Chapter 4: Research-proven programmes

1. Innovation and Evaluation in Youth Justice: Advice and Resources Chapter 4: Research-proven programmes This chapter provides an introduction and brief overview of those programmes which have been proven, through the most rigorous evaluation, to be effective at achieving the intended outcomes for the youth justice system.

2. Introduction to ‘research-proven’ programmes and practice The programmes covered in this chapter are included in the ‘research-proven’ category of the YJB’s Practice Classification Framework . The methodology used to gate-keep this category is outlined, along with details of the programmes themselves. As the programmes themselves are fairly complex (and the processes involved in implementing them locally even more so!), for those wanting to learn more about them, or perhaps considering implementing such a programme locally, there is further information in the supporting materials folder and links to other sources throughout the chapter.

3. The programmes (1)

4. The programmes (2)

5. The methodology for identifying these programmes (1) There are a number of sources of international information about research-proven programmes (often referred to as ‘evidence-based’ programmes), including the following: • Blueprints for Violence Prevention • Washington State Institute for Public Policy • Campbell Collaboration These sources all use what are known as ‘standards of evidence’for appraising the quality of evidence about a particular programme or intervention and its effectiveness. If you have used the Monitoring and Evaluation chapter, you will be familiar with Randomised Control Trials (RCTs), which are the basis for much of the evaluation evidence reflected in these databases of interventions. The most reliable source of such information in this country is the Social Research Unit’s (SRU) Investing in Childrenreports (part-commissioned by the Youth Justice Board), which analyse the costs and benefits of those programmes that are proven effective to a high standard at delivering the intended outcomes for the youth justice system and which are ready for implementation in the UK context.

6. The methodology for identifying these programmes (2) • The SRU apply a rigorous methodology to identify those programmes which they will accept for consideration in the report, which is as follows: • Promising programmes: Evidence of effectiveness using a rigorous research design • Model programmes: Evidence of effectiveness using a rigorous research design, sustained effects and replication to other sites • To reflect what is known about the effectiveness of programmes and practice in use across the youth justice system in England and Wales, the YJB has also developed a framework using standards of evidence, and apply the SRU’s definition above for promising programmes as the threshold for its ‘research-proven’ category. Click here to read more about the YJB’s Practice Classification Framework and the other categories within it.

7. Key principles for the effective implementation of research-proven programmes Implementing a research-proven programme is, in many ways, a science. It requires a thorough knowledge of the programme that you are implementing and the characteristics of the context and population that you want to implement it in and with. The document by the SRU in the supporting materials folder, titled An Introduction to Evidence-based Programmes, provides a useful overview and key considerations when exploring these programmes. The folder also includes the following materials, which aim to provide more information to practitioners and commissioners interested in research-proven programmes or who are perhaps considering the local implementation of such a programme: • Slides from the Young Foundation outlining some of the key considerations when replicating a proven intervention • A paper from the Department of Education outlining some of the key issues raised in their pilot of research-proven programmes • A case study illustrating the experiences of Cambridgeshire YOS (the first local authority in the country to implement Multi-Systemic Therapy) • Other presentations and sources of information with details about the programmes covered in this chapter • See also this article from Prevention Action: http://www.preventionaction.org/research/policy-transfer-why-copy-and-paste-not-enough/5912

8. Research-proven programmes: useful resources and further reading • Early Intervention: The next steps– Graham Allen MP • Investing in Children (Youth Justice)– The Social Research Unit • Standards of Evidence for Impact Investing– Nesta