COVID-19 Mentoring Programme Update

1^st June 2020

Dear Colleagues  

COVID-19 and HDN Staff Mentoring Programmes 2019-2020 and 2020-2021  

I wanted to update you regarding the above.  

Completion of 2019-2020 Staff Mentoring Programme   

Group Workshops:  Even before the national lockdown, most organisations had introduced their own policies with regard to social distancing and restrictions on travel, so the decision was taken early on to cancel any planned face to face group sessions and move them online.  To-date, East, London and NW regions have completed all group workshops.  The Midlands, NE, Yorks. & Humberside and SW regions will complete these by 22 June 2020.    

One-to-ones:  We highly recommend that mentors and mentees continue their discussions and 1 to 1s (5) using remote collaboration tools, and act in a manner consistent with their own employer’s advice.  

Mentoring Celebration:  We decided in March to postpone the event which was due to be held on 17th June.  Expert advice then was that period coincided with the peak of the outbreak.  We have passed that first peak and now like the rest of society wait to see if there will be a second peak.  

As a result, a Celebration event will either be held later in the year (virtually), or we will have a ‘double’ celebration in 2021.  We will keep you posted. 

 2020-21 Staff Mentoring Programme   

Recruitment for the forthcoming mentoring programme continues as usual and is open until 31st July to give our colleagues, sufficient time inhouse to implement their processes.  

In line with the current HDN COVID-19 position statement, although the situation will be kept under constant review it is unlikely that there will be any face-to-face workshops or events until at least the 1st September.  We anticipate that early aspects of the programme will be carried out using remote tools.  

Please be aware, our approach may change in light of new information or guidance from the government.  

Many thanks  

Moreen Pascal 

Programmes Manager