Evaluation of the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund

This is an evaluation of the implementation and early outcomes of the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund projects.

The Reducing Reoffending Change Fund is one of three change funds created by the Scottish Government to help drive a decisive shift towards preventative spending. Investing in prevention is crucial to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of public services and to improve outcomes for both service users and their communities. In the case of reoffending, prevention means addressing the risk factors associated with recidivism, and we can do this to greatest effect by working collaboratively.

The Reducing Reoffending Change Fund has two key aims:

1. to provide offenders with substantial one-to-one support through evidence-based mentoring schemes; and

2. to promote strong, equal partnership working between third and public sector organisations.

Year 2-3 funding was allocated in March 2013, and at least 6.5million GBP will be distributed between April 2013 and March 2015.

The purpose of this evaluation is to examine how effective the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund Public Social Partnerships have been at delivering mentoring services to offenders and achieving early outcomes, and why.

The evaluators will conduct fieldwork and analysis across the six projects to evaluate the reducing reoffending change fund as a whole, with an emphasis on lessons for effective mentoring and throughcare, and on the effectiveness of the Public Social Partnership model. They will also support the PSP projects to collect appropriate and where possible consistent data and also support them to conduct robust project level self-evaluation.

Two reports will be published for this evaluation – one before the end of the Change Fund period, and a second examining the subsequent mainstreaming of Change Fund projects.

The project will take place between August 2013 and September 2015.