ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of research on natural and youth-initiated mentoring. The chapter begins with an exploration of the concept of natural youth mentoring, which is based on a relationship between a young person and a non-parental supportive adult outside of any formal relationship. This is followed by a review of some of the main research evidence relating to natural mentoring specifically for children in care with a focus on prevalence, key characteristics, challenges and practice implications. In the final section of the chapter, we explore the concept of youth-initiated mentoring which involves supporting young people to seek out and recruit their own natural mentors in their social network. The chapter concludes that on the one hand, we may need to add ‘formal’ supports to help support and sustain natural mentoring for young people in care while on the other hand, we need to ensure we do not lose its very essence as a natural form of support over a sustained period of time.
