VRU Community Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Support Pilot Evaluation

The pilot forming the basis of this report emerged from the Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU) public health approach to violence, based on evidence that supporting the whole family should be a part of an integrated approach to reducing violence. The VRU appointed and funded Groundwork and Midaye to deliver the pilot across the two services.

Groundwork’s Strengthening Families programme aimed to provide support to parents/carers of young people aged 11-24, to understand and manage their young person’s well-being and challenging behaviour. The programme included peer support groups, skills-building workshops, and 1:1 support. The Midaye Hope project also aimed to support parents/carers of young people, through 1:1, group and peer-to-peer support.

This was an exploratory evaluation involving a process and impact evaluation across the two services. The evaluation involved qualitative fieldwork (interviews and focus groups) and analysis of quantitative data (surveys and service monitoring data).

This report was made possible by the funding and support of the London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

The report is published by the Coram Institute for Children, the dedicated research and development organisation for children.