Laserfiche WebLink
ensure that the youth and legal guardians feel comfortable with the mentor before they are <br />matched. If the youth, legal guardian, mentor and program director feel that this made be a <br />successful match, the youth and volunteer are then matched. The match process requires a <br />pledge form to be completed by all present, a parent permission/medical form signed by the legal <br />guardian and a release of information/confidentiality form is signed and witnessed by all present. <br />(A press release form is optional). <br /> <br />The program director is then required to complete a client tracking form on the matched youth. <br />All youth and mentor matches are matched for a period of one year and are required to spend an <br />average of 2 to 4 hours a week together. <br /> <br />Once matched the program director is required to contact the youth a family by telephone or in <br />person within the first month and then at least quarterly thereafter. The program director is <br />also required to contact the mentor once a week for the first six weeks and once at least every <br />three weeks thereafter. <br /> <br />The program director provides bi-monthly group activities for all youth and mentor matches. In <br />addition, quarterly in-service trainings are offered to all mentors and families. <br /> <br />Progress notes are maintained on each youth, family and mentor contact over the year period. <br /> <br />Daily program activities include: home visits, on-going progress calls and visits, communication <br />with referral agencies, progress notation, state reports and scheduling of up-coming group <br />activities, in-service and pre-service trainings. <br /> <br />Termination of youth and mentor matches may include several reasons. The most documented <br />reason for termination is successful completion for the year commitment. (Youth and mentors <br />may be matched for a maximum of two years.) Other termination reasons may include, a <br />volunteer who was not meeting their time commitment, a youth/family member who no longer <br />wanted to be involved in the program, a youth or volunteer that moves, a youth who is sent to <br />training school and a youth who ages out of the program. <br /> <br />All termination reasons are documented trough progress notes and the client tracking form <br />termination section is completed. Finally, in any termination situation, the program director <br />will attempt to have an exit interview with mentor, family and mentor. <br /> <br />Fifty percent of the program's referrals must come from court and/or law enforcement offices. <br />The program Director maintains an on-going professional relationship with all court counselors <br />and local law enforcement agencies. In addition, there are representatives from the local office <br />of juvenile justice and two of the three local law enforcement agencies on the Champions of <br />Youth advisory committee. The program notifies Court counselors and law enforcement officers <br />when their referrals are accepted, matched and terminated. <br /> <br /> <br />