9: Feedback, Evaluation and Supervision Available to Purchase

An important part of coaching and mentoring is evaluating the progress of the relationship, and part of this process is the ability to give and receive feedback. The evaluative elements will vary according to the context, individual relationships and the overall purpose of each coaching or mentoring programme; however, the evaluative functions often relate directly to how the programme has been funded. For example, if a coaching or mentoring programme has been set up to specifically support young people at risk of offending, then certain data may be collected that identify what offending participant young people have been involved in and how their behaviour has changed over the course of the coaching or mentoring (if at all). Evaluative tools will also seek to understand where and how the intervention has directly impacted behaviour. Other coaching or mentoring programmes will want to measure different aspects related to what the coaching or mentoring is hoping to achieve. These aspects can sometimes be problematic, as coaching in its purest form is all about the coachee setting the agenda. Going back to the offending example, some young people may not want to change their behaviour towards offending. However, there may be other issues that they would be happy to discuss and work on within the context of coaching, because this is more of a priority for them. From a youth work perspective, the coach would not want to dismiss other aspects of that young person’s life, because in the long run, they may want to look at the offending issue at a later stage, and exploring another issue of more importance to that young person will only help to build trust and rapport. This chapter will explore what success might look like, from a young person’s and the organisation’s perspective – whether they are the same or different. We will look at various evaluative tools that have been used within the context of coaching and mentoring and then go on to look at feedback – what it is and how to offer it to a young person and invite them to provide feedback to the coach or mentor.