resourcing mentoring
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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. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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.