Young people at risk of getting involved in violence are those in most of need of therapeutic support, but most unlikely to receive it.
The Your Choice programme aims to shift how such therapeutic support is provided by making it available within young people’s community and embedding it in a broader context of support and behavioural change.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the Anna Freud Centre (AFC) have been commissioned to evaluate the impact and implementation of this new programme.
Evaluation funder: Youth Endowment Fund
IFS Researchers: Sarah Cattan, Monica Costa Dias, Tasnim Nodee, Imran Rasul
Programme delivery partner: London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA)
What is Your Choice?
The Your Choice programme is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) enhanced approach to practice, delivered through high intensity contact within adolescent services. The 12-18-week programme is delivered by specially trained practitioners, who are trained in CBT tools and techniques and are supported by regular clinical supervision. Training for practitioners is delivered through a train the trainer model by clinicians with experience in the delivery of CBT.
Youth practitioners (e.g. social workers, youth justice workers) undergo a four-day training in CBT-informed tools and techniques and use these techniques to work with young people in supporting their goals and self-understanding. They will then meet with young people on a 1-to-1 basis, up to 3 times a week for 12 weeks, in a community setting of the young people’s choice. Throughout their work with the young people, the youth practitioners will receive close support by clinical supervisors.
The London Young People Study: a mixed methods evaluation of Your Choice
The IFS and AFC have been commissioned by the Youth Endowment Fund to conduct a mixed methods evaluation of this new programme. They are conducting a randomised controlled trial to evaluate its benefits on young people’s emotional and behavioural wellbeing, as well as longer-term educational, economics and social outcomes. They will also use qualitative methods to understand the acceptability of the programme among young people and practitioners involved and to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the programme.
The Your Choice was developed by the LIIA, and its implementation is supported by VRU. IFS and AFC are working closely with LIIA and VRU to evaluate the programme as it is implemented across the 32 boroughs of London.
This page will be updated with the evaluation and project progress, resources for the study participants (e.g. information sheets, privacy notice etc), and findings from the evaluation will be published here.
Project start: August 2021
Status: Preparing for the efficacy trial
If you have any questions, please send them to [email protected].