Future Communities Fund
Through our visioning work with young people we committed to help create safer communities, where people feel secure and respected and welcomed back into communities when they make mistakes.
Read the full report
What’s in the report
This report presents the findings of a scoping study conducted between December 2023 and April 2024 to inform the second round of our Future Communities Fund. The study explored effective interventions for supporting young people away from the justice system. The research was a combination of desk-based research and stakeholder consultation. The study highlights the Child First framework, which summarises the research evidence base in youth justice structured around four tenets (ABCD): treating young people As children first, Building pro-social identity through strengths-based approaches, encouraging Collaboration with families, and promoting Diversion from stigma by keeping young people out of the justice system.
Key findings
- Brain development continues into mid-twenties, significantly impacting behaviour and decision-making
- Involvement with the justice system typically creates negative impacts on young people’s development
- Most successful support programmes demonstrate a holistic approach, focusing on the whole person
- Relationship-based approaches that have consistent supportive connections are critical
- Supporting the forming of pro-social identity through constructive activities, positive interactions and taking on new roles can shape a child’s perception of themselves and their place in the world, which then informs behaviour
- Social enterprise models like The Skill Mill show promise in providing work experience and opportunities for young people to form pro-social identities
- Multiple funding sources exist but accessibility is often limited, particularly for smaller organisations
- There is limited availability of unrestricted funding that allows organisations to fully implement ‘Child First’ principles
Key recommendations
Key considerations for funding criteria should include:
- Organisations that can demonstrate they are able to form referral partnerships with statutory criminal justice providers
- Strengths-based ‘constructive’ work that is future-facing and focused on achieving positive outcomes
- Work that is demonstrably ‘co-created’, ‘customised’ (including embracing diversity), ‘consistent’, and ‘co-ordinated’ with other agencies.
- Support that specifically looks to develop pro-social identity
- Interventions with children that are committed to being aligned to the Child First framework
- Interventions that emphasise the importance of ongoing supportive relationships
- Interventions that promote a sense of agency and where progress is reaffirmed and rewarded
The report also recommends that funding to help young people away from criminal justice to re-engage with communities should focus on support for girls and young women, and interventions and social enterprises that create roles for young people that help them develop their pro-social identity.
We used our scoping study to shape our theory of development for the fund, which was further refined with input from our Future Communities Collective and justice experienced young people. We use the term “theory of development” rather than “theory of change” to emphasise growth and opportunity. Read our theory of development to find out more about how we created it and what we aim to achieve with our Future Communities Fund – round 2.
We are building on the recommendations above for the fund and widening the scope to include support for all young people transitioning away from the justice system. You can find the specific funding criteria for Future Communities Fund – round two here, the fund opens to applications on Friday 16 May and closes on Monday 16 June at 12pm (midday).
“With 13,700 young people entering the justice system in 2024 and a 32.5% reoffending rate per year, it’s clear that this is an area of society that needs urgent support and attention. Our visioning study and strategy – both developed with and by young people -drives us in supporting young people to move away from the justice system and re-engage with their community. We’re committed to providing long term, unrestricted funding to organisations that are doing important work in this area, but are struggling to secure sustainable funding.”
Nick Crofts, CEO Co-op Foundation
Resources
- Here are some useful resources:
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