When young people leaving care move towards living independently, it can be a turbulent time due to a lack of support. Rising numbers of young people leaving care in England are facing homelessness, but Staying Close aims to change that by offering safe housing and tailored assistance. 

Developed by the Department for Education (DfE), the initiative aims to provide a robust support system for those embarking on a journey of independent living after leaving care.  

The programme has been designed to enhance wellbeing, build stronger relationships, decrease housing insecurity, and boost engagement in education, employment, or training (EET). 

Measuring Impact

In the pursuit of understanding the true impact of the Staying Close programme,  Foundations undertook a thorough feasibility study from May 2022 to March 2023 in collaboration with 15 local authorities (LAs) that were awarded funding for implementing the programme. The study focused on planning a comprehensive evaluation of the programme and addressing the crucial questions surrounding its impact.

Key findings from the feasibility study

The study uncovered insights that will shape an upcoming evaluation that will be led by the Centre for Homelessness Impact. 

Due to changes in policy objectives and increased funding, a randomised design was deemed impractical for evaluating the Staying Close programme. Instead, the study recommended an evaluation that offers a more nuanced approach to estimate the programme's impact on desired outcomes. The evaluation will focus on two main outcomes: accommodation changes and education, employment and training.

The need for better data

The study found that it’s important to look at whether young people are in EET and how socially connected they are. But Foundations identified a problem: there is not enough good data to assess how well young people are connected with others, and this data cannot be compared properly to see the programme’s impact.

To fix this, the study suggests carrying out more work to figure out how to measure social connectedness and collecting the data with the goal of understanding the quality of relationships amongst young people who are leaving care.

Because of these findings, Foundations has invited CHI to take charge of the evaluation. With experience of measuring education, employment, and accommodation outcomes, and our involvement throughout the feasibility study we are able to ensure that evaluation continues, getting us all a step closer to fully understanding how Staying Close is making an impact.

Dr Aoife O’Higgins, Director of Evidence at Foundations – What Works for Children & Families, said:

“Far too many young people leaving care, and residential care in particular, have insecure housing and lack employment, education or training (EET) opportunities. Among others, these are critical markers of future success for young people. CHI have significant knowledge and expertise in evaluating programmes that capture housing and EET outcomes, and worked closely with us throughout the feasibility study of Staying Close. We are delighted that CHI are able to take the baton and ensure Staying Close is robustly evaluated, ensuring all young people leaving care benefit from effective programmes and have better life outcomes.”

Next steps and timeline

The Centre's board of evaluators has appointed Verian, in collaboration with Simetrica-Jacobs and the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research at Heriot-Watt University, to spearhead this evaluation.

Verian has been appointed to conduct the evaluation. Led by Evaluation Director Adam Knight-Makiegi, the team comprises leading policy and evaluation experts, including Dr. Beth Watts-Cobbe, a renowned academic advisor specialising in youth homelessness research and policy.

The evaluation kicked off in October 2023, with the final report being ready in early 2025. The evaluation process will follow a matching design where the outcomes of 50 local areas that have implemented the design will be compared with 50 control areas. Regular updates, progress reports, and meetings will be part of the evaluation process, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Staying up to date

With the journey towards evaluating the Staying Close programme now fully underway, we look forward to gaining valuable insights into the programme’s impact. We hope the findings can be used to help better support young people achieve better outcomes in their transition to independent living.