Mentoring
The British Dressage Mentoring Programme has been developed to encourage learning, support development and strengthen connections across the BD community.
What is the mentoring programme?
The purpose of the mentoring programme is to deliver targeted support to both the workforce and the wider membership of British Dressage. Mentoring partnerships are designed to support a range of key objectives, including professional and personal development, the sharing of knowledge, effective goal setting, improved performance, and increased retention and engagement.
Ultimately, the mentoring process should be driven by the Mentee and their individual needs, which distinguishes it from a traditional classroom-based learning experience. Mentors will support their Mentees by using shared experience and knowledge to resolve current issues and develop their skills for the future.
There will be 2 defined streams to BD Mentoring:
- Mentoring on behalf of the organisation if a development need has been identified. This is where BD will identify a suitable mentor on behalf of the mentee and will put them in contact. As this will be a recommended mentorship, BD will fund a maximum of 4 hours mentoring.
- Self-sought mentoring. Potential mentees can browse BD Mentors on our website and can contact them directly for support. The fee will be mutually agreed and at the Mentors discretion, this will be payable directly to the mentor. We advise that this is clear and confirmed with both parties prior to the engagement.
For more information on the programme contact the Training & Education team:
Getting started
Once a Mentor/Mentee make the initial contact with each other they should arrange their first session together to discuss their requirements in more detail and set out the plan for their time together.
Every mentoring partnership is required to complete a Mentoring Agreement during their first session together and return this to BD Head Office. This clarifies expectations and helps to ensure a structured and effective partnership.
The purpose of this agreement is to clarify:
- Length of partnership
- Format of communication (in person, Zoom, phone etc)
- Frequency and length of meetings
- Topics covered
- Goal setting
- Ground rules for discussions
The length and format of the mentoring partnership is completely flexible and can be mutually agreed by both parties to suit requirements. Mentees can continue with their chosen/allocated Mentor for as many hours as they wish. In the case of BD recommended mentoring, if the Mentee wishes to continue with their allocated Mentor beyond the BD funded 4 hours they will fund this themselves at a price which is mutually agreed with their Mentor.
Terms
The Mentee is not obliged to act on any information, suggestion, advice or guidance given by the Mentor as part of the services, and if so, they will do so at their own risk. The Mentee is advised to take independent financial, legal or other appropriate professional advice before acting on any information or guidance given by their Mentor if they feel it is appropriate.
All parties will keep in strict confidence any information of a confidential nature discussed as a result of this arrangement, with the exception of any information which is already available in the public domain.
All parties agree to honour the mentoring agreement and will assess progress throughout, as well as at the conclusion of the partnership. If the partnership is terminated prior to the scheduled conclusion, British Dressage should also be notified if applicable.
As part of their duty of care, Mentors must report and concerns for the health or wellbeing of their Mentees to British Dressage so that appropriate support can be facilitated. For confidential advice with and safeguarding queries, or to report a concern or incident, please email Lead Safeguarding Officer Charlotte Osborne:
