The Divert Plus programme and its evaluation were funded by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), which is one of a number of What Works Centres that aim to inform policy through generating robust evidence about the impact of interventions.

Diversion is an approach to preventing reoffending by finding alternatives to formal criminal justice proceedings. It can happen at the point of arrest, and may offer children a range of support services. As the YEF Toolkit explains, it is likely to have a moderate impact on reducing violent crime (reducing re-offending by 13%). However, most of the research comes from the USA, and very few studies have been conducted in England and Wales.

There is also significant interest in the potential value of reaching young people at a ‘teachable moment’ or ‘moment’, when they may be more open to accepting support and changing their behaviour. However, there is currently a lack of rigorous evidence to support the value of the ‘moment’. This study aimed to contribute to knowledge in this area.

About the programme

The Divert Plus programme aimed to prevent 10-17 year olds who had been arrested for violence (or offences with risk factors for future involvement in violence) from offending and reoffending. Delivered by Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire Violence Reduction Partnership, it aimed to provide an initial conversation to young people at the key moment after arrest, before offering a range of interventions including speech and language therapy, mentoring, and discussion of Out of Court Disposal options.

Methodology

Cordis Bright conducted a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of Divert Plus from January 2022-July 2023. The evaluation assessed the efficacy of trial recruitment, randomisation, retention and data collection processes. It also aimed to establish the sample size that would be required for a future, larger efficacy trial, whether Divert Plus could effectively recruit to a larger trial, and the acceptability of an RCT design to Divert Plus stakeholders. The delivery of the programme was also analysed.

Young people were allocated to a treatment (Divert Plus) or a control group (signposting). Those in the treatment group received Divert Plus and those in the control group received signposting to other services and safeguarding support.

Quantitative data was compiled from monitoring data on background characteristics, activity and dosage, and outcomes measures were collected at baseline and 9 months. Outcomes measures included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Self-Reported Delinquency Scale (SRDS). Qualitative methods included interviews with 10 project staff and 12 professionals from various stakeholders.

Findings

The key findings of the trial RCT are: 

• Recruitment, consent and randomisation procedures improved over the course of the trial and were well established and embedded. However, it proved challenging to recruit young people to the trial. Retention of young people in the control group also proved difficult. Only 24 young people (and their parents/carers) provided and maintained full written consent to take part in the evaluation.
• The questionnaires were effectively administered by practitioners, appeared to be reliable, valid, and practical, and outcome data collection rates were high.
• Several elements of the Divert Plus theory of change would benefit from clearer definition before a larger trial. When initial conversations take place, the role of case managers, the role of mentors, the speech and language offer and the part played by Restorative Justice all require clarification and greater consistency. A future efficacy study would also require a better process for collecting delivery monitoring and dosage data.
• Divert Plus staff members reported that the programme was effectively diverting children away from the criminal justice system via OOCDs. They also perceived that the speech and language provision offered to children was helping to better meet their needs. There was not sufficient quantitative data to confirm these outcomes.

Based on the findings of our pilot RCT, YEF concluded that Divert Plus is not yet ready to move to a larger efficacy RCT. The programme requires a clearer definition of theory of change and further consideration of how to recruit enough young people.

Despite this, the Pilot Trial identified some positive evidence that an RCT approach can work to evaluate a programme of this kind.

Resources

YEF Divert Plus Pilot Trial March 2024

Pilot trial protocol