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Violence Prevention Toolkit

Providing an overview of existing knowledge and research on approaches to preventing youth crime and violence.

Find out more about the Toolkit

Showing 39 of 39

  • Nutrition programmes

    Programmes that aim to improve nutrition to support brain development and regulate behaviour
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Focused deterrence

    A strategy that combines communicating the consequences of violence with support for developing positive routes away from it.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Sports programmes

    Secondary or tertiary prevention programmes which engage children in organised sports or physical activity
    Cost
    ?
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Trauma-specific therapies  

    Specialist therapies which aim to support individual recovery from trauma.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • A and E navigators

    Programmes that place case workers in accident and emergency departments to support children and young people with a violence-related injury.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Social skills training

    Aims to develop children’s ability to regulate their behaviour and communicate effectively.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Summer employment programmes  

    Paid work placements for young people during the summer holidays.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

    A talking therapy which helps people recognise and manage negative thoughts and behaviours.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Informal pre-court diversion

    Diverting children away from court and avoiding a criminal record.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Restorative justice

    A process that supports someone who has committed a crime to understand the harms their actions caused and to seek to repair those harms.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HIGH

  • Formal pre-court diversion

    Diverting children away from court.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Problem-oriented policing

    A proactive policing approach that focuses on identifying the root causes of crime and developing tailored responses
    Cost
    ?
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Mentoring

    Mentors provide children and young people with guidance and support.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Relationship violence prevention lessons and activities

    Programmes that aim to prevent violence in intimate relationships.  
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Multi-Systemic Therapy

    A family therapy programme for children at risk of placement in either care or custody
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Custody aftercare and resettlement programmes 

    Programmes that seek to address children's needs and support reintegration into the community.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Hot spots policing

    A police strategy that targets resources and activities to places where crime is most concentrated.
    Cost
    ?
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Bystander interventions to prevent sexual assault

    Programmes that help young people to identify and intervene in potential sexual assaults
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Stop and search

    Police powers to stop and search a person for carrying an unlawful item.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Youth Clubs

    Open-access spaces that provide a safe, supportive environment where young people can socialise and take part in activities.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Functional Family Therapy (FFT)  

    A family-based therapy which helps to promote positive communication between parents and children.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    MODERATE

  • Parenting programmes

    Programmes which help parents and their children to develop positive behaviours and relationships.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    LOW

  • Communities that Care

    A structured approach that trains and supports groups of local people to develop and implement an evidence-based plan for violence prevention.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    LOW

  • Adventure and Wilderness Therapy

    Challenge-based activities and therapies undertaken in outdoor settings.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    LOW

  • Interventions to prevent school exclusion

    Interventions which aim to prevent children becoming excluded or suspended from school.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    LOW

  • Anti-bullying programmes

    School-based programmes designed to reduce bullying
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    LOW

  • After-school programmes

    Programmes which take place after school and involve academic support, enrichment, or social skills development.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    LOW

  • CCTV

    Using closed-circuit television (CCTV) to prevent violence.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    LOW

  • Street lighting

    Using street lighting to prevent violence.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    NO
    EFFECT

  • Prison awareness programmes

    Programmes which deter children and young people from crime by demonstrating the realities of life in prison
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HARMFUL

  • Boot camps

    Military-style boot camps for young people who have been convicted of an offence
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    1 2 3 4 5
    Impact
    HARMFUL

  • Detached Youth Work

    A street-based approach where youth workers engage with children in their own environment, such as streets, parks, or shopping centres.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    Impact

  • Summer Schools

    Education programmes held in the summer holidays
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    Impact

  • Arts programmes

    Programmes that engage children in arts and creative activities.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    Impact

  • Knife crime education programmes

    Programmes that aim to prevent knife crime by educating children about the risks and harms caused by carrying a knife.
    Cost
    Evidence quality
    Impact

  • Knife surrender schemes

    Initiatives to enable people to safely hand in weapons at designated locations.
    Cost
    ?
    Evidence quality
    Impact

  • Media campaigns

    Raising awareness of the risks and consequences of involvement in violence.
    Cost
    ?
    Evidence quality
    Impact

  • Trauma-informed training and service redesign

    Training staff and redesigning services with an explicit focus on recognising trauma and avoiding re-traumatisation.
    Cost
    ?
    Evidence quality
    Impact

  • Police in schools

    Police officers working in schools to prevent crime and violence
    Cost
    ?
    Evidence quality
    Impact