Evaluations into our work with children and young people
Knife crime projects evaluation
Date: 2019
Evaluated by: JH Consulting
Methodology:
The evaluation took place between late February and April 2019 and included:
- Review of internal project monitoring reports and data, internal evaluation forms (children,
- parents, organisations) and other feedback (email, social media);
- Observations of some SOS+ delivery;
- Structured discussions with SGT project staff in each of the four projects to assess project
- performance, impact, key challenges and modifications of the original project plans, and
- Structured discussions with children and young people and staff in participating organisations, as well as key stakeholders including professionals in local authorities, youth services and youth offending.
Project overview:
The four SGT projects supported by the Home Office’s Community Fund, piloted different approaches to providing preventative interventions to help children and young people avoid involvement in youth violence and knife crime. Projects took place between September 2018 and the end of March 2019, and were delivered in the Royal London Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Ipswich and Leeds/Bradford. All projects involved delivery of SGT’s SOS+ programme to children and young people in a variety of settings including primary and secondary schools, alternative education providers, youth centres and community groups.
In addition to the core project offer of SOS+ sessions for children and young people, a range of other interventions and activities were planned, varying for each project and including:
- Delivery of SOS+ sessions for parents (Tower Hamlets, Woolwich, Leeds)
- One-to-one mentoring of young people at particular risk (Ipswich and Leeds)
- Recruiting and training Mentors and Peer Advisors with lived experience (Ipswich and Leeds)
- ‘Train the trainer’ sessions to upskill existing SGT staff to support sustainability of the model and approach (Leeds)
- Supporting the development of a small community based BAME partner organisation (Woolwich)
Key outcomes:
- Over 5,400 children and young people participating in SOS+ sessions and gaining a better understanding of the risks of carrying weapons, the danger of grooming and exploitation, and tools and strategies to build resilience and stay safe
- 10 particularly at risk children and young people received intensive one-to-one mentoring support to help them move into more positive lifestyles
- 464 parents gaining a better understanding, including how their children may become involved and strategies that they can use to support them
- Approximately 120 professionals (education, community leaders, youth services, police) gaining a better understanding, including how children and young people may become involved and strategies that they can use to support them
63 organisations engaged in SOS+ sessions, including:
- 26 primary schools
- 12 secondary schools
- 10 youth provisions (including those run by youth offending services)
- 2 BAME community groups