'Inspiring Futures' - How social impact measurement as a form of organisational performance management can enhance outcomes for children and young people in custody

Since 2008, the number of children and young people entering the youth justice system has reduced, as has the use of custody (YJB, 2018). Despite this decrease, the youth justice system exists in a wider context with austerity measures reducing available resources and provisions for children and young people (UK Children’s Commissioner, 2015), which in turn increases the requirements for effective and sustainable interventions that improve outcomes. Measuring the social impact of custody for children and young people is a nascent area academically, with current measurement approaches focused on output and outcome rather than social impact (Paterson-Young et al., 2017). This research employed a sequential mixed method approach that promoted the active participation of children and young people, as well as staff members in Secure Training Centres (STCs). Results supported the development of a social impact measurement framework to examine the outcomes and social impact of custody on children and young people, and illustrate that the current STC model lacks the multi-stakeholder approach that promotes stakeholder engagement, individual focused interventions, evidence based approaches and service redesign (Hazenberg, Seddon and Denny, 2014). Failure to develop such an approach limits the STCs’ ability to measure the social impact of services which, inevitably, reduces opportunities for developing effective and sustainable services. Before embedding the measurement framework developed from this research, the STCs require significant overhaul to ensure their purpose and direction are clear. Although significant overhaul is required before implementing the SIM framework, research findings contributed to the development of a rehabilitative environment model that identifies the measurement factors contributing to positive outcomes for children and young people.