ethical principles for youth mentoring relationships 9-8-11

7/30/2019 Ethical Principles for Youth Mentoring Relationships 9-8-11

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Ethical Principles forYouth MentoringRelationships

Jeanette Nadonley, DC, BA

September 8, 2011


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1. Promote the Welfare and Safety of theYoung Person (Beneficence and

Nonmaleficience) Mentors should work to benefit their mentees.

Although this may seem straightforward, there areoften competing ideas about what might be good forthe young person ideas that are rooted in differingvalues, culture and worldview. Promoting the welfareof a young person will, in many cases, require thatmentors build rapport not only with their mentees, butalso with the mentees primary caregivers so that they

may develop an understanding of the familys beliefsystems and expectations for the child.


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Nonmaleficience) cont. A mentor also has the ethical obligation to do no harm.

We have careful background checks and screeningprocedures in place, such as Sagem Morpho, and theincidence of such occurrences is minimal. For the mostpart, all but a small fraction of volunteers do notintend to deliberately harm their mentee.Nonetheless, if volunteers lack skills, knowledge orcaution, difficulties can and often do arise. Training

and supervision can help volunteers recognize theboundaries and limits of their expertise and seekassistance from program staff when needed.


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Nonmaleficience) cont. Misuse of Power. Given the different roles and ages

of the participants, a power differential is inherent in

adult-youth mentoring relationships. The gulf canwiden when there are also differences in class andracial backgrounds. Mentors may not even be aware ofthe social inequities driving these differentials or howthese can play out in interpersonal relationships(Fisher, 1997). Mentors may unwittingly put forthbeliefs or opinions that conflict with the experiencesand values of their mentee, creating conflict ortension for the young person.


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Nonmaleficience) cont.

Despite power inequities in the relationship,

mentors relative advantages can be used forgood. That is, a mentors and a programspower (i.e., position, knowledge, experience,interpersonal connections and other material

and human resources, etc.) is a form of socialcapital that can be deployed to the advantageof mentees.


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Inappropriate Boundaries Physical contact: Mentors fill a niche that lies

somewhere between professional and kinship andare thus afforded greater latitude in whatconstitutes appropriate boundaries. For example,although there is nothing inappropriate in a mentorholding hands with his 6-year-old mentee as theycross the street, other instances of physicalcontact or seemingly benign gestures or commentscan be interpreted differently. It is best to err onthe side of caution, as there are many ways to showaffection and closeness that do not involve physicalcontact or even benignly-crossed boundaries.


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Multiple roles: Mentors should avoid entering into apersonal, professional, financial or other relationshipwith their mentees (and family members) if such a

relationship might interfere with their objectivity orability to work effectively as a mentor, or might harmor exploit the mentee. For example, although parents might naturally

gravitate to their childs college-aged mentor whenlooking for a paid math tutor, the volunteer may

better serve the parents by connecting them withother resources. Other potentially compromisingsituations include mentors offering advice to thechild or family based on their professional expertise(e.g., medical, legal, psychological).


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Conflicting roles: In other instances, mentors mayfind themselves encroaching on the territory ofprofessionals in the childs life (e.g., with tutors,therapists, juvenile probation officers). Maintainingclarity about the boundaries of the mentors role isnot always easy. Mentors should be mindful ofsituations in which mentees make disclosures thatwould be better handled by one of thoseprofessionals and this should be discussed with theConnections Case Managers first and possiblysuggest that the child take his or her concerns tothem (professionals).


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2. Be Trustworthy and Responsible(Fidelity and Responsibility)

For volunteer mentors, this involves being aware ofones responsibilities for meeting frequency and match

duration, as stipulated by the program. This type ofconsistency and reliability, which has been associatedwith more positive outcomes for youth participants(Rhodes & DuBois, 2006), serves as a cornerstone fortrust in the relationship. Trust, in turn, is considered akey component of effective mentoring relationships

(Sipe, 1996). Mentees have reported that honesty,keeping promises and relationship longevity underlietrust (Liang, Spencer, Brogan, & Corral, 2008).


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2. Be Trustworthy and Responsible(Fidelity and Responsibility) cont.

Unfortunately, generally as many as half of volunteermentoring relationships end prematurely, most oftenat the request of the volunteer (Rhodes, 2002). Some

premature endings are unavoidable but, all too often,relationships come to a heartbreaking end when thementor drops the ball and contacts neither thementee nor the mentoring program to provide anexplanation. This is especially concerning in light ofevidence that early terminations can lead to

decrements in youth functioning (Grossman & Rhodes,2002; Herrera et al., 2007). Pre-match training on thistopic is especially critical, as mentors may not beaware of the influence they have had or how thetermination will be interpreted.


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2. Be Trustworthy and Responsible(Fidelity and Responsibility) cont.

Programs are obliged to inform mentors ofcommon and predictable challenges and phases in

mentoring relationships and to provide sufficientcase management to prevent small lapses frombecoming insurmountable obstacles. Takeadvantage of the information provided at

trainings to deal with challenges and phases. Ifyou are unable to attend, request the informationpresented.


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3. Act with Integrity (Integrity) This related principle highlights the obligation of

mentors to be thoughtful and forthright about thecommitments (i.e., time, financial) to the relationship and

to avoid setting up false expectations. Mentors should bereminded about the importance of their obligations totheir mentees, as well as the meaning that is placed onplans and events such that even minor disappointmentsand tardiness can accumulate in ways that erode trustand closeness. Mentors are expected to bear the greaterresponsibility for finding ways to effectively andconsistently communicate with their mentees, to honorplans and commitments and to seek guidance andconsultation from mentoring program staff should theyfind that they are unable to do so.


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3. Act with Integrity (Integrity) cont. Mentors also should conduct themselves with integrity in their

mentees schools, homes and communities by being respectfulof customs and regularities and by not acting in ways that leave

programs having to run interference.

Finally, although there are always exceptions, mentorsshould be wary of entering into financial arrangements withmentees or their families. Although it might seem harmlessfor a mentor to cover one months electricity bill, particularly

when rationalized in terms of helping the mentee, this mayhave the unintended effect of establishing expectations offurther (and perhaps greater) assistance.


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4. Promote Justice for YoungPeople (Justice)

This principle calls for mentors to exercise good judgmentand to take precautions to ensure that the potential biasesinherent in their own backgrounds do not lead to prejudicialtreatment of their mentee. The standards of the APA

Ethics Code (2002) stipulate that psychologists do notengage in unfair discrimination based on age, gender,gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin,religion, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status,or any basis proscribed by law (p. 5), and the same holdstrue for mentors. Mentors may not intentionally, or even

consciously, engage in unfair treatment. However, thereality is that the largest proportion of volunteer mentorsare white, middle class students and professionals whereasthe youth mentees tend to be more economically andethnically diverse (MENTOR, 2006)


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4. Promote Justice for YoungPeople (Justice) cont.

Differences in cultural backgrounds and values may leadvolunteers to hold or unwittingly act on cultural biases.Instead, volunteers should consistently engage in self-examination and supervision/consultation to avoid makingassumptions about mentees that are based on, or insensitiveto, the latters social class, gender or disabilities.

For example, mentors volunteering for one of the many newprograms serving children with incarcerated parents oftenhold assumptions and biases about the prison populationthat may manifest in the mentors internal struggles wanting to be respectful of their mentees relationship

with the incarcerated parent while experiencing anger oreven fear toward this parent. When unchecked andunresolved, these internal conflicts and biases are likely tostand in the way of a mentors judgment and ability totreat a mentee, as well as the mentees family andcommunity, with fairness and respect.


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Mentoring programs have an obligation to provide

training in cultural and gender sensitivity to raisevolunteers awareness of their own biases and blindspots. Unfortunately, programs often assume thatonce a mentoring relationship has been formed, thestrength of the bond will mitigate against potentialmisunderstandings and miscommunications that mayarise as a result of differences in cultural values andbackgrounds.


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The sparse research does lend some provisionalsupport for the assumption that a strong bond canoffset cultural differences. A national study ofmentoring relationships formed through Big BrothersBig Sisters (Grossman & Rhodes, 2002) found thatalthough cross-race matches terminated slightly moreoften than did same-race matches, this was not thecase among those pairs who were matched primarily on

the basis of similar interests. Nevertheless,unacknowledged prejudices can subtly affectinterpersonal relationships (Cohen & Steele, 2002).


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Promoting justice can also extend beyond the one-to-one relationship with a mentee. By bringing moreprivileged adults into the lives of less privileged young

people, mentoring has the potential to promotewidespread social change. Mentors close personalconnections with vulnerable youth affords them theopportunity to develop a first-hand understanding ofthe challenges faced by young people today, which caninspire them to redress social ills and advocate for

social change that could improve the health and well-being of all youth living in these kinds ofcircumstances.


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5. Respect the Young PersonsRights and Dignity (Respect for

Peoples Rights and Dignity) Except in extreme situations (e.g., abuse, neglect, and

endangerment), volunteers should seek to understandand respect the decisions and lifestyle of a youngperson and his or her family. Respect for self-determination involves behaving in ways that enablerather than interfere with mentees and their familiesability to exercise their own reasoning and judgment.Mentors should seek to understand the youths

personal goals, desires and values and not underminethe young persons capacity to make his or her owndecisions.


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5. Respect the Young PersonsRights and Dignity (Respect for

Peoples Rights and Dignity) cont. Issues of confidentiality, which abound in youth mentoring

relationships, have been given insufficient attention. Youthand parents often disclose deeply personal information tovolunteers, sometimes with specific injunctions againstsharing it with the other. And, having a place to shareprivate thoughts and feelings is an aspect of mentorrelationships that youth have identified as beingparticularly meaningful to them (Spencer, Jordan, &Sazama, 2004). These adults can serve as importantsounding boards for youth, particularly in adolescence when

youth are exploring their identities and may experience new

forms of conflicts in their relationships with their parents(Allen, Moore, & Kuperminc, 1998). Training around issues ofconfidentiality should be provided, and decisions regardingsuch matters should be made in consultation with mentoringprogram staff. This is done when the mentor assessment iscompleted.


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Conclusions The ethical principles delineated here are purposely

broad. Further, more prescriptive guidelines wouldlikely limit mentoring relationships in ways that could

inhibit the open and natural qualities that make themspecial relationships in the lives of youth. Theprinciples are intended to raise ethical awareness andto encourage reflection on the complex situations thatinevitably arise when caring adults enter the lives ofunrelated youth.

Research Corner: Ethical Pr inciples for You th Mentor ingRelat ionships

Dr. Jean Rhodes, University of Massachusetts Boston, February 2011

ethical principles for youth mentoring relationships 9-8-11

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