The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is interested in research proposals that fit within the following focus areas of its work (illustrative research questions are provided but these are not prescriptive):
- Therapies – what access do young people at risk of becoming involved in violence have to therapies? How does this vary and with what effects? What types of therapeutic support are associated with improved outcomes in violence prevention?
- Education – How does the profile of children missing from education overlap with those at higher risk of becoming involved in violence? What are the relationships between different types of special educational needs and provision and offending? Does having an education and health care plan (ECHP) or statement help prevent violence and offending?
- Diversion from the criminal justice system – what is effective in supporting children suspected or accused of committing a criminal offence? How does support from Youth Justice Teams (YOTs) vary, and with what effects? Has increased use of diversion improved outcomes for children?
They also welcome applications on topics beyond these, as long as they fit within one of the eight focus areas and address a demonstrated evidence gap.
Call for proposals is expected around 13th December, with a deadline for submissions of 29th January 2024. YEF is aiming to fund projects that deliver outputs within 12-18 months of being commissioned. They are interested in proposals which use national datasets as well as datasets that may be held locally. Bids from researchers and data owners who have existing research partnerships (such as police forces, Violence Reduction Units, local authorities etc.) who want to get the most out of their data are welcome to apply.