Youth Futures Foundation has announced funding for Bristol-based charity, 1625 Independent People (1625IP) and will evaluate the impact of its therapeutic approach through a unique randomised controlled trial. Over £3m has been invested into Reboot West 3, a three-year programme that will support care experienced young people into employment, education or training.
Working alongside four local authorities and West of England Combined Authority, Reboot West 3 will support young people aged 16-25 across the west of England. The Reboot support model initially began in 2018 and is based on flexible and holistic long-term relationship-based coaching. Reboot Coaches work with young people on a one-to-one basis and in groups in a variety of settings including their homes and out in the community.
Youth Futures has commissioned Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) to undertake a randomised controlled trial of Reboot West 3 – the first ever in the UK looking at the impact of a therapeutic approach for care experienced young people and employment – to generate robust evidence on how the programme supports young people into positive education, employment and training opportunities.
As the What Works Centre for Youth Employment, Youth Futures was established to find, fund, support and evaluate programmes that help young people from marginalised backgrounds move into meaningful work.
In its bid to find ‘what works’, this next phase of Reboot West will be the strongest evaluation of a youth employment intervention from Youth Futures to date. Alongside 1625IP, Youth Futures plans to use the findings to influence a step change in how the most marginalised young people are empowered to access good education and training opportunities, and find high quality work.
Barry Fletcher, CEO of Youth Futures Foundation, comments:
“With care leavers being four times more likely to not be in education, employment or training, the work that 1625IP delivers is vital for so many young people across the region. We are delighted to be working with the team to help deliver and test the impact of Reboot West 3, building on the impact already made within the previous programme.
“We are proud to work together with 1625IP and BIT, who we strongly believe can help us in our mission to identify what works and generate evidence to improve policy and practice. More importantly, they can help us narrow the employment gap for young people facing the greatest challenges.”
Jamie Gill, Partnership Director at 1625 Independent People, comments:
“Youth Futures Foundation, as the What Works Centre for Youth Employment, have been a unique and massively valued partner for 1625ip, alongside the four local authorities and the regional authority with whom we work so closely. This hugely significant new funding will not only enable us to support many more care experienced young people into high quality employment and training opportunities, but will also enable the partnership to provide the strongest possible evidence base of “what works” in delivering better employment outcomes for young people. Through this new investment by the Youth Futures Foundation we aim to transform the lives of young people in the region, and hopefully influence how young people are supported nationally to achieve fulfilling and successful lives.”
Sam, a young person supported by 1625 Independent People, said:
“Reboot has been an invaluable source of support, offering a reintroduction to life and work that has transformed my perspective. With their ongoing commitment for an additional three years, they are extending their reach to assist 265 more individuals like me. Through their dedicated efforts, Reboot has not only helped me secure employment but also enabled me to find contentment and fulfilment in the real world. Their unwavering support has truly been life changing.”
Dan Norris, Metro Mayor for the West of England, comments:
“Both as a ‘jobs first’ Metro Mayor, and because in a previous career I was a child protection officer who worked closely with children and young people in care, I was particularly proud to invest over £700,000 in the Reboot West Two programme to support care leavers.
“It’s helped them get the skills and tools they need as they develop into independent young adults, and this trial is a really exciting next step in that vital work.”
