25 Common Questions about Operating a:

What is the age range for youth served by the program? Children of incarcerated parents are eligible if they are enrolled on or after the child’s 4^th birthday and before the 18^th birthday.

How do programs identify eligible youth?  Programs utilize a multitude of ways to outreach to eligible families and each program selects outreach efforts that match the community. While PSAs, community awareness campaigns and distribution of printed materials can be of assistance in identifying eligible families – it is important to utilize direct communication with referral sources as well. Interaction with state of Federal prison ministries and authorities can be helpful. In addition, programs are required to reach out to foster care systems and other Federal programs such as TANF to identify eligible families. Cross training about available services, eligibility and enrollment procedures is a critical element of your program.

Which children are eligible for services? Children within the allowed age range are considered eligible if one or both parents are incarcerated in a Federal or State correctional facility or in a local correctional facility if remanded there by a State or Federal court. Children are eligible as long as the match is initiated while the parent is incarcerated. Documentation of eligibility must be maintained for each child recruited for participation in the MCP Program.

How are mentors recruited? Much like finding eligible youth, programs must create a broad and varied approach to identifying mentors. One of the common mistakes of new programs is that mentors are recruited via general PSAs and outreach efforts via messaging that is vague and emphasizes the satisfying nature of giving back to the community. While mentoring can indeed be satisfying and in some cases, life changing – mentoring children of prisoners requires dedication, extra training and support. Programs, seeking to enroll as many mentors as possible, find that extra time is expended if a mentor attempts to enroll only to find out that he or she isn’t a right “match” for the program. MCP Programs are encouraged to create clear descriptions of the need and the type of mentors that are a good fit for youth eligible for program services. Descriptions of the long term consequences for youth who do not encounter positive adult role models can be effective in sustaining quality matches. Create mentoring descriptions that detail the requirements and the types of activities that are expected. Then, utilize these materials to craft outreach materials that are clear and provide details that would be important for potential mentors to consider. Utilize public campaigns and referral sources to distribute these materials. Word of mouth referrals and outreach to faith based congregations have also proven to be successful methods for identifying and recruiting mentors.

How are mentors screened? All potential mentors must complete background checks (local and state) for criminal history, the national sex offender registry and the state’s child abuse domestic violence registries. Records of completed background checks must be maintained and should be repeated on an annual basis. MCP Programs are also required to check references for potential mentors. These procedures are to be included in Program Policies and Procedures that outline efforts to ensure the safety of children and mentors participating in the MCP Program. Costs for such background checks are an allowable expense for this program and may be included in your Federal request or used as financial match.

How are mentors trained? MCP Programs are required to create and implement a plan to train mentors in topics that would prepare mentors for potential issues that may arise during activities with the mentee or interactions with the mentee’s family. Such training should take place as part of an orientation prior to formal acceptance in the program; as pre-service training before match activities begin; and, as an ongoing effort to engage mentors and to provide updated information. Topics for such training should include: safety; appropriate boundaries; confidentiality; understanding the effects of parental incarceration; mentoring and communication techniques and responsibilities; positive youth development; and, cultural competency. In addition, mentors must be prepared on how and when to reach out to staff members when concerns arise regarding the mentee or the mentee’s family.

What types of mentoring activities are allowed? One on one mentoring that addresses the developmental level and interests of the child are the activities best suited for MCP match relationships. Whether selected activities include playing basketball; games; touring museums or visiting zoos, the selected activities should offer time for the mentor and mentee to establish a solid and safe relationship while building on the bond that comes with shared experiences. Please note that programs should document the types of activities that occur on Match Activity logs that track the date and time of activity, the type of activity and any associated feedback.

Are there restrictions regarding the location of mentoring activities? The MCP Program supports community-based mentoring activities. This means that the mentor, mentee, staff member and caregiver work together to decide on appropriate locations and activities for each match. These activities might take place in a park; at a local zoo; on a sports court; or, in other community locations. The MCP Program is not an afterschool tutoring or life skills curriculum based program and so activities scheduled in these locations in efforts to meet these goals are inappropriate. Please note that there are special circumstances in rural communities which make community-based mentoring a challenge. On a case by case basis, approval for mentoring in community centers and recreation facilities as a base may be obtained as long as activities that take place during the mentoring hour are not prescribed or part of group based instruction or intervention. The MCP Support Center and your Federal Project Officer can assist in helping you understand locations appropriate for MCP activities.

How often should mentors connect with mentees? The minimum requirement is one hour per week. Certainly, additional mentor activities can maximize the benefits of the mentor match.

How long are mentoring relationships expected to last? As research suggests that mentor matches lasting a year correlate with increases in positive outcomes for youth; MCP Programs are expected to support mentors to help achieve relationships that last for one year. In addition, research further suggests that mentor matches that last less than 3 months can have negative consequences for children in the areas of self-esteem and confidence. FYSB supports efforts to create and maintain quality relationships over the quantity of matches created. Programs can support these matches by offering supervision support to mentors to talk through issues; checking in regularly on match participant satisfaction; ensuring that training matches the potential experiences of mentors; and, being thoughtful about matches by including pre-match interviews and feedback from all participants prior to formalizing the match relationship.

Can mentors be used in school-based tutoring programs? MCP Mentors are not allowed to provide service in this capacity. MCP mentors participate in individualized, community-based activities with mentees.

How can we integrate MCP funds into existing mentoring services in our community? This is a common challenge for programs that already offering mentoring services funded by other sources. It is important to remember that these services are for a target population with unique needs. Outreach, enrollment, recruitment of mentors, matching, training and ongoing support must reflect this specialization and not be “rolled into” existing services without clear evidence of separation of funds expended for the services as proposed in the approved grant. Mentoring organizations do have experience and community reputations that can potentially increase access to potential mentors and some of these organizations already serve children of prisoners. In these cases, the separation of funding use and documentation will serve the purpose of demonstrating integration into existing programs in an ethical and effective way.

What level of support can be provided to families of eligible children in order to support the longevity of the match? Program staff members are allowed to assist with referrals and making contacts on behalf of the family for needed services and supports. However, program funds are not allowed to provide intensive case management to families or to provide services directly to the family (i.e., rent or utility assistance, etc.). FYSB understands that these factors can influence the mentor match and continues to emphasize the positive results of collaborations and service linkages designed to meet family needs that fall outside the scope of the MCP Program. As part of the enrollment process, it may be helpful to conduct a family needs assessment that includes an evaluation of the family’s willingness and capacity to accept social service intervention when necessary. This assessment will assist staff with making appropriate referrals if and when the need arises.

What type of evaluation is expected? MCP Programs are not expected to use MCP funds to conduct extensive evaluation of program services. Programs are required to participate in FYSB and MCP Support Center efforts to track data and report progress. Examples of data that are tracked include: number of mentor matches; length of match; number of terminated matches and reasons; the frequency of mentor activities, etc. The Online Data Collection Instrument (OLDC) and the Relationship Quality Indicator (RQI) is used to gather such data and grantees will receive support in participating in data collection efforts. FYSB is committed to maintaining at 80% or higher the number of matches that last at least 3 months and will focus on tracking the percentage of relationships that last at least one year.

Are there staffing models that are preferred? It is clear that existing programs often underestimate the staffing levels required to conduct all required activities. Staff time for identifying and outreaching to eligible youth and families; outreaching to, screening, training and retaining mentors; tracking program activities; responding to program challenges; and, providing supervision to mentor matches are time intensive efforts. Programs may want to consider calculating the time required for these activities for each match and then multiplying this time by the number of proposed mentor matches to get a sense of the level of staffing required.

How do programs retain mentors? Potential volunteers have desires to make a difference, to feel included and to feel supported in their efforts. Programs can get so busy in day to day program operations that critical connections and checking-in opportunities can be missed. Programs should include regular satisfaction surveys and consider a way for mentors to meet and support each other in their efforts while maintaining confidentiality. Happy mentors recruit friends and relatives to the cause. It is also helpful to remember that mentors have a “vision” of the successful relationship that might include unrealistic expectations. Helping mentors understand the behaviors, attitudes and challenges that may exist on the front end will prepare these mentors to not take comments and behavior personally and to not feel like failures when the results don’t immediate correlate with the vision.

What are challenges faced by rural programs? Rural areas suffer from a wealth of challenges. Lack of public transportation and limited social service availability make access to needed services difficult for families, which in turn threatens the success of the mentor match. Public access television and availability of distributing program information via television and radio PSAs is limited and often dedicated to the larger markets. These programs must be creative in utilizing the sense of community that exists in rural areas and maximizing partnerships with businesses, schools, congregations and service clubs to maximize program potential.

What are challenges faced by urban programs? While Larger cities have resources of public transportation and expanded social service availability, these programs also face increased competition for in-kind contributions, volunteers and public attention. Increased population centers result in longer waiting lists and more restrictive acceptance policies. Programs seeking to establish meaningful collaborations are faced with overcoming these issues to move their clients to the top of priority lists. Potential volunteers have many more options from which to choose so outreach efforts have to be focused, informative and compelling.

Why are community collaborations so important? Organizations that serve the community understand Case Management. You recognize that services can’t exist in a vacuum as families are impacted by multiple stressors. For the MCP project, case management activities focus on efforts to maintain lasting, quality mentor matches to achieve the highest probability of meaningful impact on youth and families of incarcerated parents. However, it will become clear that families face challenges that can interrupt the success of the relationship. These instances are where formal collaborations and active partnerships come into play. In these instances, MCP Case Management is limited to referrals and follow-up for services rather than the direct provision of services to the family. The MCP Program requires evidence of collaborations for the variety of needs that may be present in the eligible families for this reason.

Can we sub-grant funds for services? This grant is not intended to be a “pass through” for funding. This means that a parent organization maintains an overhead fee for applying for the grant but doesn’t engage in service delivery or oversight.  However, you may sub-grant funds for specific services (for example, screening mentors; training for mentors; outreach to eligible youth and families, etc.). If funds are to be sub-granted, such agreements must be in writing with clear descriptions of services to be provided and the monitoring that will occur to ensure services fall within the Scope of Services of MCP and follow all applicable regulations.

Are there common challenges reported by existing grantees? Organizations submit proposals based on the best information available about how services will be provided and the level of success. Almost without fail, programs experience challenges because of multiple reasons including but not limited to: organizational changes; inflated estimates of outcomes; community changes; funding shortfalls and staffing issues. Exisiting grantees participating in a 2010 survey report certain aspects of the MCP program were more challenging than anticipated. Review the chart below. Do you have plans for addressing these challenges?

What if our program overestimates the number of matches that can be achieved? Each applicant needs to make the best estimate of number of matches based on eligible youth in the area; the chances of enrolling those youth and families; and, the estimate of available mentors willing to provide volunteer service to children of incarcerated parents. You do not want to provide inflated numbers simply to increase your chances of getting funded. Your organization will be held accountable for these numbers and you will have to demonstrate every effort to reach anticipated benchmarks of success. You will be able to discuss issues of unmet outputs and outcomes with your project officer if you encounter unexpected barriers to service.

What types of funding match are allowed? Cash match from non-Federal funds is preferred as it strengthens your program and provides more choices for meeting infrastructure and services that fall within the allowed expenditures for the MCP Program. In-kind match contributions may be counted as long as it represents an expense that would be allowed (space, donated time, trainer fees, utilities, etc.) under the MCP program. A few reminders regarding financial match for MCP –

·         Organizations cannot use Mentor time for activities as match;

·         Organizations may not use funds expended for services for families (rental assistance, utilities, healthcare, etc.) that fall outside the Scope of Services;

·         Organizations must have clear evidence of how match funds are determined and from what sources;

·         Organizations cannot use Americorps/Vista volunteers as match;

·         Match cannot be used twice for different projects. For example, if you are already using your office space for multiple projects and counting that space as match for other funding sources – you may not use that same space for MCP match unless it is a documented percentage of time deducted and set aside for match for this specific program.

How does the Federal government oversee the progress of funded programs? Each funded project is required to participate in federal evaluation efforts; technical assistance and training; and in reporting progress and financial expenditures and match. In addition, programs are monitored on-site by a federal project officer who will compare the program to the approved grant; federal requirements and regulations; and, submitted reports. Any findings that result as part of these monitoring activities will result in increased technical assistance by the MCP Support Center in efforts to help your program succeed.

Is there technical assistance and support available to programs? Yes, the MCP Support Center receives Federal funding from FYSB to help you understand and respond to various programmatic challenges. You may learn more by visiting the Center at:

http://members.mcpsupport.com/default.aspx

Additional questions?

Please feel free to contact the MCP Support Center at 1.866.MCP.1133 or

mcpsupportcenter@manynet.org.

Supported by FYSB

FYSB is an agency within the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Administered by MANY

Mid-Atlantic Network of Youth and Family Services