Exodus

The programme 

Exodus is a 12-month mentoring programme for 11–17-year-olds who are known to have offended, are considered at high risk of offending or are currently in or leaving custody. It is delivered by UpskillU, a community-based organisation and restorative justice training provider. The programme aims to reduce the likelihood of children and young people perpetrating violence, offending or being affected by exploitation. It also aims to support reintegration for children and young people in or leaving custody. Children and young people begin with an introductory meeting where they are matched to a mentor, agree goals and develop a safety plan. They then receive weekly one-to-one mentoring, with additional weekly check-in calls. Sessions cover themes including identity, attitudes, values, risks and consequences, conflict, relationships and decision-making. This is followed by a 26-week transitional phase focused on longer-term goals and personal development. In the final 12-week phase, support is gradually reduced and the child or young person is introduced to a Circle of Support and Accountability, made up of trained community volunteers. Mentoring is delivered by paid, trained mentors, who had lived experience of violence. 

Why did we fund this evaluation? 

Mentoring is a promising approach to reduce children’s involvement in crime and violence, but there is still limited robust UK evidence on its impact. Exodus provides a long-term, relationship-based mentoring delivered by staff and mentors with lived or professional experience of the issues children and young people face. YEF funded Coram to conduct this evaluation to test whether this model can be delivered, scaled and evaluated robustly through a randomised controlled trial. 

What did we find?

The pilot found that Exodus can feasibly move to a full efficacy trial, but only after substantial changes to referral routes and monitoring systems. In total, 495 children and young people were referred, 396 were eligible and 350 were randomised. Recruitment was slower and more resource-intensive than expected, with challenges around assessing suitability, sustaining engagement from children and young people and families, and practitioner concerns about randomisation. Expanding referral routes through schools and Lewisham Council helped improve recruitment, engagement and attendance. 

Randomisation was implemented well with children and young people evenly split between groups. Although some families and professionals initially found randomisation difficult, it was generally understood by children and young people, referrers and delivery staff. Communication improved through more direct conversations and the involvement of peer researchers. 

Monitoring data improved over time. Outcome data collection, involving children and young people filling a survey at the start and at the end of the intervention, was successful, achieving a response rate of 71%. The quality of submitted surveys was also high, with near perfect completion rates (99-100%). Peer researchers helped build trust and support honest responses to sensitive questions. 

Fidelity was more mixed. Only 57% of children and young people met the expected high-fidelity threshold, but this improved from 42% in the initial sample (April to December 2024) to 77% in the later sample (January to July 2025). Most children and young people attended over 60% of sessions, though participation in Circles of Support and Accountability remained limited, largely due to practical challenges organising in-person sessions with volunteers. UpskillU was beginning to address this by moving CoSA delivery online.

Should you fund or deliver Exodus?

These findings are encouraging because they suggest that Exodus can be taken forward into a larger more robust trial. The findings do not yet show whether Exodus reduces offending, violence or exploitation. Further monitoring will be needed to ensure that improvements in recruitment, data collection and fidelity are maintained as the programme scales. 

What will YEF do next? 

Following this successful pilot, the programme will now be moving to a full efficacy trial. This trial will aim to show whether Exodus has an impact on offending, violence and exploitation. 

Download the report