Resourcing mentoring

University of Westminster Mentoring for Students with Mental Health IssuesWednesday 30th November 2005Sue 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

o 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 3o 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

Workload

600 hrs mentoring

Total hours per year

Salary Salary +

%16

Cost per hour of mentoring

20hrs mentoring per week; 30 week academic year

600 £28000 £32400 £54.13

20hrs mentoring per week; 30 week academic year

600 £24000 £27840 £46.40

B. Hourly paid staff:Cost of each hour of mentoring

Workload

600 hrs mentoring

Hourly rate

Hourly rate + 16%

(cost)

Hours paid per year

Total

cost

Cost per hour mentoring

20 hrs per week mentoring + 2 hrs meetings/training - 30 week academic year

£35 £40.60 660 £26796 £44.60

20 hrs per week mentoring + 2 hrs meetings/training - 30 week academic year

£30 £34.80 660 £22968 £38.28

20 hrs per week mentoring + 2 hrs meetings/training - 30 week academic year

£25 £29 660 £19140 £31.90

C. Self employed mentors:Cost of each hour of mentoring

Workload

600 hrs mentoring

Hourly rate

Hourly

cost

Hours paid per year

Total

cost

Cost per hour mentoring

20 hrs per week mentoring + 2 hrs meetings/training - 30 week academic year

£35 £35 660 £23100 £38.50

20 hrs per week mentoring + 2 hrs meetings/training - 30 week academic year

£30 £30 660 £19800 £33

20 hrs per week mentoring + 2 hrs meetings/training - 30 week academic year

£25 £25 660 £16500 £27.50

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.