 VOLUNTEER What is a Veteran Mentor? A FRIEND, War Buddy, Advocate Acts as a resource to the veteran Defendant Helps veteran and their families navigate the VA, Social Services and other Systems Served or is serving in the U.S. Military Is not a Counselor

5 A MENTOR IS NOT -A COUNSELOR -A DRILL INSTRUCTOR -A PRIEST -A BANKER -AN INTIMATE PARTNER -A LAWYER -A KNOW IT ALL

6 KEY COMPONENTS OF ANY MENTOR PROGRAM DOCUMENT YOUR MENTOR PROGRAM DEVELOP MENTOR CONTRACT RECRUIT/TRAIN MENTORS DEVELOP RESOURCE LIST RESERVE, NATIONAL GUARD,SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS (VVA,VFW,ETC) LOCAL COUNTY VETERANS AFFAIRS OFFICE

7 Mentor process KEEP IT SIMPLE All MENTORS ARE VETERAN ADVOCATES YOU ARE A RESOURCE FOR THE VET HELP VET AND FAMILY NAVIGATE SYSTEMS MAKE SURE VA HEALTHCARE AND ANY DISABILITY CLAIMS ARE IN PLACE 50% OF TIME YOU ARE JUST A FRIEND TRAINING IS IN HOW TO NAVIGATE SYSTEMS NOT IN COUNSELING SET UP TRAINING SESSIONS

8 Mentors Duties & Responsibilities Attend Court scheduled sessions Participate in and lead mentoring sessions when assigned by the judge Be supportive and understanding of the difficulties the veteran mentees are facing Assist the veteran mentees as much as possible to resolve any concerns around the court, VA And systems, systems

9 Relationship / Rapport Awareness Obligation Seriousness Listen twice as much as you TALK (2 and 1, 2 ear 1 mouth) Partnership Objectives

10 STANDARDS AND CONFIDENTIALITY TRUST IS EARNED MENTEE IS A PERSON NOT A PROJECT LET MENTEE KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO AND WHAT YOU CAN NOT DO HAVE A WRITTEN MENTOR PROCEDURE HAVE A WRITTEN CONTRACT FOR ALL MENTORS TO SIGN

11 Ethics Moral principle that governs a person s behavior Understand your own self (taking on too much may contribute to compromise) Realize we can not make our Mentee a carbon copy of ourselves

12 RESPECT FOR THE MENTOR S ROLE JUDGES, PROBATION OFFICER'S, COURT STAFF MENTOR IS NOT A SOURCE OF INFORMATION MENTOR/MENTEE INTERVIEWS ARE CONFIDENTIAL SAFETY CONCERN EXCEPTION IF MENTEE IS GOING TO HURT HIMSELF OR OTHERS, MENTOR WILL ADVISE COURT

13 501c3 Not for Profit status UMBRELLA ORGANIZATIONS Donations are used to help Veterans Transportation bus passes Rent/mortgage payments Furniture Small appliances Travel ARE THERE OTHER WAYS TO COLLECT MONEY?

14 The Mentor Coordinator Essential to maintaining the success of the Veteran Mentor Program DOCUMENT YOUR MENTOR PROGRAM Recruit volunteer Veteran mentors Assist in their retention Organize and conduct their training Supervise your mentors Sustain and evolve the Veteran Mentor Program Run your Not-For-Profit or other program Always ways for organization to connect

15 Thank you for your Service Good Luck with your Mentor Programs These materials have been prepared under the auspices of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Drug Courts Technical Assistance Project at American University, Washington, D.C. This project was supported by Grant No DC-BX-K005 awarded to American University by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.