High Cost Interventions
6. At-Risk Youth Mentoring
At-Risk Youth Mentoring programmes provide one-to-one support to young people at risk of exclusion, offending, or disengagement. Mentors act as trusted adults, offering emotional support, guidance, and practical help.
Programmes are typically delivered over 6–24 months and tailored to individual needs, often embedded in schools, youth services, or community settings.
Cost for a 3 year programme:
Staffing: £300,000-£500,000
Training & Supervision: £40,000-£80,000
Programme Materials & Resources: £20,000-£40,000
Referral Systems & Safeguarding: £30,000-£60,000
Evaluation & Reporting: £50,000-£100,000
Total (3 years): £440,000-£780,000
Needs Assessment & Stakeholder Engagement: 2-3 months
Programme Design & Safeguarding Setup: 2 months
Mentor Recruitment & Training: 2-3 months
Pilot Phase: 3-6 months
Full Delivery: 6-12 months
Total: 12-18 months
Annual Staffing & Delivery: £150-£250,000
Ongoing Training & Supervision: £20-£40,000
Monitoring & Evaluation: £30-£50,000.
AMC: £200-£340,000
Lifespan: 3-5 years
Effectiveness
Mentoring programmes are highly effective in reducing violence and offending. The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) says that they reduce violence by 21%, all offending by 14%, and reoffending by 19%.
These programmes are strongest when targeting high-risk youth, and are delivered by trained counsellors. Chance UK's programme showed significant behavioural improvements in primary-aged children, with a break-even point achieved if just 2.5% of participants avoided negative outcomes.
Qualitative studies show mentoring improves self-esteem, behaviour, and relationships amongst adolescents.