REACH programme shown to have positive impact on children and young people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

An independent evaluation of a pioneering mentoring programme that has supported hundreds of children across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has highlighted its positive impact on young people's behavioural difficulties. 

Delivered through schools across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland by youth workers in Leicester City and Leicestershire County Councils, the programme provides one-to-one mentoring, family support and wider social skills-based activities (now referred to as social and emotional learning) using a flexible, relationship-based approach. 

The programme has now been evaluated through a Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) - funded independent evaluation, which included a randomised controlled trial and a process evaluation undertaken by Sheffield Hallam University involving 594 young people from 16 secondary schools across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, making it one of the most robust evaluations of a violence prevention programme undertaken locally. 

The programme supported children aged 11-16 who were at risk of suspension, persistently absent from school, or where there were concerns about future involvement in anti-social behaviour or crime, either as a victim or perpetrator. Over a six-month period, youth workers met regularly with participants, providing personalised support, guidance and encouragement tailored to the individual's needs. Many children described their youth worker as a trusted adult who listened without judgement and helped them navigate challenges both inside and outside school. Parents and carers also praised the programme, highlighting the reassurance, communication and practical support they received throughout. 

Positive outcomes 

Whilst the evaluation did not find statistically significant improvements, it did report that children who participated in REACH showed fewer behavioural difficulties than those who did not take part. The study also identified positive improvements in emotional regulation, peer relationships, prosocial behaviour, school attendance and reductions in anti-social behaviour and offending and a small negative impact on school suspensions. However, these were secondary outcomes of the programme’s evaluation and should therefore be treated with more caution. 

Importantly, the research received a high security rating, meaning the findings are based on a highly rigorous evaluation and can be considered reliable and trustworthy. 

The evaluation found strong engagement with the programme, with young people attending around 78% of all sessions offered and only 7% of participants leaving the programme early. Children and families reported improvements in confidence, resilience, emotional wellbeing, relationships and aspirations for the future.  

The flexible, personalised approach was consistently identified as one of the programme's greatest strengths, allowing support to be tailored to the needs of each young person and their family. 

Director of Prevention at Leicestershire Police, Grace Strong, said; ‘Our delivery partners should be proud of the findings of the independent evaluation. It points to a range of positive achievements delivered collaboratively by the City and County councils, schools, parents and most importantly the children who participated. Reach was co-designed locally and was implemented meticulously. To now have an independent report highlighting this, the programme’s high engagement rates, the achievement of positive outcomes and consistently positive feedback is very welcome and shows the value of adopting an evidence-based approach to intervention design and delivery. We look forward to continuing to embed the learning from the programme into how services work with children at risk of suspension, exclusions and involvement in crime’.  

Looking to the future 

The findings reinforce the importance of trusted adult relationships, intensive mentoring and family engagement in helping vulnerable children achieve positive outcomes.  

The evaluation concluded that REACH is a safe, feasible and highly engaging model of support that can help address risk factors associated with exclusion, anti-social behaviour and future offending. 

Read the full Youth Endowment Fund summary report here: https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/funding/evaluations/the-reach-programme/