8. Conclusion
On this page:
This section summarises the conclusions of the SROI analysis.
8.1 Summary of value created
This project projected the costs and expected benefits of the Youth Prevention and Diversion program over a five year period (July 2014 to Jun 2019). Stakeholder consultation was a key component of the analysis in order to identify and understand the changes likely to be created in the future. The SROI analysis then measured and valued the outcomes experienced by stakeholders.
The Youth Prevention and Diversion program has had a substantial impact on the lives of young Aboriginal people in Smithton (Tasmania) who are at risk of offending, which has flow on effects to their families, community mentors and the justice system. Between 2010 and 2013, 55 per cent of the young people involved in the program did not reoffend.15 This compares favourably to multiple studies of youth recidivism that have found the juvenile reoffending rate to be 68 per cent (i.e. only 32 per cent did not reoffend).16 Of the participants that did offend, 36 per cent re-offended only once.
The total value created by the program is the unique value created by the Youth Prevention and Diversion program for the stakeholders attributable to the projected investment during FY15 to FY19. The following table is a summary of the value created for each stakeholder group.
| Stakeholders | Outcomes due to Youth Prevention and Diversion | Value creation ('000) | Value per stakeholder group ('000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Young people | 1.1 Increased self-esteem |
$665 |
$2,107 |
| 1.2 Increased engagement in meaningful activity |
$613 |
||
| 1.3. More positive connections to others |
$309 |
||
| 1.4 Reduced likelihood of detention or incarceration in the future |
$520 |
||
| 2. Family and Significant Others | 2.1 Improve communication between family members |
$107 |
$150 |
| 2.2 Increase engagement in lives of the young people in their care |
$44 |
||
| 3. Community mentors | 3.1 Increased sense of pride from contribution to community |
$355 |
$355 |
| 4. Justice system | 4.1 Reduction in anti-social behaviour |
$117 |
$2,147 |
| 4.2 Decreased number of young people offending |
$116 |
||
| 4.3 Decreased number of young people in detention |
$1,916 |
||
| Total Value Created (FY2015-19) | $4.8m |
||
| Investment | $0.8m |
||
| SROI Ratio | 6:1 |
||
Our analysis indicates that the Youth Prevention and Diversion program will deliver $4.8m of social value in a five year period between FY15 and FY19. Based on a projected investment of $850k, this results in an SROI ratio of 6:1. That is, approximately $6 of value is forecast to be created for every $1 invested in the program activities. If the anticipated funding from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (approx. $139k per annum) is considered independently, the Social Return on Investment ratio is 7:1.
Due to the program preventing young people from engaging in anti-social and criminal behaviour, it is forecast that it will be possible for the justice system to reallocate resources that would ordinarily be used to address these issues. Based on average policing, courts, juvenile justice and detention costs, this equates to almost $430k per annum, which is far greater than the amount that is expected to be invested in the program. The SROI ratio is 3:1 when only justice outcomes are included.
8.2 Insights
The Youth Prevention and Diversion program's intensive support model leads to a holistic transformation of young people's lives that will enable them to break the cycle of offending and re-offending. It has a number of critical elements:
Experienced, committed staff
Dedication and the unique skills of the case worker are key to the success of the program, particularly in helping young people increase self-esteem. A number of program design elements have been identified as critical in being able to achieve these results: long-term intervention, continuity of relationship, intensive effort that is responsive to the needs of the individual young people and culturally appropriate support.
However, the young people never really consider themselves to be part of the program. They always refer to the case worker as the key and only reason they see change in their lives. This is because of the bond that is created between the case worker and the young people, the individual support that they receive and the amount of time the case workers spends with each young person individually. This relationship is fundamental to young people increasing their self-esteem which is the most valuable outcome from the perspective of the young people.
The case worker and the CHAC CEO spend significantly more time supporting the young people than they are funded for. The young people that the program works with require a significant amount of support and individual oversight. This means that the case worker and the CHAC CEO often have to provide support to the young people outside of their working hours. This time is essential to the success of the program, as the young people need to not only hear but to see that someone cares enough for them to be there for them when needed.
Long-term, tailored approach
This analysis suggests that intensive rather than piecemeal support is required to transform the lives of young people with high support needs who are at risk of offending or incarceration due to multiple risk factors such as alcohol and drug use, mental health and family dysfunction.
A successful transition to healthy adulthood increases as young people are able to not only satisfy their basic needs but also work to develop self-esteem, engage in meaningful activities and develop positive connections with the work around them. Only this holistic transformation allows long-term benefits of reduced unlawful behaviour and reduced risk of recidivism to be experienced.
Although it takes a long time to reap all the benefits of the program, even relatively small changes experienced by the young people are significant to them given the challenges they face in their lives.
The five stages of the journey are documented in Section 4.4 and summarised in Figures 4.2. These five stages represent the path young people embark on during the program and continue to develop after they exit the program.
Local community knowledge
Those involved in administering the justice system, especially the local police force, benefit from the closeness of the CHAC staff with the local Aboriginal community as well as the trust and respect the program receives from the young people. The local police rely on the case worker to bridge the gap between the Aboriginal community and police, as they acknowledge that many people are unwilling to engage with police without the case worker playing an intermediary role.
The program is also beginning to increase efficiency in the local court system by influencing the sentencing of young people who are part of the program. It is becoming increasingly common for the courts to include participation in the program as part of a young person's bail conditions. Through this, the program facilitates fewer young people entering detention immediately and, since rates of recidivism are high among young people, fewer young people in detention in the future.
Establishment of support networks for the young people
The young people that CHAC works with often do not have strong support networks. An explicit aim of the work that the CHAS staff do is to establish connections between the young person, their families and significant others (where it is helpful to do so) and other responsible adults within the community. The CHAC headquarters provides a friendly place where the young people and people in the community can come together.