Resourcing mentoring University of Westminster Mentoring for Students with Mental Health Issues Wednesday 30th November 2005 Sue Meads; Head of Mentor Service; University of Southampton
Focus of this presentation: • Financial aspects of running a Mentor Service
Background to the Mentor Service at Southampton • Started by ‘accident’ rather than design in 1999 • 80% students with mental health issues, 20% chronic medical conditions • Rapid growth to 300 students by the end of 2003-4 • Began within Disability Service and ‘promoted’ to sister service in May 2004 • Now 3.5 FTE Mentors and 8 self employed Mentors – 1:1 support usually one hour per week, more or less than that according to needs
The Mentoring Model at Southampton • 1:1‘specialist support, for students with mental health difficulties and chronic medical conditions, with organisation and planning, motivation and morale, study skills and strategies’ • Help to manage course whilst also managing a condition, or whilst having treatment
The Mentoring Model at Southampton cont.. • Academic support informed by counselling and psychological understanding or other relevant training • Mentors – academically well qualified, experience of teaching in FE or HE, qualified and experienced counsellor or psychologist – or close
Sources of Funding • Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) – non medical helpers allowances • HE Access to Learning Fund • Other institutional funds for disabled students
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) • From LEA, NHS Student Grants Unit, Research Councils - depending where students’ funding comes from • Available to UK students studying full time or at least 50% part time • Cannot be used for generic services available to all students in the Institution eg Counselling Service or Mentor Scheme open to all • Cannot be used for services which should be provided by NHS eg Counselling or Psychotherapy
DSAs • Can be used for mentoring and learning support for students with mental health difficulties as long as a Needs Assessment has made the recommendation.
HE Access to Learning Fund • Disability is a priority category • May be able to apply to ALF for funds to pay for mentoring • Eligibility similar to DSA, but more restricted for post graduates
Other Institutional Funds • Unique to each institution • May be hardship funds • May be a fund for support of International or other unfunded students
Financial management • Fundamentally important but least liked aspect of providing Support Services • Myths about money • Paying support workers • Record keeping and systems for financial administration • Charging funding providers e.g. of DSAs
Myths about money • That Finance Departments can or will do it all for us • Phrases like ‘income generation’ and ‘self funding’ are misleading. Services for students with mental health issues are involved in ‘cost recovery’. We invoice for a ‘contribution to costs’. • That somehow, dealing with the money is ‘not nice’. • That ‘they’ should fund all support without requiring cost recovery
Paying mentors 1 • Introduce student to self employed mentor and leave them to it? • Can choose degree of involvement in vetting and quality assuring work, • No financial processes to deal with • Mentor invoices funding provider or student • Student bears burden of financial management, not currently seen as good practice • Support worker bears all risks and provides for own holiday, sick and retirement pay, plus training and development. • Less likely to get space and equipment from Institution
Paying mentors 2 • Self employed mentors • Mentor needs to be paid a rate which reflects professional standing, costs and risks • Mentor not usually involved in admin and running of service, self employed mentors concentrate on the 1:1 support • Mentors bear all the financial risk, need to fund own sick pay, holiday pay, pension, equipment, materials, training and professional development etc • Easiest way to start service at professional and intermediate level • Institution doesn’t have to provide space/rooms
Paying mentors 3 • Hourly paid mentors with a contract to pay for hours worked plus holiday pay. • Essentially support worker is still carrying much of the risk – little or no security, no sick pay, probably no pension scheme • Some institutions reluctant to pay appropriate rate • Very economical for Service, only paid for hours worked • Mentors make little contribution to administration or development of Service • Can be very seasonal - advantage and disadvantage • Service usually bears more training and development costs • Institution more likely to provide space/rooms, and may need to provide staff office space
Paying mentors 4 • Mentors employed on permanent contract • Mentors are staff who contribute to the running and development of the service • Work together as a team to support each other and provide cover and continuity for students • The most expensive staffing option because staff have contracts which cover holiday, sick and retirement pay, may be all year or term time only • Provide basis for strong service identity within organisation • Service bears more training and development costs
‘Cost recovery’ • Fees we charge are a contribution to costs, no question of profits. • Costs can be divided into: • direct money costs of employing the support worker • Salary plus Employers National Insurance Contributions and Employer’s Contribution to Pension usually approx salary plus 16% - depending on method of employment • indirect costs including • use of room, furniture, telephone, computer hardware and software and maintenance etc • paper, photocopying, telephone, books • training costs, meetings • other people’s time - recruitment, induction, training, supervision, clinical supervision, administration and management
3 Illustrations of money cost of each hour of mentoring • A. Permanent full time staff • B. Hourly paid staff • C. Self employed mentors
A. Permanent full time staff:Cost of providing each hour of mentoring
B. Hourly paid staff:Cost of each hour of mentoring
C. Self employed mentors:Cost of each hour of mentoring
Comparing the 3 illustrations • Only in A does the mentor do any admin! • Only in A is there scope for the mentor to play a role in institution • No admin staff time costed in to any of them • No computers, space costs, telephones, paper etc in any of them • None allow for possibility that some of these students don’t have funding
Charging • Charge should be in line with level of qualifications and expertise required for the work • Work with the Funding providers • Contact before first invoice • Provide clear information for their audit purposes • Take responsibility for the quality of invoices • All relevant information • Accurate • Timely
Keeping Financial Records • Your service will be audited one day! • Keep: • all financial records for 6 years (Statute of Limitations) • a full set of copies of all • orders, • invoices and other payments you have made • invoices and other requests for payments you have sent out • a clear record of all transactions for each student, with copies of all paperwork in the student’s file • Analyse costs and ‘income generation’. These can be used to back up requests for staff.
