Following the recent Scottish Parliament elections, MCR Pathways Chief Executive,Sharon McIntyre, has issued an Open Letter to First Minister John Swinney MSP.

The letter calls on the Scottish Government to commit to a national Trusted Adult Guarantee for every young person in Scotland who needs one.

MCR Pathways believes that every young person in Scotland should have access to a consistent, trusted adult volunteer mentor relationship that helps them realise their potential and move confidently towards positive destinations, including further education, apprenticeships, and employment.

The evidence is clear: when a young person has a trusted adult in their corner, they are more likely to attend school, achieve qualifications, sustain positive post-school destinations and experience improved wellbeing. Independent evaluation, including by ScotCen and Ipsos Scotland, has consistently demonstrated the impact of mentoring in improving attainment, confidence and progression:

1. +13% more CE young people staying on to S5.
2. 2.8 x social return on every £1 invested in MCR Pathways mentoring.
3. +7% more CE young people in positive post-school destinations.
4. 3,452 CE young people supported during Ipsos evaluation period.
5. -9% less CE young people excluded from education settings.

A Trusted Adult Guarantee would directly support many of the Scottish Government’s priorities, including but not limited to:

• Eradicating child poverty
• Investing in Scotland’s future workforce
• Closing the attainment gap
• Delivering The Promise

This is a preventative, early-intervention approach that helps young people build the confidence, resilience and aspirations needed to transition successfully into adulthood. In doing so, it reduces pressure on already stretched public services while strengthening Scotland’s future workforce and communities.

For further information about our influencing and policy work, please visit: https://mcrpathways.org/policy-and-influencing/

To learn more about becoming a volunteer mentor, please visit: https://mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor/