Mentors for children and young people who offend, or are at risk of offending: An emerging profession?

Margaret is 31 years old, employed as a full-time care worker, and became a mentor after seeing an advertisement in a local newspaper. The mentor project on which she worked offered training and a National Vocational Qualification, and Margaret was attracted to the idea of adding to her professional credentials. At her interview, Margaret said that she also liked the idea of helping young people who were getting into trouble, partly because her own adolescence had been difficult, and she had been helped greatly by a teacher who had gone out of her way to provide guidance and support. By becoming a mentor, Margaret hoped to give something back to the community.