REACH
Mentoring for 11-16 year olds at risk of school suspension and involvement in anti-social behaviour and crime.
Evaluation type
Funding round
Another chance – Diversion from the criminal justice systemActivity Type
Setting
Evaluator
| Project | Funding | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Violence Reduction Network for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland | £990,940 | East Midlands |
The programme
REACH is a six-month mentoring programme for children aged 11–16 who are at risk of school suspension and involvement in anti-social behaviour and crime. Children are referred through their school. If eligible, they and their parents or carers are contacted to arrange an assessment and invited to join the programme. Trained youth workers provide mentoring structured around several core components. Following an initial phase focused on building a positive relationship between the child and youth worker, youth workers support children to develop social skills, confidence, wellbeing, resilience, positive relationships, and aspirations. The programme was developed by the Violence Reduction Network for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland in collaboration with Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council.
Why did we fund this evaluation?
Recent analysis by the Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) shows that being away from school not only limits a child’s ability to succeed academically but also increases their risk of violence and criminal exploitation. We are interested in interventions that reduce the risk that school suspension and exclusion may lead to violence and offending, and the YEF Toolkit shows that youth mentoring programmes can be effective. However, we currently lack robust evidence from a UK context. This evaluation aimed to test whether a six-month mentoring programme delivered by youth workers could improve behavioural difficulties among vulnerable children at risk of suspension.
The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) funded a feasibility study and a randomised controlled trial of REACH, involving 594 children across 16 secondary schools. The study also included an implementation and process evaluation, using interviews and focus groups to explore how children, parents or carers, teachers, and youth workers experienced the programme. The study took place between October 2022 and September 2025.
What did we find?
The evaluation found that REACH had a small positive impact on behavioural difficulties, the study’s primary outcome, with children receiving the programme showing fewer behavioural difficulties than those receiving usual support. This impact estimate has a high security rating. The programme also showed mostly positive impacts across several secondary outcomes, including emotional regulation, peer relationships, social skills, attendance, anti-social behaviour, and offending. The evaluation also found a small negative impact on school suspensions. However, these findings relate to secondary outcomes and should be interpreted with caution.
Engagement with the programme and attendance were good, with a 7% drop-out rate and participants attending 78% of the sessions offered.
Children, parents or carers, teachers, and delivery staff reported highly positive experiences of the programme. Children described youth workers as trusted, supportive adults who provided emotional support and guidance, while parents valued the consistent communication and practical support provided. Stakeholders particularly valued the programme’s flexible, relationship-based approach and the ability of youth workers to respond to children’s individual needs.
Should you fund or deliver REACH?
The findings from this evaluation show that well-designed and well-implemented mentoring programmes can improve behavioural difficulties among vulnerable children. They also suggest potential benefits for school attendance and offending, although the small negative finding on school suspensions warrants caution.
The evaluation also supports findings from the YEF Toolkit that mentoring programmes are more effective when they:
- provide one-to-one mentoring delivered by trained adults;
- provide at least six months of regular one-to-one mentoring; and
- build relationships between children and mentors based on trust and respect.
Further detail can be found in the mentoring implementation resource, which is designed to support the commissioning and delivery of high-quality formal mentoring programmes.
What will YEF do next?
YEF has no plans to conduct further research on REACH.