20 August 2007

Peer connections service sets benchmark standard

(Photo opportunity - 2 pm, Tuesday August 21st, Dundee University Students Association, Airlie Place - staff and students present to accept award)

The University of Dundee’s `Peer Connections’ service - which provides welcoming, befriending and mentoring programmes for students - has been hailed as providing an example of best practice.

The service has gained `Approved Provider Standard for Mentoring and Befriending’ from the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation. Gaining "best practice" level for the scheme puts it in the top 10% of all such schemes within the UK.

"This is great news for the Peer Connections service and for the students who both help provide it and make use of it," said Joan Muszynski, Peer Connections Co-ordinator in the University’s Student Services directorate.

"Peer Connections provides a service that is extremely useful to students throughout their time at the University from Freshers Week right through to their graduation. The students have done so much great work in making the service work, and it is a real boost to them and the staff in Student Services to gain this kind of official recognition."

Peer Connections is supported by dozens of students who take on a peer-to-peer role over three areas - welcoming activities, a befriending/buddy service and an informal mentoring scheme. The service reaches hundreds of the University’s students every semester.

"Our Peer `connectors’ will greet new arrivals at the University from day one, even before then as they are also out and about at our visit days for prospective students," said Joan. "But they are there for students long after Freshers Week finishes, with the befriending scheme and mentoring."

"Essentially what Peer Connections is doing is helping establish a sense of community and a support network across the campus. It is also very good for the `connectors’ themselves, working in an environment where they can develop a lot of skills."

Approved Provider Standard for Mentoring and Befriending is being promoted in Scotland by Scottish Mentoring Network and Befriending Network Scotland with support from the Laidlaw Trust and the Scottish Executive.

Approved Provider Standard was developed by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation with support from the Home Office. It is a benchmark for organisations providing one-to- one, volunteer mentoring and befriending and it seeks to provide projects with a badge of competence and safe practice in mentoring and befriending.

The Approved Provider Standard aims to ensure the consistency and quality of mentoring and befriending projects by assessing their key management and operational areas.

The summary of the assessment for Peer Connections from the National Assessor was as follows:

"This student peer support service ( comprising welcoming, buddying/ befriending and mentoring strands) is clearly managed and resourced in such a way as to deliver an effective and sustainable service. A commitment to continuous improvement of the service was also evident in the impressive evidence portfolio submitted. Based on the design and management of the scheme, this service has been classified as exemplifying "best practice" in student peer mentoring and befriending support."

Further information on the service can be found at: www.dundee.ac.uk/studentservices/pconnect/

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk