Mentoring and External Practitioner Engagement Policy

Principle Alignment

This policy is guided by the following Japanese principles, reflecting ASC’s unique approach to mentoring and professional development:

• Bushidō (Way of Integrity): Ensures all mentor and practitioner engagements are ethical, professional, and respectful of clear boundaries and responsibilities.
• En (Meaningful Connection): Recognises the importance of trusted relationships and networks in developing practitioner skills, knowledge, and community.
• Nemawashi (Groundwork Preparation): Underpins careful selection and preparation of mentors and students for successful, safe, and mutually beneficial mentoring partnerships.
• Omoiyari (Anticipatory Compassion): Encourages all participants to actively support and consider each other’s needs, promoting student learning and client welfare.
• Kaizen (Continuous Improvement): Mentoring experiences are reviewed for ongoing learning and improvements in College processes and professional standards.

1. Purpose

To ensure that all ASC external mentoring and practitioner treatment activities are conducted safely, ethically, and with clear expectations—supporting student learning, practitioner development, and compliance with professional standards.

2. Scope

This policy covers:

• All ASC students undertaking externally mentored and/or practitioner treatments within the diploma or remote programs.
• All mentors, mentorship participants, and relevant College staff.

3. Policy Statement

• ASC considers external mentoring and supervised observation/feedback an essential part of practitioner skill development.
• All arrangements must be by energy or skill exchange alone; students may not pay, be paid, or offer/accept any form of material/financial compensation for mentoring.
• ASC defines clear standards for the conduct, approval, engagement, and review of external mentoring activities, with attention to ethics, safety, eligibility, and professionalism.

4. Mentor Practitioner Criteria

Mentors must:

• Hold a recognised qualification in Shiatsu, or—where unavailable—in Remedial Massage, East Asian/Chinese Massage, or Acupuncture (with prior College approval for non-Shiatsu disciplines).
• Have a minimum of three years’ professional practice (preferably five or more where possible).
• Maintain membership/standing in a professional association and current professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
• Hold all legally required certifications (e.g., First Aid, WWCC for under-18s).
• Not request or accept any form of material payment from ASC students—exchange is strictly for professional feedback and practice only.

5. Student Requirements

• Students arrange and schedule required mentorship/practitioner activities, ensuring all parties are aware that the relationship is educational, not commercial.
• No fee/payment/exchange of gifts is permitted.
• Students keep complete logbooks for every mentoring interaction, including feedback and reflection, with signed confirmation from the mentor.
• All ASC conduct, safety, and confidentiality policies apply.

6. Mentor Role and Responsibilities

• Provide honest, formative feedback and sign the ASC mentoring logbook after each session.
• Alert ASC to any issues of safety, ethical conduct, or professionalism.
• Supply evidence of qualifications and insurance on request, and participate in a brief orientation/handbook session before the first engagement.
• Reinforce boundaries and uphold Bushidō throughout the mentoring partnership.

7. Approval of Alternative Mentors

• Where a qualified Shiatsu mentor is not available, students may seek written approval from ASC to use a practitioner of a related field, provided all criteria are met.
• Documentation of approval is kept on student and College records.

8. Induction & Orientation

• All mentors must review a Mentor Guide outlining the scope of their responsibilities, College protocols (no payment, privacy, safety), and feedback standards before participation.

9. Insurance & Risk

• ASC students are covered by College student professional indemnity insurance for approved, logged activities, provided College guidance and risk controls are followed.
• Mentors/practitioners must maintain their own insurance.

10. Documentation & Record Keeping

• Students log all mentoring sessions with dates, mentor information, observations, feedback, and reflections for assessment purposes.
• All forms and records are maintained as per the Records Retention & Archiving Policy.

11. Issues, Feedback & Complaints

• Any health, safety, professionalism, or conduct concerns may be raised by any party via the Complaints and Appeals Policy.
• Uncertainties or grey areas in process or standards should be escalated to the appropriate ASC staff for clarification.

12. Continuous Improvement

• The quality, safety, and effectiveness of external mentoring arrangements are formally reviewed every two years, and after any incident or identified concern. Feedback is used to refine and improve processes and standards (Kaizen).

13. Review

• This policy is reviewed biennially or after significant incident, complaint, or change in professional guidelines.