Evaluations Into Peer Advice
Evaluation Into The Peer To The Future Programme
Date: 2018
Evaluated by: PwC
Methodology: scoping workshops, desk bases research, case notes and data collected by St Giles, peer advisors surveys
Project overview: Peer to the Future (PttF) programme operating out of HMP Leeds and run by St Giles Trust West Yorkshire.
Trained Peer Advisors provided prison leavers with mentoring and practical support to obtain stable housing and benefits, provide routes into employment, education and training, and facilitate access to specialist services for those with addiction or mental health needs. Both Peer Advisors and the clients they serve are given the opportunity to obtain an NVQ Level 3 qualification in Advice and Guidance as part of the programme.
Key outcomes:
- £8.54 in societal returns for every £1 invested. Social value has been generated through a mixture of economic contributions, human capital gains, avoided Exchequer costs and wellbeing improvements among individuals
- £1.4 million of societal value generated from a £165,132 investment into St Giles’ programme
- 14% of the total value generated by the PttF programme is associated with Peer Advisors - the social value of these impacts – £192,635 – is greater than the total financial cost of running the programme
- The remaining 86% of social value from the programme is associated with the individuals these Peer Advisors support. £49,142 worth of social impact on society (including avoided costs from clients reoffending, peer advisors and clients social economic contributions etc) and £1,167,974 worth of social impact on clients (including wellbeing benefits from securing training, employment and housing)
- Impacts arising from Peer Advisors and clients gaining the NVQ qualification create the most social value. This suggests that the training element of the Peer Advisor model and, more broadly, of interventions that successfully get ex-offenders back into employment, are key contributors to delivering social value.