Children arrested for the first time or less serious offences are less likely to reoffend if they receive support instead of prosecution, new research from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) shows. 

The research examines pre-court diversion interventions around the world — programmes that keep children out of court and connect them with tailored support. Together, the reviews assessed the effectiveness of the two main types of diversion: informal and formal. 

What is diversion? 

• Informal pre-court diversion helps children avoid court and a criminal record by taking part in activities that address the causes of their behaviour and build skills for the future — for example, one-to-one counselling, drug or alcohol awareness courses or employment and vocational skills training. These schemes include ‘no further action’, community resolutions or deferred prosecution, where the police decide it isn’t in the public interest to take the case to court. 

• Formal pre-court diversion includes youth cautions and youth conditional cautions, and applies when a child admits to an offence. For the latter, children are required to participate in targeted interventions, such as restorative justice sessions or mentoring. If the programme is completed, the case is closed without a court conviction. If not, the child can be prosecuted for the original offence. 

One organisation delivering a pre-court diversion programme is Salford Foundation. Its STEER programme, which is funded and evaluated by the YEF, supports young people referred by Greater Manchester Police with weekly one-to-one mentoring, including sessions on safety mapping, healthy peer relationships and positive activities.  

Jack Ward, Service Manager – Targeted Youth at Salford Foundation, said:

At its core, our diversion programme is about trusted relationships. When a young person has an adult they can rely on, particularly after an arrest, we can work together to identify the right way forward. There are benefits not only for the young person in terms of navigating away from the trauma associated with being involved with the criminal justice system, but also for the system itself, both in a societal and financial sense.

Informal diversion cuts reoffending by 30% 

The review found that informal pre-court diversion reduced future reoffending by an average of 30%, based on nine impact studies involving nearly 6,000 children. Formal pre-court diversion also showed positive results. It reduced violent behaviour by 25% (based on five studies) and overall reoffending by 14% (based on 35 studies involving almost 100,000 children). Most of the formal diversion evidence comes from North America and Australia, with three studies carried out in the UK. 

Reflecting on their experience with Salford Foundation’s STEER programme, one young person, Sam* said: “I always thought fighting solved problems. Since being supported by my mentor, instead of my anger coming out in a negative way, I decided to walk away from confrontation. It was hard, but I knew it would be better for me. I have felt comfortable speaking about things, knowing I would be helped, not judged.” 

*Name has been changed 

Diversion linked to fewer first-time entrants 

The number of children entering the justice system for the first time has fallen sharply over the past decade. In 2024, first-time entrants dropped by 4% from the previous year and are 62% lower than ten years ago. 

These falls partly reflect fewer children engaging in offending behaviour, but research also suggests the increased use of pre-court diversion schemes has contributed. However, access to diversion support is not equal: practice varies depending on the officer or police force, meaning some children have fewer opportunities to benefit from support. 

Unequal access to diversion in London 

Analysing seven years of data (2015–2022) from the London Metropolitan Police Service, involving nearly 265,000 children and young people, a YEF-funded study found stark racial and regional disparities in diversion. Black children were overrepresented in police contacts (44.3% of cases versus 24.7% of the local population) and were 14.8% less likely than White children to be diverted (50.7% vs 59.5%), even after accounting for offence type, severity and prior arrests. 

Diversion rates also varied across London, with outer boroughs like Bromley and Kingston Upon Thames recording the highest rates (66% and 65%) and inner boroughs such as Brent and Lambeth among the lowest (47% and 42%). These differences are not fully explained by local offending patterns, highlighting that access to diversion support is inconsistent and unequal. 

Source: Youth Endowment Fund (June 2025) Secondary Data Analysis of Youth Diversion in London. 

Dr Stevie-Jade Hardy, Assistant Director – Policing and Youth Justice at YEF, said:  

Evidence from around the world shows that providing tailored, evidence-based support to children arrested for the first time or less serious offences is an effective way to reduce reoffending. It helps keep communities safer and, most importantly, gives children a better chance to get back on track. But diversion only works if it’s done well. That means making sure children get the right support quickly, and that it’s delivered fairly and consistently across the country, so every child has the same chance to turn their life around.

Making diversion work for all children 

The evidence is clear: diversion can cut offending and give children a better chance to move forward — but access to this support is not yet equal. To change this, the YEF is calling for diversion to be delivered more consistently and fairly across the country. 

To help achieve this, the charity has published guidance for police forces and youth justice services with seven key recommendations. These include developing clear eligibility criteria, putting in place robust joint decision-making processes with partners, and ensuring children get swift access to evidence-based support.  

Keith Fraser, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, says:

I welcome this research by the Youth Endowment Fund, especially the powerful finding that informal diversion can reduce reoffending by 30%. When a child commits an offence, we have a critical opportunity to intervene, reduce their vulnerability and achieve positive outcomes. This research adds significant weight to the evidence that tells us we should, wherever possible, avoid criminalising children. 

However, I am deeply concerned by the persistent disparities in access to diversion, particularly for Black and Mixed ethnicity children. A child’s ethnicity should never determine their treatment within the justice system. To help address this, we strongly advocate for greater, and more equitable, use of Outcome 22 – which is a proven method to prevent children from being drawn into the system unnecessarily.

Find out more in the YEF Toolkit 

Informal pre-court diversion and formal pre-court diversion are the latest additions to the YEF Toolkit –  a free online resource that summarises the best available evidence on preventing young people from becoming involved in violence.