Gaps in Mentoring Research for Care-Experienced Youth

Lohmeyer, B. A., McGregor, J. R., Crittenden, Z., & Hartung, C. (2024). Mentoring for care-experienced young people: A rapid review of program design. Children and Youth Services Review, 156, 107350. Available at: https://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth

Introduction

Young people exiting out-of-home care (OoHC) often lack the relational support crucial for navigating the transition to adulthood, employment, and stable accommodation. Mentoring is frequently proposed as an intervention, but program designs vary considerably. Lohmeyer and colleagues (2024) aim to identify the key features of mentoring programs designed to support young people in OoHC.

Methods

Lohmeyer and colleagues (2024) utilized a rapid review methodology to survey existing academic literature on mentoring programs for youth in OoHC. The authors performed targeted literature searches in October 2022, using the Scopus, Proquest, and Informit databases to identify relevant articles.

Results

Lohmeyer and colleagues (2024) synthesized five overlapping models for mentoring relationships: ‘formal’, ‘natural’, ‘near-age’, ‘peer’, and ‘therapeutic’. From the literature, seven important features of effective mentor-mentee relationships were identified: shared experiences, relationship duration, boundaries, identity and self-worth, educational contexts, power and participation, and role modeling. The review also highlighted four critical issues specific to this population: the need for mentor training, the unique challenges OoHC youth face, the transition out of care, and the matching process.

Discussion

This review offers valuable insights for program design but also reveals significant gaps in the current research. The authors note a lack of robust conceptualizations of “empowerment” within the literature and a failure to adequately examine the policy context influencing these programs. Furthermore, a surprising absence of gender-specific findings was noted.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

The findings provide a clear framework for practitioners. Program design should be informed by the five relationship models and actively incorporate the seven identified features, such as facilitating shared experiences and defining boundaries. Crucially, programs must provide specific training for mentors that addresses the unique challenges and transitional barriers faced by care-experienced young people.

Read the full paper here.