Councils and police across the country will be familiar with mentoring to address a variety of issues faced by vulnerable members of the community.

Mentoring has increasingly become used as a way of potentially steering young people away from involvement in gangs and youth violence and to support them to realise their potential.

Mentoring provision can vary substantially, but commonly takes the form of a one-to-one, non-judgemental relationship in which an adult or more experienced peer (the ‘mentor’) provides guidance and support to a young person (the ‘mentee’), over an extended period of time.