New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families (

The mission of New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services, of which the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is a part, is: To join communities and families in providing opportunities for citizens to achieve health and independence.

The DCYF Community Connect program is seeking to recruit and train adult volunteers to serve as mentors for youth ages 14+ who are in foster care or residential placement and are referred by Child Protective Services (CPS) workers or Juvenile Probation Officers.

Mentors are matched with youth based on shared interests, personalities and geographic proximity.  We want our youth in foster care to build meaningful adult connections and confidence in trusting others.  So we ask mentors to commit to getting together with their mentee once weekly (or 4 hours per month) for at least a year.  Each mentor receives training and is professionally supported by a DCYF Connection Specialist.

A mentor is:

Someone who can befriend and have fun with a teen. He or she is a relationship-builder, a supporter, a career guide, a role model, a listener, a tutor, a confidence-builder, a motivator, a coach.

A mentor is not:

A parent, a judge, a preacher, a therapist, a social worker, a disciplinarian, a gift giver, an ATM.

Mentor candidates will be asked to:

Provide proof of a valid driver’s license + up to date vehicle insurance and inspection; and 

Authorize screening through:

Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry

Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS) Registry

NH Division of State Police (applicants will have to pay $10 for the state police records screening)