What should I write down after a mentoring session?
Notes are for you and for the mentee's next mentor, not a file on a person. Keep them short and factual.
- Read time
- 3 minutes
- Module
- Mentoring well, long term
- Session length
- 30 minutes
What good looks like.
Write three lines within five minutes of finishing: the question, the advice, the action agreed.
Leave out health, family circumstances, immigration status and anything else the mentee shared in confidence that is not needed to help them.
If something worried you about a person's safety, that goes through the safeguarding route, not into a private note.
A sequence you can follow.
- 01
Write immediately
Accuracy halves after the next meeting.
- 02
Stick to three lines
Question, advice, action.
- 03
Strip personal detail
Would you be comfortable if the mentee read it? If not, cut it.
- 04
Escalate separately
Concerns follow the safeguarding process, not the notes.
What to avoid.
Recording sensitive personal circumstances
Writing judgements about character
Keeping notes in a shared document others can read
Extra tips
Small things that make the half hour better.
Write within five minutes
Accuracy drops fast after you move on.
Three lines only
Question, advice, action.
Leave out the sensitive
Health, family and status do not belong in notes.
Concerns go elsewhere
Safeguarding follows its own route, not a private note.
Take this guide with you.
Download a printable version of this guide: the short answer, the steps, the extra tips, the mistakes to avoid and the questions mentors ask, to read before your next session.
The things people ask first.
Can the mentee ask to see my notes?
Assume yes, and write accordingly.
Next: Avoiding mentor burnout.
A steady two a month beats a heroic ten and a disappearance.