Researcher & evaluator hub

About

Anna Freud is a pioneering mental health charity, transforming care for children and young people through science, collaboration and clinical innovation. Its research sheds light on why mental health problems develop so we can design new approaches to prevention and intervention with children, young people, families and communities. It shares expertise through training, and help services and policymakers improve the systems that shape young lives. In a rapidly changing world, it champions fresh, practical approaches that give every child the opportunity to thrive.

Working with Youth Futures

Anna Freud collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

Verian is a world leading, independent research, evidence, evaluation, and communications agency, providing services to government and the public sector. It works with clients to help solve the next generation of public policy challenges.

Working with Youth Futures

Verian collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations is an independent, not-for-profit social science organisation with a distinctive reputation for high-quality evaluation, applied research and organisational development. It is particularly valued for expertise in theory-based and systems change evaluation, participatory work with marginalised young people, and as a learning partner helping to turn evidence into practical improvement and strategic change.

Working with Youth Futures

The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

SQW is a leading independent provider of research, evaluation and analysis in economic and social development. It has conducted extensive research and evaluation around youth-focused employment, training and labour market interventions, including national studies, quantitative and econometric analysis, and process and learning work for local and regional projects.

Working with Youth Futures

SQW collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

M·E·L Research is a specialist social, behavioural and market research insights consultancy, with a strong track record of delivering high-quality evaluation. The dedicated evaluation team works across a wide range of policy areas, applying robust mixed-method approaches to generate actionable evidence for commissioners, policymakers and practitioners. It is committed to trauma-informed and ethical research practices, ensuring that participant voice, safety and inclusivity are central to its work. M·E·L Research is not a standard agency – it directly embeds social value in why, how and who it works with.

Working with Youth Futures

M·E·L Research collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

London Economics is a specialist economics and policy consultancy, with a dedicated Education and Labour Markets Team. It has over 20 years of experience delivering projects related to education, skills and labour markets, and has generated a large body of high-profile work with policy impact. The team combines extensive experience of economic and econometric analysis; the application of quasi-experimental designs to evaluate policy interventions; value-for-money analysis across a range of public policy issues; and in-depth experience and knowledge of all the various data sets used in the analysis of youth transitions and labour market outcomes.

Working with Youth Futures

London Economics collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

ICF is a consulting business with a team of around 80 experts delivering high-quality public policy research, evaluation and analysis for complex UK government programmes. Drawing on decades of trusted experience, we apply advanced methods – from impact and value for money evaluation to trials, behavioural insight and data analytics – across sectors to support effective, future-ready policy in line with Green Book and Magenta Book best practice.

Working with Youth Futures

ICF Consulting collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

The Policy Institute at King’s College London (KCL) works to solve society’s challenges with evidence and expertise. Part of the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy, we combine the rigour of academia with the agility of a consultancy and the connectedness of a think tank.

Working with Youth Futures

The Policy Institute at KCL collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is a leading independent provider of education research with specialisms in large-scale mixed-methods evaluation, including RCTs and QEDs, and secondary data analysis. Its unique position and approach deliver evidence-based insights designed to enable education policy makers and practitioners to take action to improve outcomes for children and young people.

Working with Youth Futures

NFER collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

This includes being an evaluation partner for our What Works: testing youth employment interventions programme.

About

Strathclyde Business School is a leading triple-accredited UK business school offering cutting-edge research and teaching for the social good.

Working with Youth Futures

Strathclyde Business School is collaborating with us on evaluation activity as part of our What Works: testing youth employment interventions programme.

About

Centre for Mental Health is an independent charity. It takes the lead in challenging injustices in policies, systems and society, so that everyone can have better mental health. By building research evidence to create fairer mental health policy, it is pursuing equality, social justice and good mental health for all.

Working with Youth Futures

Centre for Mental Health collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity.

Currently, this includes working as part of our What Works: testing youth employment interventions programme.

About

The University of Westminster’s vision is to be sector leader in collaborating with industry and community organisations for providing strong career and enterprise support, facilitating workforce diversification and catalysing research and knowledge exchange.

As a major milestone, in spring 2026 the University has opened Zone29, its new home for careers and enterprise, where they strive to form new and nurture existing partnerships.

Working with Youth Futures

University of Westminster collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

Currently, this includes working as part of our What Works: testing youth employment interventions programme.

About

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is a research university with roots dating back to 1823. It prioritises research and knowledge exchange to provide solutions for 21st-century challenges and has a strong civic mission to contribute to the social and economic growth of its region and beyond.

Working with Youth Futures

We comissioned to conduct an impact evaluation of Choices as part of our What Works programme testing promising youth employment interventions.

About

The Campbell Collaboration is a global team of researchers and policy makers that provides evidence syntheses to inform economic and social policy decisions.

About

TONIC is social research organisation, with extensive experience in criminal justice, public health and social inequalities.

Working with Youth Futures

Currently, TONIC is one of the evaluation partners for INCLUDE. It is leading stakeholder engagement activities within the Criminal Justice system to addresses the gap in support within the sector.

It is also one of the evaluation partners working on a feasibility study for an RCT of CIPD Trust’s through-the-gate mentoring programme.

Both evaluations are part of our What Works: testing youth employment interventions programme.

About

Dartington Service Design Lab is a research charity.

Working with Youth Futures

Dartington Service Design Lab collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

Currently, it one of the evaluation partners for our What Works: testing youth employment interventions programme.

About

Learning and Work Institute is an independent policy and research organisation focused on lifelong learning and better work.

Working with Youth Futures

Learning and Work Institute collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

RAND Europe is an independent, not-for-profit research organisation whose mission is to help improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis.

Working with Youth Futures

RAND Europe collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

Currently, this includes working as an evaluation partner in our What Works: testing youth employment interventions programme.

About

Monash University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.  

About

CEI is a global, independent nonprofit dedicated to using the best evidence to improve the lives of children, families, and communities facing adversity. CEI’s international team of researchers and implementation specialists partner with what works centres, organisational leaders and teams, practitioners and policymakers on rigorous evaluation, evidence-informed programme design, and effective implementation and scaling.

Working with Youth Futures

CEI collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

As Practice Development and Implementation Partner for Evidence into Action, CEI’s primary role is to synthesise and translate current evidence available on On/Off the job training and support delivery partners to apply evidence into existing or pilot programmes and embed and sustain evidence-based practice approaches.

About

IES is a leading independent centre for applied research and insight on employment, workforce, and labour markets.

Its mission is to help bring about sustainable improvements in employment policy and human resource management by generating and applying the best evidence to build a more inclusive, healthier and empowering world of work. It develops insight on what works across the employment journey – from education and transitions into work, through to workforce management, development, and careers.

Working with Youth Futures

IES collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

NPC is the think tank and consultancy for the impact sector. Its mission is to help charities, foundations, philanthropists, impact investors, social enterprises, businesses, and the public sector to maximise social impact in the lives of the people they serve. It supports individuals and organisations, challenges and inspires the sector, and help to create the conditions for impact.

About

Ipsos is one of the largest providers of research and evaluations in the UK across a range of public policy areas. It supports clients at the forefront of the most pressing and complex policy challenges currently affecting the UK and the world, taking pride in the full spectrum of evaluation services it offers that address these issues.

Working with Youth Futures

Ipsos collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

NatCen is Britain’s largest independent not-for-profit social research organisation, working collaboratively to generate evidence that uncovers the reality of people’s lives in the UK.
Driven by the power of understanding, NatCen delivers exceptional value for money by pairing steadfast independence with the ability to ask the right questions that unlock truly rigorous evaluation evidence. Its non-profit commitment ensures every resource is dedicated to providing the bold clarity that enables clients to act with certainty and make life better

Working with Youth Futures

NatCen collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

About

BIT is a global research and innovation consultancy which uses a deep understanding of human behaviour to improve people’s lives. Its work spans the full delivery lifecycle – insight, intervention, evaluation, and capacity building.

Working with Youth Futures

Insights Team collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

Currently, it is conducting an evaluation of the demonstrator phase of our Building Futures programme.

About

The Youth Endowment Fund was established in March 2019 by children’s charity Impetus, with a £200m endowment and ten year mandate from the Home Office.

Its mission is to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.

It is part of the What Works Network, an initiative to improve the way government and other public sector organisations create, share and use high quality evidence in decision-making.

About

Cordis Bright supports funders and delivery partners to build robust, actionable evidence on what improves young people’s employment outcomes, particularly for those facing structural disadvantage. It combines rigorous mixed-methods evaluation with participatory approaches that centre young people’s lived experience, to understand what works, for whom and in what contexts. Its work helps strengthen programmes, inform investment decisions and contribute to more effective, place-based change.

Working with Youth Futures

Cordis Bright collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

Currently, it is an evaluation partner for our What Works programme, and previously evaluated our on Inspiring Futures programme.

About

An independent social enterprise facilitating collaboration and place-based change.

Working with Youth Futures

Renaisi collaborates with us on research and evaluation activity as a member of our evaluation panel.

Renaisi is the learning partner for the first phase of Connected Futures.

From July 2022 Renaisi has supported the participating partnerships to:

• build and develop innovative research approaches
• reflect on local systems and learning
• share skills and knowledge

Renaisi have also worked to understand common themes and share insights on place-based youth employment support with the wider sector.

About

The Center for Evidence-Based Management (CEBMa) is the leading authority on evidence-based practice in the field of management and leadership. It is an independent, non-profit foundation that provides education and support to managers, leaders, consultants, teachers and others who want to enhance their understanding of how an evidence based approach helps people in organisations make better decisions.