For three hours each week, AnglicareSA Mentor Matt Barton’s sole focus is on the personal growth and development of a young person in care.

As a manager in the field of injury management, Matt’s life experiences and corporate background provide an individual approach to developing life skills and achieving specific goals through activities, focused conversation, and learning.

“When I was young I was into soccer, and coaches played a significant role in my life with discipline, training, and routine,” Matt said.

“Then later in my career, I’ve had a couple of mentors in my workplace who have assisted me in finding my feet in the work world.

“I found being a mentee myself was quite foundational to my development, not just when I was a child, but also as an adult.”

 

Supportive induction, training, and guidance

Matt has been a part of AnglicareSA’s Mentoring Program for 18 months and was matched with a young mentee still in junior primary.

“I initially caught up with one of the team leaders and a supervisor for a coffee and what was probably the most relaxed interview I have ever had in my life, taking about the program and what it involves,” he said.

“I was then brought in with my induction group and I was one of a few coming in from a corporate background.

“We did quite intensive training around understanding children, development, and psychology, as well as mandatory trainings in terms of reporting, first aid, incident response, and risk assessments.

“AnglicareSA has been great across the 18 months I have been involved, periodically providing additional training and support and providing all the tools and guidance I need to provide the best outcomes for my mentee.”

Weekly activities range from basic conversations and simple things around health and fitness, like kicking the footy, playing cricket, going to a playground, or bike riding.

“I have also introduced things like geocaching and fishing, and more recently, we did a little activity involving a campfire and understanding how you can go out into nature to explore and get closer to it.

“These are just activities that a mentee might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in, activities that are generally what most kids would otherwise expect to do growing up in Australia.”

 

An alternative view on life

While young people in care are generally in contact with people who either work or study within the social care sector, having a mentor with a corporate background offered a different perspective on life experiences and skills, Matt said.

And while his mentee was a little bit younger, which required a different focus, he said having a mentor with a corporate background could provide a fresh approach for those who were older and perhaps going into high school and making decisions on want to do with their life.

“They may be at a stage where they perhaps have a lot more decisions to make in directions they want to go with study or career. I can emulate some of the decisions that I made in my life.

“It could help kids in care to understand where they could potentially fit in in the world as they grow up, and particularly realise that ultimately, they get to choose that direction they want to go in.”

Matt said that while the mentor role could at times be challenging, knowing that perhaps one day the young mentee would flourish once they left the care system was something he was inspired by.

“It’s not something you can see immediately, but to know I am a part of a much bigger picture, is something I am grateful of,” he said.

“I have learnt that I am capable of finding the time to be more compassionate, open minded, and open hearted and I try to apply this now more in my day to day.

“I am also much more faster thinking on my feet when different situations arise with my mentee.”

 

How to get involved

AnglicareSA’s Mentoring Program is run with the support of the Department of Education and the Department for Child Protection across metropolitan Adelaide and surrounding areas, including the Barossa Valley and Victor Harbor.

The mentor role involves spending three hours a week with a young person, creating activity plans, organising and facilitating activity sessions, and providing case notes.

Community service mentors are paid for their time and undergo a screening and recruitment process, including a Working With Children Check and National Police Check, in order to work with children and young people.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor and having a positive impact on the life of a young person in care, please contact AnglicareSA via mentoring@anglicaresa.com.au