Mentoring Advice

The need for a Mentor / verifier

The approach to professional learning and development being taken by the CLD Standards Council is a developmental one which puts the autonomous self-directing professional at the centre and through their critical reflection on practice they identify and construct relevant Professional Learning  and Development goals and activities. A pivotal aspect of this is the role of the manager and or/mentor who has the responsibility of providing mentoring guidance and also to verify the authenticity of the practitioner’s Professional Learning  and Development to the standard set by the CLD Standards Council.

A Registered / Associate member must seek within their practice context a suitable person for the mentor / verifier role.  Because of the wide and varied settings that CLD practitioners can be found, whether in paid or voluntary positions, the mentoring role can be carried out by a practitioner’s manager and/or another suitably qualified and experienced person with an understanding of the CLD Standards Council’s Professional Standards.

Who can be a mentor / verifier

The mentor/verifier would normally be someone with a CLD Standards Council recognised qualification, or equivalent, be a member of the CLD Standards Council and have a minimum experience of 3 years of CLD practice. In some circumstances a practitioner’s manager and also another person may have joint roles in mentoring / verifying as appropriate and agreed with the practitioner.
It should be stressed that this process is based on the professional autonomous and responsibility of the CLD practitioner. The practitioner has the lead responsibility for their Professional Learning and Development. The manager and or/mentor has a critical but supporting role.

Mentors responsibilities

• Have an understanding of the CLD Standards Council’s Professional Standards (Professional Ethos, Competences and 5 Key Attributes, Code of Ethics)
• Be available as negotiated between themselves and their mentee with respect to meeting to discuss, monitor and review progress around professional learning goals
• Carry out with their mentee the 3 yearly Re-registration Review in line with CLD Standards Council requirements, procedures and guidance and verify that the mentee has been engaged in satisfactory Professional Learning and Development over the registration period.

Supporting resources

Mentoring Agreement Form – can be used to define or inform the mentor / mentee relationship
Mentoring Considerations  – Further information on mentoring