Operating Sections

1. Authority and References

Lived-experience leadership is already reflected in Heaven-Sent’s veteran-focused leadership culture and informs this program’s design.[file:318]

Peer-support and trauma-informed engagement standards guide alumni involvement so that support remains safe, ethical, and grounded in policy.[file:318]

2. Purpose and Scope

This SOP establishes the Alumni Peer Mentor Program for graduates and former participants who return to support current participants.[file:318]

It covers recruitment, screening, role assignment, training, supervision, documentation, and boundaries for alumni engagement.[file:318]

3. Mission and Objectives

The mission is to turn survived hardship into credible hope for others still in crisis.[file:318]

Objectives include increasing trust, strengthening participant engagement, creating leadership pathways, and building an internal culture of service and testimony.[file:318]

4. Organizational Structure and Roles

The Alumni Program Coordinator recruits, trains, assigns, and supervises alumni mentors.[file:318]

Alumni may serve as mentors, volunteers, orientation aides, group co‑facilitators, or eventually staff candidates, depending on readiness and qualifications.[file:318]

5. Pre-Deployment Planning and Preparation

Before activation, staff define eligibility standards, screening tools, mentor role descriptions, confidentiality agreements, and supervision schedules.[file:318]

Alumni selection considers stability, reliability, boundaries, and the ability to encourage without controlling or rescuing others.[file:318]

6. Activation and Setup Procedures

An alumni mentor is activated after application, interview, screening, orientation, and assignment approval by the program coordinator.[file:318]

Current participants may be matched based on shared experience, service branch, recovery history, disability understanding, or housing journey where appropriate and ethical.[file:318]

7. Daily Operations

Mentors may conduct check-ins, orientation support, appointment reminders, encouragement contacts, and group participation as authorized.[file:318]

All mentor activity is logged and supervised, and mentors do not operate as unsupervised counselors, case managers, or crisis responders.[file:318]

8. Client Services and Scheduling

Mentor contacts may be scheduled one-on-one, in group sessions, during housing unit rounds, or as part of structured program activities.[file:318]

Contact frequency reflects participant need and mentor capacity, avoiding unhealthy dependency or overextension.[file:318]

9. ADA and Functional Needs Accommodations

Matching and service delivery account for communication differences, trauma triggers, sensory needs, mobility limitations, and literacy or technology barriers.[file:318]

Alumni with disabilities receive accommodations they need to serve effectively, consistent with ADA and Heaven‑Sent policies.[file:318]

10. Safety and Risk Management

Mentors may not transport participants, handle medications, accept gifts of significant value, enter exploitative relationships, or manage crisis situations beyond their training and protocol.[file:318]

Any safety concern, relapse signal, abuse disclosure, or suicidal statement is escalated immediately to staff using established crisis and reporting procedures.[file:318]

11. Supervision and Boundaries

Every mentor has a designated supervisor, defined communication boundaries, and documented escalation pathways.[file:318]

Lived experience is treated as an asset, but it does not replace policy, supervision, or confidentiality requirements.[file:318]

12. Recognition and Advancement

Alumni may progress from volunteer roles to stipended roles or employment pathways when program needs, qualifications, and funding align.[file:318]

Recognition affirms dignity and contribution without creating favoritism or undermining team cohesion.[file:318]

13. Quality Assurance

Supervisors review mentor logs, participant feedback, incident patterns, and retention of mentors over time.[file:318]

Boundary concerns or repeated protocol violations trigger coaching, corrective action, or removal from the mentor role.[file:318]

14. Documentation and Reporting

Files include mentor applications, screening notes, confidentiality agreements, training records, assignment logs, supervision notes, and incident reports when relevant.[file:318]

Reporting tracks active mentors, contacts made, participants matched, volunteer hours, and safety escalations handled.[file:318]

15. Demobilization and Closeout

A mentor assignment ends upon participant closure, mentor resignation, policy violation, instability, or program redesign.[file:318]

Closeout includes a final supervision note, feedback opportunity for the mentor, and return of any issued materials or credentials.[file:318]

16. Training and Qualifications

Mentors receive training in boundaries, listening skills, confidentiality, crisis escalation, documentation basics, trauma-informed peer support, and disability sensitivity.[file:318]

Additional role-specific refreshers are provided regularly to reinforce safe practices and keep expectations clear.[file:318]

17. Appendices and Forms

• AL-APP-01 Alumni Mentor Application.
• AL-SCR-02 Mentor Screening Tool.
• AL-AGR-03 Mentor Agreement and Confidentiality Acknowledgment.
• AL-LOG-04 Mentor Contact and Activity Log.
• AL-CLS-05 Mentor Role Closeout Form.