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ABOUT SOVA

SOVA�s mission is to increase the effective involvement of local communities in crime reduction, rehabilitation of offenders and community safety.  

SOVA was launched as a charity in 1975, by a group of volunteers working within the Inner London Probation Service, recruiting, training and deploying volunteers to offer support and advice to offenders resettling into the community.  In 1982 SOVA began working with Social Service Departments, delivering services to young people within local communities. 

SOVA projects now exist all over England and Wales and are developed in partnership with local agencies.  In addition, SOVA also offers training and consultancy to statutory and voluntary agencies working with young people in volunteer mentor management. 

SOVA�s existing operation encompasses over 60 Projects and Schemes throughout England and Wales, 250 staff and over 2000 active Volunteer Mentors working with over 10,000 participants. SOVA Volunteers are recruited from all sectors of the local community.  They deliver �Befriending� and �Mentoring� activities depending on the focus of the local project.  

SOVA and Young People's schemes work with young people in care, care leavers, those disaffected with schools, with basic education problems, in trouble with the law and in custody.    SOVA have also developed a range of peer mentoring and support services for young people.  

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   What is Volunteer Mentoring?

SOVA�s definition of Mentoring is �Support, assistance, advocacy or guidance given by one person to another in order to achieve an objective or several objectives over a period of time�.

SOVA volunteer mentors are recruited from the local community and are people who understand local community issues.   Volunteer mentors help increase community understanding of crime and offending and contribute to local crime reduction strategies.

All SOVA volunteers undergo a careful selection process against a person specification supported by references and criminal record checks, to ensure their suitability to work with clients.

 What Training do Mentors Receive?

All SOVA volunteers complete an initial accredited training course (National Open College Network level 2, 2 credits).  A standard SOVA preparatory training course would cover:

Additional elements are added depending on the particular focus of a project, such as:

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 What Support do Volunteers Receive?

All SOVA projects are monitored against targets and evaluated (including feedback from service users).  Volunteer mentor involvement is managed in line with agreed appropriate tasks.

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 Assisting offenders to reintegrate in to their communities

Why Mentor Offenders?

Volunteer Mentors build positive relationships with offenders and offer support, guidance and encouragement.  Volunteer mentors can contribute to the effective practice of working with offenders by providing one to one assistance to put into practice the new skills and behaviours offenders have learnt on offending behaviour programmes.  The mentor can work as part of the case management team or sentence planning team, supporting sentence objectives.  SOVA volunteer mentors work to an agreed action plan with the offender, which could cover any of the following and more:

Finding out about Employment, Training and Education options

Accommodation, drug and alcohol issues

Starting a new interest

Building confidence, motivation and self esteem

Help with reading and writing

Meeting new people

What each volunteer mentor will do will depend on the Criminogenic needs of the offender.  The volunteer mentor is not a substitute for probation service staff or prison service staff; they are an extra - a person who has been trained, who gives their free time to support the rehabilitation of offenders.

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AssiAssisting Young People to Fulfil their Potential

What are the benefits of volunteer mentoring for young people?

A volunteer mentor is a person who wants to help young people develop and grow to achieve their full potential.

Volunteer Mentors build positive relationships with young people and offer support, guidance and encouragement.  The volunteer mentor will help young people to decide what they want to do, and will support them in achieving their objectives.  A volunteer mentor may work with the young person on any of the following and more:

What each volunteer mentor will do depends on the objectives and wishes of the young person.  The volunteer mentor is not a substitute for social workers, foster carers, residential staff, teachers or parents, they are an extra � a person who has been trained, who gives their free time to support young people.

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