Strengthening our Police Scotland partnership
We know the key to empowering young people is through strong, supportive relationships, essential in realising our vision of ensuring every young person, who has had the most unfair start in life, has someone to help them find their path through the power of mentoring.
We are thrilled to announce that Police Scotland is deepening its commitment to our shared mission by continuing to raise awareness of mentoring opportunities across all divisions.
This expanded focus is outlined in the organisation’s 2024-2027 Corporate Parenting Plan, highlighting the promotion of MCR Pathways as one of its key priorities to support the goal of keeping The Promise–ensuring that care-experienced young people in Scotland will grow up loved, safe and respected, with the support they need to thrive.
The recently published Promise 24-30 plan outlines the next steps in making this vision a reality.
Over the past eight years, this partnership has seen more than 100 police officers and staff dedicate one hour a week to mentor young people, offering guidance, support, and inspiration. The impact of mentoring relationships is nothing short of life-changing, as demonstrated in our latest Impact Report.
As part of Police Scotland’s continued commitment, they have recently shared internal communications with staff members and hosted multiple information sessions. As a result, 39 additional staff members have registered as mentors with MCR Pathways.
Assistant Chief Constable Paton from Policing Together expressed the importance of this collaboration:
“I am delighted that Police Scotland is now working in partnership nationally with MCR Pathways in the promotion of mentoring opportunities. I am confident this will make a meaningful difference to the lives of some of Scotland’s young people.
“This inspiring partnership opens the door for police officers and members of police staff to engage in a rewarding journey of personal growth whilst positively impacting the next generation.”
Susan Buglass, Strategic Partnerships Lead, echoes this sentiment, launching a call to wider prospective partners to consider getting involved.:
“We are incredibly grateful for our ongoing partnership with Police Scotland. Their commitment to helping us support care-experienced young people and those facing challenges is making a real difference.
“It takes just one hour a week to mentor, but the impact is life changing, not only for young people, but for mentors themselves. Our volunteers frequently tell us just how rewarding and inspiring the experience is.
We warmly encourage more Police Scotland staff to register as mentors and invite you to contact partnerships@mcrpathways.org for further information.”
Having inspiring partnerships like the one we share with Police Scotland has been transformative. Our collaboration has created lasting change for young people in their communities, and we’re excited to see how it will continue to grow, positively impacting even more young people and staff in the years to come.
A huge thank you to Police Scotland for being such an incredible partner. For more information and partnership opportunities, head to our partnerships webpage.
