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Youth Endowment Fund opens new £12.5m funding round to build trusted adult relationships

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has opened applications for a new multi-million pound funding round to learn more about how trusted adult relationships, outside of the family environment, can help young people on the cusp of offending or re-offending.

Through its A trusted adult funding round, the YEF will invest up to £12.5 million to fund and evaluate six to ten projects in England and Wales.  The Home Office-backed charity is looking to invest in projects that support children and young people who’ve been involved or affected by exploitation, crime or serious violence, by assigning them a mentor or key/case worker to act as a trusted adult.

By funding high-quality evaluations of projects where trusted adult relationships is a defining or core feature of their work, the YEF aims to improve the evidence on how these relationships can protect children and young people who are at high-risk of becoming involved in violence.

Jon Yates, Executive Director at the Youth Endowment Fund said: “When a child or young person is at a difficult and traumatic point in their life, having an adult who they trust and can turn to for guidance and advice can make a big difference.

“Through our £12.5 million funding round, we want to better understand how these trusted adult relationships can improve young people’s emotions, skills and behaviours. We also want to learn how different support can help young people stay away from crime and violence or stop them becoming involved in the first place.”

Applications for the Youth Endowment Fund’s A trusted adult grant round are open until Friday 25th November 2022. To find out more and to apply, please visit: youthendowmentfund.org.uk/grants/a-trusted-adult/