The Engage programme – delivered by the Northampton Saints Foundation: A process and outcome evaluation

The Engage programme, is an advanced inclusion programme supporting young people aged 7-16-years-old who are struggling with mainstream schooling, either because they have been excluded due to behaviour or because they are experiencing anxiety about attending and are awaiting support from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service). The aim of the programme is to help raise young people’s confidence and self-esteem and provide them with the right support to allow them to return to mainstream education where possible. Reach The two OPFCC/NSVPP funding cycles of 1st April 2023 – 24 and 1st April 2024 – 25, have directly funded 31 young people to access the Engage Programme. Of the 31 young people referred into the Engage Programme: • 45% (14) had a Positive Progression • 26% (8) are still involved in the programme (as of April 2025) • 19% (6) left due to an External Circumstance • 6% (2) left due to an Unsuccessful Placement • 3% (1) did not start the programme Effectiveness Ten-week participation surveys, completed by five young people, demonstrated progress against the intended outcomes of the Engage programme, which are improved confidence, coping skills, wellbeing, communication skills, aspirations, and school attendance. “Has given me tools to have conversations with adults and other young people.” “I have started going out to play more, sometimes by myself, sometimes with friends.” “It has helped me regulate my emotions and concentrate more in class so I can learn more.” Example quotes from survey responses. Adoption Attending system-wide network meetings was viewed as a valuable approach to raising referral organisations’ awareness of the Engage programme and securing additional funding. Using network meetings to raise awareness was also identified as the preferred way to receive information by the referral organisation who provided a programme case study, as it builds trust quicker and cuts through the inundation of emails. The Foundation have observed a greater interest in referrals from Primary schools, which the NSVPP may be able to strategically support as it aligns with the Strategic Needs Assessment recommendations. Furthermore, the Foundation has the desire to collaborate with schools so they can offer support before exclusions happen. Again, this is something the NSVPP could facilitate as exclusions are a recognised risk factor for serious violence. The ethos of the Foundation’s approach to collaboration aligns strong with the whole-systems approach, as they recognise they can reach and impact the young people of Northamptonshire more effectively through cross organisation collaboration. Implementation The Foundation have continued to improve the long running Engage programme by developing their child-centred approach so staff approach conversations with young people from a mindset of curiosity and individualism. Certainly, this approach is what the referral organisation’s case study recognised as the greatest success of the programme, particularly as the programme has horizontally scaled-up in recent years, with two new hubs opening in Kettering and Milton Keynes. Maintenance The Foundation have focused on developing the capability and capacity of the programme to maintain its sustainability. They recently appointed a Youth Counsellor, Wellbeing lead, who has delivered trauma training to all staff so they can confidently support their young people, while referral more complex cases to the Youth Counsellor. Furthermore, they are building capacity to support more complex cases by hosting placement for trainee Youth Counsellors, which also builds the capacity of the system workforce to support young people. They are also developing a Youth Panel to ensure the voice of young people informs their strategy and service delivery. The Foundation are trying to build stronger relationships with schools to provide a more phased transition back into education for the young people they support. The NSVPP could support this as transition phases are recognised as key factors for future serious violence incidents and the Foundation currently receive little information about their young people’s reintegration with education once they leave the Engage programme. IPSCJ Recommended Next Steps • The NSVPP could explore ways to raise awareness of local offers among communities and referral organisations to maximise the reach of these programmes and explore how partnership working can be used to support the scaling-up of effective programmes. • The Saints Foundations are provided with further reading at the end of this report to help them with the development of a Youth Panel and scaling-up their programme, such as the 9-step guidance provided by WHO: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241500319 • For evaluation, the NSVPP should allow the Saints Foundation to choose what evaluation support they need to inform their service delivery, e.g. establishing school outcomes monitoring, and they should support monitoring to ensure delivery partners’ data can be pooled to determine the overall reach and impact of the Serious Violence Duty Strategy.