Mentorship

More people are applying for and completing mentorship Mentorship recommended  15 Completing mentorship  2

Supporting Resource Materials General Information Benchmarks Mentorship Checklist Family Satisfaction Mentor ‘s Satisfaction Scale

General Information Example What is mentorship? Mentorship provides a structured experience used to support movement of persons into the First Steps system as Primary Level Evaluators (PLE). It is a competency based system that requires the mentored to work with a mentor to develop an action contract to address the educational and experiential needs of the mentored. Successful completion of the action contract can be documented using direct supervision (would involve completion of rating scales, formal and informal observations) and family feedback.

Mentorship con’t Other methods may also be identified by the contract developers. In some cases the requirement of university/college coursework and other experiences may be required of some professional disciplines or to compensate for a weakness on the part of a mentored. Direct supervision feedback can take many forms (e.g., face-to-face contact/meetings, reports, video conferencing, phone and electronic communications).

Mentorship Con’t Additionally, the participants may be asked to provide video/digital tapes of experiences and complete teleconference demonstrations of abilities. Supervisors may elect to use other methods as well. Plans developed with and for the mentored must be approved by the Child Evaluation Coordinator and/or the Evaluation Advisory Committee prior to implementation.

Mentorship Con’t The mentored can be excluded from the system without prior notice at anytime, at the discretion of the supervisor, Child Evaluation Coordinator or the Evaluation Advisory committee, if it appears that successful completion is not possible.

Benchmarks Areas  Assessment  Interaction  Collaboration  Reports  Overall Competency

Example of Benchmarks Interaction Questions Examiner has the ability to attract/join child into the testing situation Ability to develop a rapport with family Ability to covey information while being sensitive/ compassionate; yet still accurate information

Evidence Teaching Skills Inventory or a modified version by direct and/or videotape ISC/PSC Satisfaction Survey Mentor Checklist Family Satisfaction Survey

Example of Collaboration Mentored is able to participate as a professional and member of the First Steps Team

Evidence Phone contact logs ISC/PSC Satisfaction Survey Integration of recommendations into IFSP Mentor’s checklist

Mentorship Checklist 35 items Rating Scale  S = Superior Skill  P = Proficient  A = Apprentice  N= Novice  N/A = Not Applicable  14/35 are Yes/No N/A

Areas Assessed General Testing Experiences Report Considerations Documentation Professionalism and Collaboration Mentorship Activities (Yes/No; N/A rating)

Examples from the Mentorship Checklist Demonstrates abilities in testing across the age spectrum of First Steps Demonstrates abilities in testing across infants and toddlers with varied disabilities Scoring protocols are completed consistently and correctly Child’s report information is presented in a clear and consistent way

More Examples Logs are reviewed at least monthly and use them to suggest further training, coursework, areas of needed improvement. Plans reflect mentored/mentor discussion Works to improve any area of weakness identified through surveys (ISC/PSC or Caregiver) by mentor

Examples of Activities Mentorship contract developed between mentor and mentored Completed at least 56 contact hours (included the 42 previously identified in the face to face hours)

Family Satisfaction Survey This survey is to be completed by the family who has had a child evaluated by a candidate in the mentorship program. 16 Questions and one comment Ratings  1 Very unsatisfied  2 Unsatisfied  3 Neutral  4 Satisfied  5 Very Satisfied  N/A Not applicable

Examples of Family Survey Questions The evaluator arrived at the scheduled time. You felt like the evaluator listened to your concerns. The report, especially the recommendations lead you to get the services that you child needs. If the evaluator attended the IFSP, did he/she help to develop the IFSP document and the plans for the coming year?

Mentor ‘s Satisfaction Scale Same Likert Rating Scale  12 Questions  One page

Examples Of Mentor’s Survey  To your knowledge, the evaluator was able to convey the information in a sensitive and caring manner.  The evaluator was able to communicate effectively with other team members at the IFSP meeting.  How satisfied were you with the overall services (child evaluation, caregiver support and report)?

Summary More persons are completing mentorship Resource materials are available on PREPNET We would love to have more people willing to provide mentorship to persons entering our field