Is a music-based mentoring programme delivered with young people aged 11 - 17 years involved in or deemed to be at risk of involvement in violent or non-violent offending, focused on managing behaviour and developing positive relationships and a pro-social identity, an effective approach to reducing young people’s future engagement in delinquent behaviour compared to business-as-usual services?

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
The SHIFT mentoring programme is a voluntary 1:1 music mentoring intervention. It aims to support young people to develop more positive relationships, improve their behaviour, and enhance their wellbeing, with the ultimate aim of reducing delinquent behaviour. Conducting an efficacy study of SHIFT will add to the limited robust evidence base for what works to reduce offending among young people in the UK.

The present, YEF funded work is being commissioned in the context of local research which shows:
1. Concern in Sussex over what the Violence Reduction Partnership considers to be a high proportion of serious violent crime committed by young people (Sussex Violence Reduction Partnership, 2022).
2. Worse or increasing levels of some indicators that may increase young people’s risk of involvement in violence in Sussex compared with the national rate (Sussex Violence Reduction Partnership, 2022).
3. High numbers of young people associated with violence in Sussex and participating in VRP projects have been excluded or are absent from school, have special educational needs, have low educational attainment, have poor mental health and relationships, or are experiencing criminal exploitation (Sussex Violence Reduction Partnership, 2022).
4. Over-representation of minoritised ethnic groups the criminal justice system (Ministry of Justice, 2021).

The SHIFT music mentoring model as an approach to prevent or reduce delinquent behaviour for young people is based on evidence which shows:
1. The impact of mentoring approaches: The YEF toolkit highlights that mentoring programmes can positively impact outcomes which are often associated with later involvement in violence, such as substance misuse, behavioural difficulties, educational outcomes, social connections, and emotional health (Gaffney, Jolliffe, and White, 2022).
2. The potential benefit of structured arts-based interventions:
2.1 ‘Non-traditional approaches’ that involve creative, dynamic and multisensory music-based strategies can lead to improvements in engagement and mental health for adolescents in diverse contexts (Rowdin et al., 2022).
2.2 A systematic review commissioned by YEF found that arts-based interventions may lead to positive emotions, the development of a sense of self, development of positive personal relationships for young people at risk of, or already involved in, violence and/or crime (Mansfield et al, 2024). However, there is a need for more rigorous quantitative evaluation evidence to support this (Mansfield et al, 2024; Daykin et al, 2011).
2.3 Music-based interventions similar to SHIFT may improve mental wellbeing (Noise Solution, 2023) and encourage engagement with statutory services (for example, increasing the likelihood of young people attending YOT appointments) (Caulfield et al., 2020).
2.4 Interventions focusing on pro-social leisure or recreation should be structured or have a skills-based focus to be potentially beneficial in preventing offending (HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2023).
3 The importance of personalised approaches:
3.1 Targeted programmes which consider the individual characteristics and needs of young people are more likely to reduce attrition and reoffending rates (Christensen, Hagler, and Stams et al., 2020).
3.2 Voluntary participation tailored to individual interests, taking a trauma-informed approach encourages better engagement by young people with services than statutory interventions for this cohort (Big Lottery Fund, 2018).

The SHIFT approach responds to this evidence-base by offering a personalised, 18-week music mentoring intervention. Previous qualitative evaluation of SHIFT indicates that the approach may have a positive impact on young people’s mood, confidence, emotional regulation, behaviour, relationships, motivation and attitude (National Children’s Bureau, 2023). The YEF-funded RCT of SHIFT aims to build on this promising evidence, utilising a more robust evaluation approach to understand the impact of the model.

Who can participate?
The programme will work with young people aged 11-17 who live or attend school in West Sussex, East Sussex or Brighton and Hove who have offended or are at risk of offending due to risk factors such as violent behaviour, educational exclusion and associations with peers involved in offending.

What does the study involve?
The Efficacy Trial is a two-arm, parallel randomised controlled trial (RCT). All young people referred into the project, who meet the eligibility criteria and who consent to be part of the evaluation complete a baseline questionnaire before being allocated at random to a treatment or control group on a 1:1 basis.

Young people in the treatment group are paired with a mentor. The mentor delivers 18 weekly 90 minute face-to-face music mentoring sessions. At exit from the programme (within 6 months) young people complete a Time 2 (T2) questionnaire.

Young people who are allocated to the control group will receive light-touch signposting and safeguarding support, provided by a member of the AudioActive team based in each of the three local authorities. Young people in the control group will be offered a maximum of three one-to-one one-hour check-in meetings with a local authority-based control group practitioner. Those in the control group attend a meeting after six months during which they complete a T2 questionnaire.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The possible benefits of participating in the study include improved wellbeing and reduced involvement in delinquent behaviour.

Risks of participating in the study include:
1. Young people could be triggered or upset by topics in questionnaires. Mitigations against this include (a) SHIFT practitioners receive training in how to support young people who may be affected in this way and direct them to further safeguarding or other appropriate support services and (b) SHIFT practitioners are experienced youth support workers who have extensive experience of conducting work with vulnerable young people, and they receive additional training from the experienced research team before tools are rolled out.
2. Young people in the control group might not receive the support needed which could lead to adverse consequences. The mitigation is they will be safeguarded and signposted to “business as usual” services.

Where is the study run from?
SHIFT is being delivered by Audio Active, located in Brighton and Hove. The evaluation team is Cordis Bright, based in London (UK).

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
November 2023 to September 2026

Who is funding the study?
The Youth Endowment Fund (UK)

Who is the main contact?
Dr Kathryn Lord, kathrynlord@cordisbright.co.uk

Contact information

Study information

Eligibility

Locations

Countries of recruitment

• England
• United Kingdom

Study participating centres

Sponsor information

Funders

Funder type

Charity

Results and Publications

Editorial Notes

24/09/2024: Trial's existence confirmed by Royal Holloway University of London Research Ethics Committee.