Speakers
Description
Authors: Anita Mehay (City St George's, University of London), Charlotte Lennox (University of Manchester), Darrick Jolliffe (Royal Holloway, University of London), Helen Downham (Institute of Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, UK), Leandra Box (Race Equality Foundaton), Nick Axford (University of Plymouth, UK), Sajid Humayun (Institute of Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, UK), Aile Trumm, Claire Fox, Claire Monks, Cordis Bright Team, Finlay Green, Jo Deakin, Karen Cleaver, Karl Hill (University of Colorado), Kim Turner, Lesley-Anne Carter, Prathiba Chitsabesan, Richard G Watt, Salford Foundation Team, Tim Weaver, Tom Jefford
Chair: Sajid Humayun
Discussant: Karl G. Hill
Background: Serious youth violence and offending remains a pressing concern, due to the harm to young people (YP) and other victims and costs to society. Furthermore, despite reductions in crime over the last few decades, recent data suggests serious violence affecting YP is increasing. Whilst a number of promising intervention approaches exist, establishing evidence of their effectiveness remains a challenge. The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) was established as a What Works Centre in 2019, with the aim of preventing children and young people becoming involved in violence. This symposium presents emerging findings from four YEF funded evaluation studies and addresses overarching issues of measuring outcomes in youth offending and violence trials.
Methods: We report on four projects and present a paper on measurement challenges shared across them: i) establishing the feasibility of evaluating Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities: Safer Lives parenting programme, an adaptation of an established parenting programme for YP at high risk of violence; ii) a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) (and subsequent efficacy trial) of a creative writing programme in a Young Offender Institution; iii) a feasibility study, pilot RCT and efficacy RCT of Functional Family Therapy for Child Criminal Exploitation and drug crime; iv) a mentoring programme for YP who have associations with peers or family members involved in serious violence, organised crime or gangs.
Results: We report on challenges to establishing referral pathways and recruitment, acceptability of intervention approaches and of randomised evaluation designs, and measuring primary outcomes, in particular youth offending and violence.
Discussion: In combination, the studies described provide valuable data on implementing evaluation studies of interventions for preventing or reducing youth violence, offending and criminal exploitation and make a significant contribution to prevention science research.
ABSTRACT 1
Practical and ethical challenges in engaging parents and young people: a study of the SFSC: Safer Lives Parenting Programme
Anita Mehay (City St George's, University of London), Aile Trumm, Tim Weaver, Richard G Watt, Leandra Box (Race Equality Foundaton)
Background: Parents and carers play a crucial role in young people's lives. Parenting practices, discipline styles, and community connectedness are important factors associated with youth violence. Parenting programmes can work to reduce the risks and promote protective family factors, but robust evaluations are lacking and fraught with practical and ethical challenges. The SFSC: Safer Lives parenting programme, led by the Race Equality Foundation, works with groups of parents of at-risk youth to enhance parent-child relationships and strengthen family links to their community. This study explores the programme's reach and acceptability, and pertinent issues for a future evaluation.
Methods: This mixed-methods study included two programmes delivered through Youth Offending Teams (YOTs). Parents of young people in contact with the YOTs were referred to the programmes and young people were asked to complete outcome measures with a researcher. Data was collected through focus groups with parents and interviews with facilitators.
Results: Twelve parents were recruited but referrals were lower than expected despite high caseloads. Building trust at first contact was crucial to avoid blame and stigma. Parents found the programme highly acceptable and effective, but attendance varied (7.5 sessions out of 13) due to parents’ busy and often chaotic lives. Of the young people, 11 out of 12 completed the baseline and eight completed the follow up measures. Researchers’ responsiveness and flexibility, along with leveraging trusted networks, proved effective. However, significant challenges arose when young people had very strained relationships with parents/carers and YOTs. Young people raised concerns about offending outcome measures, which were seen as direct and stigmatising.
Discussion: The SFSC: Safer Lives programme has the potential to reduce youth violence by addressing risks and promoting protective family factors. Future evaluations should be carefully codeveloped with parents and young people, with sufficient time and resources for robust and non-stigmatising research practices.
ABSTRACT 2
Using a creative writing programme (New Chapters) to improve behavioural difficulties for young people in prison: A randomised controlled trial
Charlotte Lennox (University of Manchester), Lesley-Anne Carter, Jo Deakin, Claire Monks, Kim Turner, Prathiba Chitsabesan
Background: Behavioural difficulties are rising within the Children and Young People’s Secure Estate (CYPSE) in the UK, yet there is limited evidence on effective interventions. Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) in prisons are complex, often with high attrition rates and challenges in selecting appropriate outcome measures. A recent review found that arts-based interventions may improve wellbeing, self-perception, creativity, and relationships. However, robust quantitative evaluations are lacking. The National Literacy Trust delivers New Chapters, a group-based creative writing programme over 12 sessions. This research is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and aims to assess whether New Chapters can reduce behavioural difficulties.
Methods: This is a two-arm, individual RCT comparing New Chapters plus Business As Usual (BAU) to BAU alone. A total of 375 young people will be randomised across five recruitment sites. The primary outcome is the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. An internal pilot will report in December 2025 and, if criteria are met, the study will proceed to full trial. A mixed-method Implementation Process Evaluation (IPE) will explore barriers and facilitators to delivering New Chapters, and whether implementation success or failure affects outcomes.
Results: Recruitment began in November 2024 but has been slower than expected, with only 18 participants randomised as of April 2025. An update on recruitment, pilot criteria assessment, and initial IPE analysis will be presented.
Discussion: Several changes to eligibility and delivery have been made during the pilot to increase participant availability. However, a major barrier remains the current prison context and limited opportunities for young people to mix. In addition, there have been challenges implementing an efficacy trial (a requirement of the funder), rather than a pragmatic trial, which are often more suitable for a prison environment.
ABSTRACT 3
A feasibility and pilot study and efficacy randomised controlled trial of Functional Family Therapy-Extra Familial Harm for Child Criminal Exploitation and County Lines Drug Network Involvement
Sajid Humayun (Institute of Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, UK), Helen Downham (Institute of Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, UK), Claire Monks, Darrick Jolliffe (Royal Holloway, University of London), Karen Cleaver, Tom Jefford
Background: County Lines Drug Networks (CLDNs) involve the transportation of primarily class A drugs from urban to rural areas and are subsumed under the broader definition of child criminal exploitation (CCE) and extra-familial harm (EFH). Vulnerable young people (YP) are exploited in order to transport, store and distribute drugs and are also likely to be coerced into engaging in other criminal activities. Evidence of effective practice for tackling CLDNs/CCE is rare. Functional Family Therapy (FFT) has demonstrated efficacy in reducing gang involvement in a US study and is therefore a promising approach. Here, we report on a UK evaluation of FFT which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first randomised trial for any intervention to reduce CCE.
Methods: In collaboration with our delivery partners, Family Psychology Mutual (FPM), we completed a feasibility and pilot study and are conducting an efficacy trial of FFT across three London sites. A total of 288 YP will be recruited and followed up at 6 and 12 months post-randomisation. The primary outcome is Self-Reported Delinquency and secondary outcomes include CCE and conduct problems. We are also undertaking a further IPE as part of the trial.
Results: The feasibility study demonstrated acceptance of a randomised design by social workers. The pilot study randomised 45 YP and caregivers and demonstrated the feasibility of the randomised design and some positive treatment effects but identified challenges to capturing outcome data. The efficacy trial is close to completing the recruitment phase and 6 month and 12 month assessments are ongoing.
Discussion: Identifying and capturing primary outcome data has been a significant challenge and our solutions to this will be described. Whilst the study has recruited relatively well, ensuring adequate referral numbers to meet the target sample size has been difficult and required close collaboration with sites and FPM.
ABSTRACT 4
Measuring outcomes in interventions to prevent youth crime and violence: challenges and potential solutions
Sajid Humayun (Institute of Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, UK), Finlay Green, Helen Downham (Institute of Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, UK), Nick Axford (University of Plymouth, UK)
Background: There is a clear imperative to prevent youth crime and violence owing to the significant social and economic costs for individuals involved and wider society. A considerable evidence base for ‘what works’ in this space exists but gaps remain. To address these, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of preventive interventions.
Methods: We draw on the literature and our experience as evaluators to discuss challenges and potential solutions regarding outcome selection and measurement when evaluating preventive interventions.
Results: We argue that outcome selection should be informed by a robust theory of change, and that for interventions to prevent youth crime and violence this will normally mean focusing on non-crime/violence outcomes, particularly those known to be causally related to crime and violence. While recognising the advantages of youth self-report measures of crime and violence, we identify challenges with this approach and potential adverse effects on participants’ engagement in the intervention and the quantity and quality of data they provide. For instance, young people may find questions stigmatising and choose not to answer or provide inaccurate answers. We consider alternative self-report options that may address such issues. We also discuss using administrative data on youth crime and violence in evaluations and the practical, scientific and ethical issues this raises. For example, such data may be partial and hard to access or interpret.
Discussion: While measurement challenges can partially be addressed, we suggest that currently evaluations of preventive interventions should mostly focus on intermediate outcomes with a known causal link to crime and violence. The impact on crime and violence can be tracked longer-term using administrative data accessed via an archive, notwithstanding limitations of that approach. Meanwhile, it is essential to test the feasibility and acceptability of alternative approaches to measuring youth crime and violence in evaluations of preventive interventions and to share the learning.
| Conflict of interest | None |
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