Mentoring Australia has a series of benchmarks developed for mentoring programs, to set standards for responsible mentoring. A responsible mentoring program requires:

* A well-defined mission statement and established operating principles
* Regular, consistent contact between mentor and mentee
* Establishment under the auspices of a recognised organisation

* Paid or volunteer staff with appropriate skills
* Written role statements for all staff and volunteer positions
* Adherence to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements
* Inclusiveness in relation to ethnicity, culture, socio-economic background, gender and sexuality as appropriate to the program
* Adequate ongoing financial and in-kind resources
* Written administrative and program procedures
* Documented criteria which define eligibility for participation in the program
* Program evaluation and ongoing assessment
* A program plan that has input from stakeholders
* Risk management and confidentiality policies
* Use of generally accepted accounting practices
* A rationale for staffing arrangements based on the needs of all parties

To find out more about mentoring guidelines, visit the Mentoring Australia website.