'Pressing need' for evidence that arts prevent youth offending

A charity working to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence says more robust evidence is needed to build the case for art interventions.

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), which was established in 2019 with a 10-year £200m endowment from the Home Office, partnered with Arts Council England to commission a review on the impact of arts programmes on preventing offending.

It found that while anecdotal evidence supports the benefits of arts-based interventions, there is a lack of robust evaluation and therefore insufficient evidence to definitively prove their effectiveness, which in turn affects the ability to demonstrate value to policymakers and help secure further funding.

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YEF’s website says the research on arts programmes is “very weak”, with “insufficient evidence to calculate an impact rating for arts programmes on reducing violence”.

The review summarised evidence from 43 studies, 19 of which were undertaken in the UK. Most of the studies were conducted in secure settings, community youth services, education settings or activity camps, with studies typically involving around 30 participants. 

“There is a huge appetite to do more [arts programmes] but little robust evaluation exists to support this motivation,” said Ciaran Thapar, YEF Director of Public Affairs and Communications.

“This needs to change, so we can better and more confidently advocate for interventions in this space.”

Some of the qualitative studies included in the review found participants to express emotional experiences, engage in creative learning, develop positive personal relationships and improve self-esteem.

“I've delivered a wide range of creative writing and music culture workshops in pupil referral units, youth offending institutes and schools over the last decade,” Thaper added. “In doing so, I’ve seen first-hand how leveraging artistic expression can help young people to communicate their emotions, build trusted relationships and develop life and career skills.”

Successful implementation

YEF’s website offers advice for successfully implementing art-based interventions.

It says facilitators should be skilled artists the children or young people feel they can relate to and the activity should be culturally relevant and reflecting their tastes and interests. It adds that programmes should be delivered in a way that promotes self-expression in a non-judgemental and safe environment.

The charity says arts programmes could take the form of music making, listening to and discussing music, crafts such as jewellery making, dance, theatre and drama, making films or podcasts, creative writing and poetry, photography, painting, sculpture and pottery, or the digital arts.

Some arts interventions are set up to act as a hook that engages young people in other forms of support, such as mentoring.

YEF’s examination of mentoring programmes found an average reduction of 21% in violence, 14% in all offending and 19% in reoffending. The charity says the argument for arts-based interventions as a way to prevent violence is strengthened when its coupled with approaches supported by more research.

One ongoing project, which YEF is currently funding and evaluating, is United Borders, a 10-week programme designed to reduce behavioural issues, foster stronger personal relationships and improve well-being and self-esteem.

Operating from a converted double-decker bus in north London, the music mentoring programme sees young people attend weekly music production sessions where they are also guided by a mentor.

United Borders founder Justin Finlayson says the project guides young people “to better choices which can change their experiences and ultimately divert them from a life that seemed pre-destined for them”. 

“Music is not just an avenue for enjoyment and creativity, it’s a bridge for forging meaningful connections,” Finlayson said.

“It empowers these young minds to view their circumstances not as isolated or isolating, but as reflections of their experiences.”