Terms and Conditions

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Autistically Mentoring Terms and Conditions

European Mentoring and Coaching Council

I am accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). As such, I subscribe and adhere to the EMCC’s Global Code of Ethics, which can be found here: Global Code of Ethics (emccuk.org). 

The Nature of Mentoring as a Service

Mentoring is a service that facilitates individuals in setting and achieving goals, and overcoming obstacles. 

It is distinct from therapy or counselling, as it does not seek to cure or treat mental health problems, though wellbeing and health goals can certainly be set and discussed in the course of mentoring. Where there are very serious or complex mental health difficulties, the support of a qualified mental health practitioner should be sought, instead of or in tandem with mentoring. 

A mentor can offer guidance and suggestions from the perspective of an informed party. However, the focus is very much on achieving the right goals and methods of achieving them for the mentee. As such, focus will be on the mentee’s own methods and solutions.

As a mentor, I cannot provide:

· Diagnosis

· Medical (including psychological) treatment or advice

· Financial advice (including benefits)

· Employment advice

· Relationship advice

· Legal advice

· Advocacy.

However, mentees are welcome to talk through difficulties with any of the above, in order to come to decisions that are right for them. 

Notes and resources that I share with a mentee are theirs to use as they wish; however, I retain intellectual property rights to any and all notes and resources of my own creation. Unless otherwise stated, notes and resources used and dispensed by Autistically Mentoring constitute opinions, suggestions, and records of Autistically Mentoring, and therefore do not constitute diagnosis, medical (including psychological) treatment or advice, financial advice (including benefits), employment advice, relationship advice, legal advice, or advocacy. 

Confidentiality

In line with the EMCC’s Global Code of Ethics and UK GDPR laws, all mentees’ personal details, including session notes, will be confidential. Session notes will be stored for one year from the date of the last session. 

Exceptions to confidentiality

The only circumstances under which a mentor may be compelled to breach confidentiality are:

1. Where there is indication of significant and imminent harm to the mentee or someone else (in this case, the mentor will always seek to discuss disclosing information to a third party before doing so);

2. Where there is an agreement to provide progress reports or update sessions to a third party (please see below);

3. For supervisory and/or educational purposes. As EMCC mentors are committed to continuing professional development and appropriate supervision and peer support for their practice, anonymised and restricted details may be shared for the purposes of optimising responsible and effective practice. If a session is to be recorded for educational or supervisory purposes, a mentee will always be consulted in advance, and has the right to say no without giving a reason.

Use of Emergency Contact

A mentee is required to provide contact details of at least one emergency contact prior to the commencement of their mentoring sessions. These details may be used only in the following instances:

1. When the mentee has failed to attend an engagement with the mentor without forewarning, and fails to respond to subsequent attempts at contact in the next 24 hours;

2. When the mentee fails to respond to three or more consecutive emails, and does not respond to an alternative means of contact;

3. When there is significant cause for concern about the wellbeing of the mentee or someone else, but it is not clear that local services need to be involved (the mentor will always seek to consult with the mentee before using the emergency contact for this reason);

4. When there is significant cause for concern about the wellbeing of the mentee or someone else, local services need to be informed, and the emergency contact may be contacted as a point of information (the mentor will always seek to consult with the mentee before using the emergency contact for this reason);

5. When the mentor and mentee have agreed in advance that the emergency contact should be informed of a specific situation or when specific circumstances arise.

Safeguarding

All mentees will be required to complete a Safeguarding Form before commencing mentoring, and are responsible for disclosing relevant information at this time. 

Policies regarding confidentiality will not change, but there are additional duties and responsibilities to protect children and vulnerable adults. Vulnerable adults retain the right to refuse support under safeguarding laws.

Cancellation

Please make Autistically Mentoring aware if you have special circumstances (for example, long-term illness) that warrant flexibility with session scheduling.

If a mentee wishes to cancel or reschedule a session (but not terminate their mentoring):

The session will be rescheduled at no further cost to a time of mutual convenience, or (where payment has been made in advance), a full refund to the value of one session will be made to account details you provide, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

1. 48 hours or more notice has been given;

2. You have cancelled or rearranged no more than three sessions in a twelve-week period;

3. You have cancelled or rearranged no more than two sessions in a four-week period.

If the above criteria are not met, Autistically mentoring reserves the right to invoke a surcharge of £10 for rescheduling, or deduct £10 from refund. Excessive cancellations may result in termination of the contract by the mentor, as detailed below. 

The mentor may need to reschedule sessions for the following reasons:

1. Medical necessity;

2. Unavoidable personal appointments;

3. Conflict of professional commitments.

In these circumstances, as much notice as is possible will be given to the mentee. Where the following conditions are not fulfilled, a £10 discount will be applied to the rescheduled session:

1. 48 hours or more notice has been given;

2. The mentor has cancelled or rearranged no more than three sessions in a twelve-week period;

3. The mentor has cancelled or rearranged no more than two sessions in a four-week period.

Termination

A mentee reserves the right to terminate sessions at any point, with no duty to provide a reason (though Autistically Mentoring warmly welcomes feedback to allow improvement).

A mentor may terminate sessions in the following instances:

1. If the mentee has achieved their goals in coming to mentoring and does not wish to pursue further goals with the mentor;

2. If it becomes clear that the mentee’s needs cannot be met by the mentor, and the mentor must refer the mentee to appropriate services, such as psychological practitioners or a mentor with differing expertise;

3. If the mentee behaves abusively towards the mentor (Autistically Mentoring understands communication differences for individuals of various neurotypes, and the various possible manifestations of autistic meltdowns and shutdowns, and seeks to meet these fairly and empathetically);

4. If the mentee is more than a week late for a payment deadline, or if more than three payment deadlines are missed in a twelve-week period or over the course of twelve sessions (Autistically Mentoring understands that executive functioning difficulties may impact on service users, and will seek to support service users in resolving problems where possible);

5. If there is a conflict of interest for the mentor making impartial and/or confidential mentoring impossible;

6. If the requirements of the mentee’s sponsor are irreconcilably at odds with the mentees wishes and/or interests;

7. If the mentor has been forced by health and/or personal circumstances to cease, pause, or reduce practice.

Full refunds for unfulfilled sessions will be issued in all of the above circumstances.

Service Continuity

Where sessions have been terminated due to point (5) above, the mentor will seek to discuss with the mentee a suitable referral for continued mentoring, and will share information with the new mentor if the service user chooses. 

Where sudden and unavoidable circumstances, such as severe illness or death, require instant termination of mentoring, the mentee should seek continued mentoring where desired from an alternative organisation.

Tripartite Arrangements

When a third party sponsors the mentoring of a service user (for example, where parents pay for their child to be mentored), there will be no automatic information due to the third party beyond that relating to finance (for example, the third party might be notified if they are due a refund for a cancelled session). 

If the mentee wishes for their sponsor to join them for a session, they must contact the mentor in writing in advance noting:

1. Their permission for the third party to be present for all or part of the session;

2. Any information they do not wish to be shared with the sponsor (or confirmation that any and all information may be shared with the sponsor).

The mentor reserves the right to terminate mentoring if the requirements of the sponsor are irreconcilably at odds with the mentees wishes and/or interests.

Progress Reporting

Where a third party requires a progress report, the content and format of this must be discussed and agreed with the mentor and the mentee at the time of contract, with emailed consent from the mentee to be provided. The mentee will always be copied into emails containing progress reports. The sponsor will be charged at a rate of half of a mentoring session for each progress report.

Professional Boundaries

The mentor-mentee relationship is a supportive professional relationship within which certain boundaries must be maintained for the protection of each party.

The mentor and mentee will refrain from connecting socially for the duration of the mentoring relationship. 

While the mentor will be contactable via email outside of arranged sessions, this will be primarily for administrative purposes, and mentoring activity will take place in sessions, unless specifically arranged otherwise between the mentor and mentee for accessibility purposes.

The phone number and address of Autistically Mentoring are provided purely for business administration purposes, and replies to any communication via these methods cannot be guaranteed and will redirect to email unless this is impractical for accessibility reasons.

Complaints

Autistically Mentoring values feedback, and seeks to improve practice continuously by working hand-in-hand with service users. All feedback is welcomed, and can be directed at any time to autisticallymentoring@gmail.com.

While complaints are always a disappointing outcome of our service, Autistically mentoring is grateful for the chance to hear about your experience and work with you to find a fruitful resolution. This may come in the form of a change in practice, a complimentary session, or a refund.

Refunds

Autistically Mentoring is proud to offer a service that supports and enables service users to grow in a comfortable and inclusive environment. If this has not been provided for any reason, you will not need to pay for your session. Where payment has been made in advance, a full refund to the value of the session or sessions that have disappointed will be made to account details you provide, if both of the following conditions are satisfied:

1. The complaint has been made within three weeks of the final relevant session;

2. The complaint explains how the mentor failed to provide an ethical (by the standards of the EMCC) and/or inclusive environment in which the mentee could grow.

Complaints to Coaching Minds

I am certified and accredited through Coaching Minds, which incorporates the EMCC into its Ethics Code. Coaching Minds holds me accountable for excellent and responsible professional practice. If you would like to make a complaint to Coaching Minds, you can contact them here: academy@coachingmindsglobal.com. Complaints may result in loss of my certification, Coaching Minds membership, and accreditation.

Complaints to the European Mentoring and Coaching Council

My accrediting body is the EMCC, which holds me accountable for excellent and responsible professional practice. If you would like to make a complaint to the EMCC, my accrediting body, please follow the link here: Complaints Procedure (emccuk.org). Complaints may result in loss of my accreditation.