Action for Race Equality is inviting youth organisations across England and Wales to help test and shape the Mentoring Organisation Self-Assessment Tool (MOST), an online developmental tool designed to support safe, effective and high-quality mentoring.
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Following the start of the first pilot cohort in July, Action for Race Equality (ARE) is seeking 10 further organisations to join cohort two and help test and refine MOST.
Participating organisations will use MOST to reflect on their current mentoring practice, identify strengths and development needs, and provide feedback to inform the tool’s further development. Their feedback will help ensure that MOST is practical, useful and able to support organisations to assess and strengthen their mentoring programmes.
Understanding mentoring readiness
Over the past several years, ARE, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Bloomberg Associates have worked together to strengthen how mentoring is delivered for children and young people across London. This work led to the Mentoring Quality Framework (MQF), which is used by organisations involved in GLA-funded initiatives to guide and improve their mentoring practice.
MOST has been developed and is owned by FW Business Ltd, with support from ARE. ARE is working alongside FW Business Ltd to deliver the pilot, while the GLA is supporting the pilot as part of its ongoing commitment to the MQF.
The tool is designed to help organisations understand where they are on their mentoring journey and what they may need to deliver safe, effective and high-quality mentoring. It considers the purpose, design, delivery and people involved in an organisation’s mentoring offer, while helping organisations identify where further support or development could be useful.
MOST brings together the Mentoring Quality Framework and the five international principles of quality mentoring. It has been informed by input from grassroots organisations and mentoring specialists and will continue to be refined through feedback from organisations taking part in the pilot.
The first pilot cohort
The first cohort consists of XLP Mentoring, FNB Mentoring and Coaching, and Reach Out UK. The three organisations began phase one of the pilot in July 2026 and are currently working through their organisational self-assessments.
During the pilot, the organisations will complete MOST, provide input into its development, develop a Theory of Change, undertake safeguarding training, receive a training package through November and then be reassessed.
Their feedback and experience will help ensure that the tool is practical and useful for organisations of different sizes and at different stages of their development.
Brianna Cyrus, Head of Education and Youth Programmes at ARE, said:
Organisations across the youth sector bring commitment, knowledge and experience to their mentoring work, but they do not all have access to the same infrastructure or development support. MOST is intended to help organisations recognise what is working, understand where further support may be useful and strengthen their mentoring offer.
The organisations taking part are not simply testing a tool. They are helping us ensure that it is practical, useful and accessible to organisations of different sizes and at different stages of their mentoring journey.”
What taking part will involve:
Organisations joining the second cohort will be expected to:
- Attend an introductory session and receive a demonstration of MOST.
- Complete the online self-assessment using information about their mentoring approach.
- Take part in workshops and/or interviews to discuss their findings and development needs.
- Provide structured feedback on the tool and the support offered through the pilot.
- Access training through the pilot to help address areas identified through the self-assessment and strengthen their mentoring standards.
Who can express an interest?
ARE is particularly interested in hearing from grassroots, community-led and smaller organisations.
To be eligible, organisations must meet all three of the following criteria:
- Support young people aged 11 to 16.
- Be based in England or Wales.
- Be planning to begin a mentoring programme or have delivered mentoring at any point since 2023.
What organisations will gain:
Organisations selected for the pilot will have the opportunity to:
- Gain a clearer picture of their readiness to deliver mentoring.
- Identify their strengths and areas where additional support or development may help.
- Benchmark their practice against the MQF and international mentoring principles.
- Help shape a tool intended to support organisations across the mentoring sector.
- Contribute to sector-wide learning planned for sharing at a national mentoring conference in 2027.
- Receive a monetary contribution towards their participation in the pilot.
How to express an interest:
Organisations can express an interest by completing the application and expression-of-interest form by 18 September 2026
Application form HERE
Applicants will hear back by 25 September 2026, with the second pilot cohort beginning on 5 October 2026.
For questions or to request this information in another format, contact Brianna Cyrus, Head of Education and Youth Programmes, at brianna@actionforraceequality.org.uk, or Karl Murray at info@fwbusinessltd.com.
