The Informal Mentoring Project: A Process Evaluation

This document describes an evaluation of the Informal Mentoring Project by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and Clinks, which aims to support offenders leaving prison through mentoring by local volunteers. The evaluation employed a mixed-method approach, including interviews and quantitative data analysis, to assess the effectiveness of two pilot projects, Sefton CVS and Catch22. The findings suggest that mentoring can be beneficial in supporting offenders, but challenges such as mentor recruitment and retention, offender engagement, and funding sustainability were identified. The evaluation concluded that successful mentoring requires strong management, skilled mentors, and collaboration with local services, and that while mentoring shows promise, it demands significant commitment and resources to be effective. The efficacy of mentoring in reducing reoffending remains inconclusive due to small sample sizes. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Process evaluation
• Process methods: Individual interviews; Surveys and polling
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: July 2015

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes