Time to Talk Next Steps - Final Evaluation Report

Tt TNS Final evaluation web page July 24 01

Time to Talk Next Steps (TtTNS) has been a three-year (2021 – 2024) rights-based support programme for young people with additional needs aged 16 – 25 in England. The programme has been delivered in partnership by NDTi and Contact, and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Data from across the three years of TtTNS suggests the programme had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the young people who received support. Learning captured during the evaluation highlights that receiving one-to-one support and engaging with the social and training activities provided by the programme offered many benefits.

We are delighted to share the highlights and examples of impact from TtTNS in the following resources:

Programme Aims

The aims of TtTNS evolved during the three years to reflect the changing nature of the programme, but remained focused on:

• building confidence, • reducing anxiety, • supporting young people to recognise their own strengths, • ensuring young people and their families know their rights, • equipping professionals with the knowledge, tools, and techniques to support young people in a person-centered way, • empowering young people to become involved and contribute to programme design including planning, training delivery, resource development and Peer Support Groups.
What did we find out?

Data from across the three years of TtTNS suggests the programme had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the young people who received support. Learning captured during the evaluation highlights that receiving one-to-one support and engaging with the social and training activities provided by the programme offered the following benefits:

Improved confidence; Reduced anxiety; Increased social connections; Raised aspirations; Rights and how to express them
Recommendations

• Free, strength-based support like that provided by TtTNS should be rolled out across England to ensure it is available to as many young people with additional needs as possible. This roll out should be supported and guided by NDTi based on the learning garnered in the last three years, including capturing evidence of how different organisations deliver work to achieve similar outcomes. • Any roll out of the programme should continue to utilise the 'Request for Support' form format and not incorporate a more formal referral process. • The roll out of the programme should consider offering support to those under 16 in a bid to provide more preventative rather than reactive support. The roll out should also consider offering support to those over 25 where the need is high, as well as face-to-face support sessions and support groups. • If possible, NDTi should continue to provide space and support for the established Peer Support Group to continue meeting on a bi-weekly basis. Part of the support offered should include enabling the Group to take steps towards self-governance. • NDTi should continue to work, where possible, with members of the Training Squad and other interested young people, as well as with parent/carers, to develop and deliver Human Rights training for professionals. • Support and information for the parents/carers/families of young people with additional needs in England should continue to be offered via a series of webinars, recordings, and conversation spaces with other parents/carers/family members. • The findings from TtTNS should be widely disseminated to assist mainstream schools to support young people with additional needs/SEND in England. • The findings should be used to inform conversations and the development of new streams of work across NDTi and its partners. • The Research and Evaluation team at NDTi should use the learning from this evaluation to inform future evaluations of programmes for children and young people. In particular, the team should further develop and deliver evaluation training for peer evaluators.