TIHR are undertaking the process evaluation of Realising Ambition Programme.
On the 16th May 2012, Catch 22 along with Rathbone, Substance, Young Foundation and Dartington Social Research Unit announced the 25 successful projects that will be replicated around the UK, through the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) 25m pound Realising Ambition Programme. This ground-breaking five year programme aims to support young people aged 8-14 to make the very best of their potential and steer clear of pathways into crime by using proven evidence-based approaches.
The 25 projects rigorously selected are amongst the most well-evidenced operating in the UK and internationally and will support 250,000 young people over the lifetime of the funding. Each project will receive intensive support and development assistance to replicate and sustain their approach from the UK Partner (see above). For example, projects will receive replication support, monitoring systems and help in tightening up their interventions logic/aims.
Kerstin Junge from the TIHR process evaluation team attended the launch event in London along with representatives from Government Departments, BIG, policy makers and the chosen 25 voluntary, community and public sector organisations. The event was celebratory and also highlighted the real need for preventative youth offending interventions.
At the launch event, R. Naik, a BIG UK Board member explained that Realising Ambition Programme’s focus on first time offending is very important, as in 2011 45,000 young people entered the criminal justice system in the UK. L. Morpeth, Co-Director of Dartington Social Research Unit emphasised that Realising Ambition is a learning programme, which aims to increase the standard of evidence of preventative youth offending interventions by offering the 25 projects evaluation and monitoring support and via the undertaking of four randomised control trials.
Anna Smee, Director of Ventures from the Young Foundation spoke about what helps an organisation to replicate an intervention such as: being flexible, having a lack of ego, loyalty to the original model, courage, understanding of the local context and a focus on outcomes and delivery. To help explore the organisations replication journeys including helpers and hinders to replication we have been commissioned by BIG to conduct the process evaluation of the programme. You can read an article on the evaluation’s methodology here.
To find out more please contact the process evaluation’s project director, Kerstin Junge: K.Junge@tavinstitute.org.