Young Futures Panels Evaluation

What is the issue?

As part of its Safer Streets Mission, the UK Government has pledged to address serious violence and halve knife crime and violence against women and girls (VAWG) within ten years, while reducing anti-social behaviour and improving young people’s access to effective support services. However, challenges around data sharing and the complexity of multi-agency collaboration can have an impact on the ability to identify and support children and young people who may be vulnerable to being drawn into crime. These difficulties can contribute to gaps in provision, extended wait times, and increased pressure on support services.

To address these challenges, the Safer Streets Mission emphasises a stronger focus on prevention, aiming to reduce demand on police and the courts by addressing risks early and delivering better outcomes through more coordinated, efficient services. A key part of this approach is the Young Futures Panels (YFP), part of the Young Futures Programme led by the Home Office. The Panels are being piloted in selected areas, with the aim of identifying vulnerable young people and connecting them with appropriate services.

The Panels are intended to reach children and young people who may otherwise be missed or not prioritised for help, and to respond to local needs while operating on a consent-based model that is trauma-informed, child-centred, non-stigmatising, and inclusive of the entire family. The Panels will bring together partners such as Police, Children’s Social Care, Education, and Youth Justice Teams, to assess children and young people’s needs, make referrals to tailored support, and monitor outcomes.

The Home Office intends that this will directly support the goals of the Safer Streets Mission, leading to reduced crime and improved wellbeing for vulnerable young people.

How are we helping?

RAND Europe has been commissioned by the Home Office to conduct a process evaluation of the Panels. This will assess the approaches taken by pilot Panels to deliver their functions, including identifying and referring children and young people to Panels, seeking consent and tailoring support to their needs.

Alongside the process evaluation, RAND Europe will conduct a feasibility study to consider if and how an impact evaluation of the Panels could be conducted in the future. We will examine how an impact evaluation could best be designed to capture the impact of Panels on intended outcomes and any other potential outcomes identified in the process evaluation. If impact evaluation is found to be feasible, the study will include detailed recommendations for the optimal design.