What is an Inclusion Mentor?

An Inclusion Mentor supports children and young people who may be finding mainstream school environments difficult to access or navigate. Their work focuses on inclusion, wellbeing, and removing barriers to participation, often supporting students who are neurodivergent, have emotional or behavioural needs, or are at risk of exclusion.

They build trusted relationships and work across school, home, and sometimes community settings to help students feel safe, understood, and included. Some inclusion mentors told us about their roles.

Inclusion Mentors may:

• Work 1:1 with pupils during the school day or at home.
• Support regulation, engagement, and access to learning.
• Act as a key adult for children struggling with attendance, anxiety, or trauma.
• Offer coaching, emotional support, or tailored learning activities.
• Help mediate between home and school, especially during times of breakdown.
• Advocate for adaptations and work with school staff to improve inclusion.

Their role is flexible and relationship-led.

Inclusion Mentors come from diverse backgrounds. Some may have:

• Qualifications in education, youth work, or child development.
• Specialist training in autism, PDA, mental health, or trauma-informed practice.
• Experience supporting students with EHCPs or who receive EOTAS.
• A mix of professional and lived experience.

There is no single qualification pathway, but strong interpersonal and reflective skills are essential.

Inclusion Mentors can:

• Create safe, low-demand relationships that respect autonomy.
• Act as bridges between the child and wider systems (school, professionals, peers).
• Provide flexible engagement based on interests, energy, and regulation.
• Support reintegration or alternative pathways when school feels inaccessible.
• Help reduce shame, rebuild trust, and celebrate identity.

They often understand that traditional models of success don’t work for every learner.

Inclusion Mentors told us they often:

• Reduce or remove expectations that cause distress or shutdown.
• Let the young person lead, without trying to “fix” them.
• Use creative, playful approaches to build connection.
• Adapt when and where sessions happen, e.g. outside, on a walk, or online.
• Avoid formal or confrontational conversations, favouring natural interactions.
• Validate the young person’s experience and never dismiss their perspective.

They said they support on the PDAer’s terms, at the PDAer’s pace.

Inclusion Mentors say that for PDAers, inclusion can feel like a constant challenge. Inclusion Mentors told us they work to:

• Make connection possible again.
• Help reduce isolation and school-based trauma.
• Offer hope that belonging and education are still achievable.
• Help adults around the child see them more clearly.

They are often the person who finally helps the PDAer feel safe enough to engage.

PDAers and their families often tell us how confusing and unsettling it can be to meet new professionals – especially when it’s not clear what their job is or what good support looks like. That’s why we asked professionals themselves to tell us, in their own words, what they do. You’ll find their honest, personal answers in the ‘What professionals do’ section of our site.

This is a growing resource, so if you don’t see the role you’re looking for yet, you could ask the person you’re working with to fill in this short form.

Please note: these insights come from individual professionals, not official organisations, so you might find some variation in how people describe their roles. If you’re wondering whether a service you’ve been offered is the right fit, our guides to finding helpful support can help.