Redthread youth violence intervention programme

Background

Redthread’s (RT) Youth Violence Intervention Programme (YVIP) works with 11- to 25-year-olds who present to hospital emergency departments (EDs) following a violent incident or an incident that puts them at risk of involvement in violence. It aims to keep them safe from involvement in violence in the future. Eligible children and young people are identified by NHS staff or RT youth workers. An RT youth worker then makes contact with the child or young person to establish whether they are at risk of involvement in violence and assess their needs, risks and support network. This contact will usually occur in the hospital but can also occur outside if the young person has been discharged. If the young person is at lower risk, they will receive short-term one-to-one support from the RT youth worker; this is likely to last around four weeks, but the length of support varies. For children and young people who are more vulnerable, RT offers a longer intervention that lasts up to three months (and longer for those with particularly high needs).

Support offered to children and young people may include 1:1 meetings to discuss healthy relationships or managing difficult emotions, support to engage with education, help to secure alternative accommodation, signposting to mental health or substance misuse support, and access to financial support. The content and dosage of support will vary depending on the needs and choice of individuals. Some will receive weekly 1:1 support; others will be offered more sporadic interaction. ED navigator programmes like YVIP are associated with a large estimated impact on reducing further violence. However, the evidence that underpins this estimate is severely limited, and we lack a robust estimate of impact in a UK context. YEF, therefore, funded a pilot evaluation of YVIP to establish whether it is feasible to robustly evaluate the programme in an impact evaluation in England and Wales.

Our approach

We will be carrying out a mixed methods quasi-experimental study of young people (aged 11-17) supported by Redthread through their Youth Violence Intervention Programme. Redthread is a charity, and the Youth Violence Intervention Programme is based in hospital emergency departments in partnership with the major trauma network. We are trying to find out whether Redthread workers can help support young people who attend hospital with a violence related injury, who are at risk of, or already victims of violence or exploitation or gang involvement, or where there are other concerns regarding violence exploitation. 

The children and young people (CYP) eligible for the intervention are those who have attended one of the 13 emergency departments (ED) where Redthread have teams as a result of violence or deemed at risk of exploitation or abuse by a referring clinical member of staff. CYP can also be referred should they present in a different part or department of the hospital or if information about their risk factors transpire following their admission. The intervention is bespoke and led by the CYP’s needs at that time. Once clinical needs are dealt with the intervention team continue building trust and a practical plan to help the CYP feel safe in preparation and following their discharge. RT therefore work within the hospital setting and in the community following discharge. The intervention is short-term, intensive and lasts up to 12 weeks in the majority of cases until the actions on the joint action plan between CYP and RT are met and the CYP has engaged with a professional network that can support their longer-term goals, away from violence:

Contact us

• Professor Paul Montgomery-Marks
• Dr Emily Evans