Researchers and mentoring experts have concluded that children who face multiple developmental adversities benefit more from mentoring than other children; however, they require a higher quality of mentoring and are more likely to be negatively affected by poor-quality mentoring. High-quality mentoring will address the diversity of family living arrangements and parent-child relationships among children of prisoners. Effective programs will also manage family involvement effectively, which means including mentee families in assessment, matching, social-recreational activities, and monitoring and/or evaluation activities. Quality programs will require mentors and mentees to commit to the mentoring relationship for a minimum of 1 year and will have individualized plans for addressing the needs of children whose mentors leave suddenly and/or prior to the term of commitment. Mentor recruitment and screening should ensure that mentors for children of prisoners have the character, temperament, and background for working with children who have multiple developmental issues. Training for selected mentors must address topics and skills relevant to positive interactions and guidance for children and families of prisoners. Quality programs will also include continuous supervisor monitoring of mentoring matches and interactions to ensure positive developments. This may involve monthly telephone interviews with each mentee and his/her parent/caregiver or their completion of standardized instruments, so as to determine how they are being affected by the mentoring program. 21 references