Research and evaluation directory

Search our directory which contains information and links to published research studies and project evaluations helping to expand the evidence base and demonstrate the impact of mentoring and befriending both in the UK and across the world.

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• Evaluation of the Mind Prison Mentoring Service in the North East

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2013 An independent evaluation of the Mind Prison Mentoring Service in the North East

• The development and impact of community services for women offenders: an evaluation

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2013 This evaluation examined six services developed in third sector partnerships for women offenders in the community

• IntoUniversity Impact Report 2013

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2013 This report has analysis of the evidence for the impact of IntoUniversity, including the wider social and economic benefits of their work

• Parent-to-parent support – does it help?

  Research type: Year of publication: 2012 This summary of the research shows a need to look more closely at peer support services and the methods used to study them

• Summary Evaluation of SSAFA Forces Help transitional mentoring for wounded, injured and sick service personnel

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2012 Summary evaluation of a pilot volunteering mentoring scheme to support injured military personnel transition successfully to civilian life

• Foundations and Futures – New Bridge Befriending Service Evaluation Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2012 Evaluation report

• Talk and Support Project for Family Carers in Suffolk: benefits and impact 2010-2011 evaluation report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2012 An independent evaluation of a telephone support scheme for adult carers which assesses the benefits and overall impact of the project to their lives and well-being

• Peer mentoring opportunities for looked after children and care leavers

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2012 Based on the results of a small project exploring services and research around peer mentoring in Scotland

• Analysing the need and success of the Institute of Fundraising South West’s Mentoring Programme Pilot

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Outlines nine key factors in the mentoring pilot’s success

• An analysis of the impact of Chance UK’s mentoring programme

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 Research report shows positive impact of mentoring

• Running a Befriending Project for Adults with Learning Disabilities – The Final Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2012 Describes the background, achievements and outcomes of this person-centred befriending approach

• Report of the Older People’s Inquiry into ‘That Bit of Help’

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 The chosen ‘baker’s dozen’ of small ways to make life better for older people includes befriending

• Care a stepping stone to custody? The views of children in care on the links between care, offending and custody

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 Mentoring identified as one of the protective factors against offending with this client group

• Tackling homophobia and transphobia in settings supporting young people

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 Outlines useful recommendations and findings that can be used to push for more resources to challenge homophobia and transphobia

• A guide to impact assessment within volunteer involving organisations

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 A guide to help you assess the impact that your organisation is having within your community

• Language Mentoring Evaluation 2010-11

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Read about key benefits of the scheme including 91% of students reporting an increase in their vocabulary

• Business Mentoring Evaluation 2010-11

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Findings from the Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership Business Mentoring Scheme

• Evaluation of the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation’s Pilot Project on Peer Mentoring for Information, Advice and Guidance

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Conclusions drawn include that the project is flexible for adaptation to particular school structures

• Peer Mentoring in Schools: a review of the evidence base of the benefits of peer mentoring in schools including findings from the MBF Outcomes Measurment Programme

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 Findings reveal that programmes that are more formalised and include training, support and management of mentors are more beneficial in terms of impact

• M&M Project Year 1 Evaluation

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Evaluation of a pilot that aimed to find out how effective mentoring and befriending schemes can be to ending rough sleeping

• Mentoring for Progression: Prison Mentoring project – assessing strengths, outcomes and roll-out potential

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 An independent report which suggests that this peer mentoring project has significant capacity to reduce offending and support positive and transformative changes in the behaviour and life chances of offenders

• Senior peer mentors’ experiences of supporting the home-based Otago Exercise Programme: A descriptive phenomenological study within a randomised controlled trial

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 A qualitative study with data collected from 10 peer mentors within the scheme

• Dignity in Practice: An exploration of the care of older adults in acute NHS Trusts

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 A key finding was that the use of volunteers to assist staff could be used to great effect to reduce the social isolation of many older people on acute wards and improve patient dignity

• The impact of cyber-bullying on young people’s mental health

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 A report of a research project led by a team of young people to explore the impact of cyberbullying on the mental health of young people

• Chronic Conditions Management Demonstrators Evaluation Report.

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 North Wales CCM Demonstrator Community Health Guardians – evaluation of progress

• Evaluation of a Smoking Cessation Befriending Project

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2008 The project offered face to face and telephone support to people who wanted to stop smoking by matching them with a volunteer from their community who would provide them with encouragement and support

• Evaluation of Online Mentoring Project supporting young people who are NEET

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 Supporting young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET in Reading and Wokingham

• The Protective Influence of Mentoring on Adolescents’ Substance Use: Direct and Indirect Pathways

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2005 This study found that being matched for longer than 12 months had significant positive impacts on the frequency of substance use and on parental relationships

• Volunteering in Probation – an evaluation of the Kirklees Mentoring Project

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Aim of the project was to improve the successful completion rates of Community Orders, to break down barriers to compliance and assist offenders to build pro-social links within the community

• Sussex Region Coastal Communities Programme Final Evaluation Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Report of a programme which brought universities and local communities together to address health and well-being needs

• Peer mentoring in Higher Education

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 A review of the current literature and recommendations for implementation of mentoring schemes

• Mentoring young people leaving care – Someone for me

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2005 Explores longer term mentoring and befriending for young people leaving care

• Time Well Spent: A practical guide to active citizenship and volunteering in prison

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 Report based on evidence from a survey of prisons and interviews with prisoners and staff involved in active citizenship schemes and includes examples of a range of mentoring interventions

• Someone just for me. Independent visitors: the benefits for looked after children and young people

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 A briefing looking at the benefits of Independent Visitors in their befriending role to looked after children and young people

• Is the befriending service at York and District Mind meeting the needs and expectations of the service users?

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Examines the effects of mental ill-health and the goals of befriending at York and District Mind befriending service and finds that the service meets the needs of its service users

• Befriending: cost-effective community care

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 1989 Benefits of a volunteer befriending scheme set up to support users of psychiatric services in Nottinghamshire

• Health Buddies in Schools: a Peer Led Sexual Health and Relationships Education Project in two Dundee Secondary Schools

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 An article outlining details of Health Buddies in Schools (HBIS) , a pilot peer-led sexual health and relationships education project which took place in two Dundee secondary schools between August 2009 and March 2010

• Mums 4 Mums: structured telephone peer-support for women experiencing postnatal depression

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Proposed study for the evaluation of a peer support scheme for mothers experience postnatal depression

• ‘No white coat between us’. Developing peer support services for kidney patients

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2008 Describes how peer support services for kidney patients were developed in two renal units in South London and includes evaluation findings

• The Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) – Interim report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 Interim evaluation of a model which includes a volunteer parent mentoring programme to support parent with substance misuse problems

• An evaluation of a young disabled people’s peer mentoring/support project

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2003 Found that barriers to independence can be reduced by supporting young disabled people to meet and work together on common issues plus other positive conclusions

• Improving support for young carers

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 Focuses on the work undertaken by 18 local authorities to develop support to address the needs of families with young carers. It explores some of the positive outcomes and showcases good practice developed in this field including volunteer mentoring

• How can local authorities with less money support better outcomes for older people?

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 Draws on evidence and includes befriending as one of the valued interventions that older people would like, arguing that local agencies should work together to shape a local market of self-help and support, thinking beyond conventional ‘social care’ and involving older people in design of support

• Befriending Excluded Families in Tower Hamlets: The Emotional Labour of Family Support Workers in Cases of Child Protection and Family Support

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 An article that describes the befriending of severely excluded families, particularly Bangladeshi and Somali families, in Tower Hamlets, East London by Family Support Workers

• Exploring the anti-bullying role of a befriending peer support programme: a case study within the primary school setting in Northern Ireland

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 An abstract of a journal article which presents a case study of a befriending peer support intervention

• Raising awareness and promoting positive mental health and wellbeing among young people: the role of peer support

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 Looks at the role of peer support in schools in relation to promoting positive mental health among young people

• Face to face

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 A journal article which reports on early successes from a unique mentoring project for forced migrants

• Resilience Through Life – Conference Report 2010

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 An exploration of theory and practice and how it applies to the transitions we face. Includes an examination of the links between resilience and befriending

• Report of the Resilience Knowledge Exchange Seminar

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 A seminar that that brought together a group of people with experience and interest in the area of resilience in children and young people

• Safeguarding the Convoy – a call to action from the Campaign to End Loneliness

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 The Campaign to End Loneliness aims to create connections in older age and this report collates evidence for what seems to reduce loneliness and befriending is one intervention explored

• Telebefriending and telephone support services for people with sight loss

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 A research discussion paper which assesses the impact of telebefriending schemes, shows how they can be most effective and sets out challenges for their future development

• Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Housing Support Services for People with Mental Health Problems: A Review

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 Reviews the effectiveness measures already in use and considers the development of an evaluation methodology that could become the benchmark for future research and evaluation of housing support for people with mental health problems

• Evaluation of the SOVA Nottingham Children’s Mentoring Project

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 This project aimed to provide six months of mentoring for children aged 8-12 who were experiencing difficulties in their life and at risk of getting entangled in criminal activity or anti-social behaviours. Over 80% of the children who received mentoring achieved one or more of their personal goals

• Beyond the gate: securing employment for offenders

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 A summary of the findings from an 18 month employment of offenders partnership programme: in-work mentoring and peer mentoring are included as part of supporting employees and skills training

• Evaluation of the generations together programme – learning so far

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2011 Findings from the evaluation of the Generations Together Demonstrator programme which explored intergenerational practice – mentoring and befriending projects were included in the programme

• Something to smile about – promoting and supporting the educational and recreational needs of refugee children

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 The Supporting and Mentoring in Learning and Education (SMILE) project was a three-year project set up by the Refugee Council in 2008. This report presents the findings of three years of action research that was conducted as part of the project

• Tackling knife crime together – a review of local anti-knife crime projects

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 This report is the result of a fact-finding mission by Brooke Kinsella into the work of schemes designed to prevent young people carrying and using knives.  A range of mentoring schemes are included

• Volunteering – The Business Case

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 Reports on the benefits of corporate volunteering programmes in education and higlights the positive effects of employee volunteer mentoring programmes for business

• Befriending at a distance

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2005 An evaluation of a pilot distance befriending service for adults with mental health needs living in the Scottish Highlands

• Volunteering – A Bridge to Integration. An Evaluation of the Horizons Project

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2006 The Horizons Project was run by Refugee Action in Manchester assisting refugees and asylum seekers to find high quality volunteering opportunities

• uPeer Evaluation Report – Peer Mentoring in Post-16 Education

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2004 uPeer is a mentoring project where students in post-16 education are trained to assist other students who may benefit from one-to-one support

• Unit 2 Befriending Scheme – University of Stirling Evaluation for Aberlour Child Care Trust – Summary

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2006 An evaluation summary of the Youth Crime component of the Unit 2 Befriending Scheme. The project aims were to recruit befrienders and match them with young people aged 8-16 at risk of offending, already involved in offending, a victim or witness of crime

• This is Mentoring. An evaluation of mentoring for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in Scotland. Final Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2005 Findings of a study of mentoring services for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in Scotland

• Take Part interim report – second year evaluation of the Take Part programme

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 Reflects the interim findings from the CDF evaluation of Take Part, a three year programme of support for active citizenship and learning funded by Communities and Local Government

• Evaluation of Capital Volunteering

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2008 Capital Volunteering aims to tackle issues of mental health and social inclusion through volunteering. Befriending and mentoring volunteering opportunities are some of those available to people recovering from mental ill-health

• The Safe Moves Initiative: an evaluation

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2004 Summary of an evaluation of the Safe Moves Initiative which was set up to test a new model of preventing homelessness among young people. Peer mentoring was part of the support on offer

• Report of a befriending service for refugee and asylum seekers (Sure Start Foleshill)

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2005 Explores the development of the Sure Start Friends initiative from Sure Start Foleshill – a pilot study of befriending with refugees and asylum seekers

• QMConnect Peer Mentoring Project Evaluation Report 2005/06

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2006 Findings of an evaluation of the experience of mentees and mentors who took part in the QMConnect Student Mentoring Project during the academic year 2005-06 – the scheme supports new undergraduates

• North Staffordshire Community Chaplaincy Project – Independent Evaluation

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2006 A chaplaincy project which aims to link with ex-offenders to reduce re-offending. Volunteer mentors are part of the approach used and this report includes interviews with some of the mentors

• Moving Forward with Mentoring: an Evaluation of the Transitional Support Scheme in Wales

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 This scheme aims to provide ‘through the gate’ mentoring support for short sentence prisoners following their release from custody

• Money, Mentoring and Making Friends: The Impact of a Multidimensional Access Program on Student Performance

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 Study of a university access program that provides financial, academic and social support to low socioeconomic status (SES) students

• Local Authority Child Poverty Innovation Pilot Evaluation: Second Synthesis Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 Second report from the national evaluation of the Local Authority Child Poverty Innovation Pilot (LAIP) – three of the pilots included mentoring models

• Generations in Action: Final Evaluation Report (2004)

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2004 The GIA (Generations in Action) programme aims to enable older people to engage in helping younger members of the community through the use of mentoring and other one-to-one activities

• Foster care association development project: full report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 Report for the Foster Care Association Network: a forum for change which aimed to bring foster carers and Foster Care Associations together to promote self-help and develop peer support and mentoring

• Evaluation Report – Trust Mentoring Project – Pendle

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2004 Covers the work of the Trust Mentoring Project in Pendle between Nov 2002 and Dec 2003 and looked at mentoring support for young people who had offended and for those at risk of offending, underachievers and those excluded from school, care leavers and unemployed young people

• Evaluation of the Peer Mentoring Scheme, Aimhigher Lincolnshire and Rutland

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2006 Evaluation of the peer mentoring initiative (Study Buddies), funded through the Aimhigher programme and operating in a number of schools within the area. The aim of the scheme is to involve older students in the mentoring of young pupils in specific subjects such as maths

• Evaluation of the Pathways to Employment Project

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2006 This project supported unemployed people through advice, training and mentoring to develop their confidence and raise aspirations

• Evaluation of Fostering Network Scottish Care Leavers Mentoring Projects. Final Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2005 This project supported the establishment of six mentoring projects for young people leaving care

• Evaluation of a home visiting and befriending scheme for young mothers: Newpin

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 1991 Evaluation of a befriending scheme set up to support families with young children and aiming to prevent child abuse

• Deep Outreach (Mentoring service)

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2007 This pilot is a new style of service for older people who have experienced some kind of down turn in their lives, often leading to loneliness, isolation and actual or a risk of social exclusion

• An evaluation of NCVCCO’s parent mentoring project

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2005 Results of an evaluation of a pilot parent mentoring project whose aim was to train mentors to enable parents of secondary school children to help support parents of younger children

• An evaluation of befriending services in New Zealand

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2004 Provides information on the scope, nature and the future of befriending services in New Zealand

• Birmingham Resettlement Mentoring Forum – Mentoring Referrals and Co-ordination Project Independent Evaluation

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 Commissioned by the New Hope Mentoring Programme on behalf of the Birmingham Resettlement Mentoring Forum (BRMF) of a pilot of a mentoring referrals service for prisons working in and around the Birmingham area

• St Giles Trust Peer Advice Project: An Evaluation

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 Report of a three year intensive evaluation into the St Giles Trust flagship Peer Advice Programme which uses peer advisors, often ex-offenders, to support offenders pre and post release

• Plymouth College of Art E-Mentoring Project 2008/09 Final Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 Investigated ways in which mentors can facilitate progression into Higher Education study for ‘widening participation’ students in Further Education

• National Evaluation of Partnerships for Older People Projects – Final Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 Evaluation of the POPP pilot sites which were funded to develop services for older people aimed at improving their health, well-being and independence. Befriending and mentoring were elements of some of the sites

• Evaluation of a Chinese Mental Health Advocacy and Support Project

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 A three-year pilot project that aimed to improve access to health care services for Chinese people with mental health needs and to improve their experiences of using health care services. Evaluation recommended that a culturally responsive befriending service should be set up to tackle social isolation

• Call in Time. Low-level support for socially isolated older people – an evaluation of telephone befriending

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 An evaluation to measure the effectiveness of telephone befriending services for older people with regards to their mental and physical well-being and their quality of life and the extent to which services were of preventive value

• Better Off evaluation summary

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 A summary of the findings from the evaluation of the Better Off programme in Scotland. It was a £10 million grant programme which supported people who misuse/misused drugs and were trying to make changes to their lifestyle. Where appropriate, people were supported to move towards education or employment. 86% of projects encouraged social or peer bonding among their clients so they could support each other and develop social skills and links.

• Walk the talk: creating the Big Society

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 This report includes cost benefit analysis of the peer advice project at St Giles Trust and how this could link with the Big Society

• Evaluation of the Children in Trouble programme

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 This programme set out to encourage, develop and showcase different approaches to reducing the use of custodial sentences - development of a peer mentoring programme was suggested

• Personal Social Services Expenditure and Unit Costs England, 2009-10

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011  The Personal Social Services Expenditure return (PSSEX1) collects detailed information on Personal Social Services expenditure. The costs outlined are for adult and older people social care services only

• Multiple Heritage: Addressing Social Exclusion through Primary Prevention

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2008 This research project aimed to find out more about the life-world of multiple heritage (mixed race) young people and their families and to provide insight into what policies might make their lives better.  It evaluated the Multiple Heritage Service in Sheffield which included mentoring for children

• Befriending, Loneliness and Social Isolation in Older People

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 A report commissioned by Wiltshire County Council to evaluate its befriending services

• Evaluation of Family Friends befriending and mentoring service 2008-2009

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 A small-scale, qualitative evaluation of Family Friends mentoring and befriending service in London

• Out of sight, out of mind – social exclusion behind closed doors

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Recommends more investment into the kind of befriending schemes and peer-to-peer telephone clubs to provide much-needed support for many isolated older people

• The Way It Is – young people on race, school exclusion and leaving care

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2002 Research revealing the views, thoughts and opinions of young people from minority ethnic communities, care leavers and those excluded from school. One of the striking findings was the lack of role models they had

• Peer-mentoring for first-time mothers from areas of socio-economic disadvantage: a qualitative study within a randomised controlled trial

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Explores difficulties encountered in conducting a randomised controlled trial of a peer mentoring programme for first-time mothers in socially disadvantaged areas

• Women and street sex work

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2003 This briefing explores the nature of street sex work and policy responses, drawing on an ongoing evaluation of an arrest referral scheme for women street sex workers with mentoring support a part of the project

• Experiences of children and young people caring for a parent with a mental health problem

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 A briefing that highlights the potential of befriending support to young carers in providing an opportunity to pursue leisure interests and improve educational achievement.

• Supporting the transition to fatherhood

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 Evaluation of a pioneering antenatal peer support programme for expectant fathers entitled ‘Hit the Ground Crawling’

• Mentoring Schemes 2001 to 2004

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2005 A summary of the national evaluation of Youth Justice Board mentoring projects 2001 to 2004

• A Report on the Young Runaways Situation in London

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 Research to provide information about the situation of young runaways in London. Suggests provision of peer mentoring from young people who had run away in the past

• Ageing and Well-Being in an International Context

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 Looks at how different countries are responding to the challenge of an ever increasing older population. Stresses the importance of building relationships, personalisation of services, older people enabled to contribute not seen as passive consumers, transition to later life phased with working, learning and retirement being integrated

• The role befriending can play in older people’s well-being

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 An article which looks at the findings of research into the importance of prevention work with older people and suggests there may be a case for expanding befriending interventions

• Evaluation of Future Blogs – Final Report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2008 Evaluation findings of the Future Blogs scheme - an innovative e-mentoring scheme that links pupils studying chemistry with mentors from universities or industry

• Effectiveness of Mentor Programs – Review of the Literature from 1995 to 2000

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2001 This report from the USA examines the research literature evaluating the effectiveness of mentoring programs during the past five years

• RNIB Telebefriending – A longitudinal study of the social and psychological benefits for adutls with sight loss from participation in weekly telephone social groups

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2005 Executive summary for a user-led evaluation for Tele Befriending – weekly social groups over the telephone for people with sight problems and their carers

• Refugees’ Experiences of Integration

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 A two year qualitative research project looking at the social aspects of refugees’ integration, particularly in relation to how these were experienced in two different localities, Haringey and Dudley. Social networks were found to be extremely important to integration

• Against the odds. Re-engaging young people in education, employment or training

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 This study looks at the financial, personal and social cost of NEET teenagers. Includes mentoirng case studies and provides recommendations for commissioners

• Social networks, befriending and support for family carers of people with dementia

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 In a secondary analysis of data from a study of befriending of carers of people with dementia, the relationship between network type and support from family/friends, voluntary sector befriending and residential/nursing care is examined. Recommends that questions on social networks be incorporated into carers’ assessments

• Parenting and Wellbeing: Knitting Families Together

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 Explores the background to the government’s parenting strategy and the scope to promote and develop the wellbeing of both parents and carers and their children – one recommendation is to encourage peer mentoring

• Children and Young People in Custody 2009-2010

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 An analysis of the experiences of 15-18 year olds in prison shows an increase in access to a peer mentor

• Celebrating our Cultures: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities with Black and Minority Communities

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2004 This resource makes the case for mental promotion with black and minority ethnic communities in England. A case study of volunteer befriending is included

• 2008-09 Citizenship Survey – Volunteering and Charitable Giving Topic Report

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 Findings from the 2008-09 Citizenship Survey reveals that 21 per cent of volunteers are involved in mentoring and befriending activities. Includes other useful statistics about mentoring and befriending volunteering.

• Can mentors help primary school children with behaviour problems?

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2001 Report of the 3 year evaluation of Project CHANCE by the Thomas Coram Research Unit

• Raising Boys’ Achievement

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2005 A project focused on issues associated with the differential academic achievement of boys and girls in schools. Identifies strategies making a difference to boys’ learning and includes mentoring and target setting

• No one knows: Prisoners’ voices – experiences of the criminal justice system by prisoners with learning disabilities and difficulties

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Report and recommendations of the ‘No One Knows’ programme. The Toe-by-Toe mentoring scheme is included as a good practice example

• Brain cells: listening to prisoner learners

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 This report shows that education changes prisoners and enables them to plan a different life after release

• Evaluating Mentoring Programs

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 A brief published by a mentoring organisation in the USA to provide both program operators and researchers with advice about how to assess a program’s implementation and impact

• Ethnic Peers as Support Mentors Improve Asthma Care in Minority Families

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 A news article summarising research that reported findings of a study of a program that had experienced parents of asthmatic children teaching other parents about managing childhood asthma in the role of mentors

• I’ve learned so much: befrienders’ experiences of befriending minority ethnic young people

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 Report of a study examining the experiences of volunteer befrienders to children and young people from minority ethnic backgrounds. Concludes that befriending relationships should be viewed as more reciprocal than often assumed and suggests can engender positive intergroup relations

• Volunteer befriending as an intervention for depression

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 In researching the influence of life events on mental health, the author identified factors which seemed to foster resilience to depression. On the basis of these findings, an intervention involving volunteer befriending was set up to see if it could prevent depression and aid recovery. The study highlights some of the positive effects of befriending for those planning bereavement care services

• I Exist – The message from adults with autism in England

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 This report considers the experiences of adults with autism and their families in England and examines the changes that are needed to transform their lives. The report recommends that local authorities should fund social support services, including befriending, social programmes, social skills and life skills training for adults with autism

• B is for bullied: the experiences of children with autism and their families

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 This report investigates how bullying affects children with autism and their families and sets out what schools, local authorities and the Government should do to stop bullying. Peer mentoring, befriending and buddying can be effective way to support them.

• Mentoring programmes, aspirations and attainment – a literature review

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 A literature review undertaken to inform an evaluation of Mosaic and MERLIN mentoring schemes. It focuses on the importance of aspirations and skills for the attainment of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, with a focus on Muslims, and how far mentoring programmes can contribute to developing these skills

• Enhancing the resilience of children and young people in public care by mentoring their talents and interests

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 1999 This article argues that the progress and resilience of young people in care can be greatly enhanced sensitive mentoring of the young person in cultural and sporting activities activities by adults

• Leave No Veteran Behind – The Inquiry into Former Armed Service Personnel in Prison visits the United States of America

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 This paper examines the US response to high numbers of veterans in the criminal justice system whereby ex-service mentors guide veterans through the court process and make sure their housing, mental health, employment and substance misuse issues are dealt with

• Whole Person Recovery: A user-centred systems approach to problem drug use

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 Based on the Whole Person Recovery Project (West Sussex) this research aims to understand in a holistic way how drug and alcohol users become trapped in cycles of addiction, their journey to recovery, and how recovery can be sustained.  Peer support is shown to be significant at all levels of recovery

• If you could do it, so can I – Learning on peer support and mentoring for employability services

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 This report explores the insights and lessons identified by staff, mentors and service users at five projects around Scotland where peer mentoring and peer support have a unique role to play

• At your own pace

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 A study looking at the experiences of adults moving from a process of rehabilitation into education, training and employment. The participants were all recovering from either drug /alcohol misuse, mental health problems, homelessness or offending. States that mentoring should be a funding priority for commissioners

• Mentoring disaffected young people – an evaluation of Mentoring Plus

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2004 This study is one of the first to provide first-hand evidence of whether mentoring programmes aimed at reducing youth disaffection are effective

• Sharing a laugh? A qualitative study of mentoring interventions with young people

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2004 Analyses a range of mentoring schemes for vulnerable young people and explores the value of mentoring. It is the first study to examine the differences between mentoring as an activity carried out by professionals and an activity carried out by volunteers

• Young people, pregnancy and social exclusion

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 A synthesis of research evidence to identify effective, appropriate and promising approaches for prevention and support – a recommendation is for the development of mentoring for young men

• Understanding and Facilitating the Youth Mentoring Movement

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 A review of research on mentoring and a consideration of the implications for policies that promote mentoring

• Out On My Own: Understanding the Experiences and Needs of Homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth – Executive Summary

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 Summary of a project that investigated the needs and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) homeless youth in Brighton and Hove. Recommendations included earlier preventative work including mentoring

• Employment Chances For Young Offenders

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 The Entry to Employment (E2E) young offender pilot findings are impressive and the programme proved particularly powerful support for a mentoring component as part of education and training provision

• Working with Parents of Young People – Research, Policy and Practice

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 A book providing practical guidance for professionals working with parents and families drawing on the findings from years of applied research carried out by the Trust for the Study of Adolescence. Chapeter 11 explores using parent-to-parent mentors

• What works in preventing and re-engaging young people NEET in London

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 Research on young people ‘not in education, employment or training (NEET)’

• Towards an Understanding of Mentoring, Social Mentoring and Befriending

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 This research into social mentoring arose from the results of a pilot in 2003 to investigate the gaps and opportunities for mentoring services for people with Asperger’s Syndrome

• The Rise and Fall of Mentoring in Youth Justice

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 This article discusses the ups and downs of community based mentoring with young offenders. It revisits how mentoring grew to prominence and suggests that factors such as marketing and rebranding might have had a more important role than impartial research evidence

• Stairway Profiles Research: Out of Crime Key Enablement Tools (SPR:OCKET)

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 A research study to look at effective longer-term reduction of offending. Case studies demonstrated the long term need for bridging of services through mentoring with mentors to support ex-offenders into education and training.

• Provision for women offenders in the community

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 This report commissioned by the Fawcett Society examines provision for women offenders in the community and includes examples of mentoring and befriending provision

• Providing Faith and Culturally Sensitive Support Services to Young British Muslims

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 Highlights the sociological and psychological issues facing young British Muslims and impact on their mental health

• Beyond boundaries: offering substance misuse services to new migrants in London

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 This report represents the first detailed examination into the use of drug treatment services by newly arrived populations. Recommends that mentoring as a protective force could be considered

• A synthesis of published research on mentoring and befriending

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 Commissioned by MBF, this research review brings together evidence about research and practice in youth mentoring and befriending in the UK

• Youth mentoring: do race and ethnicity really matter?

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Issue 9 in the ‘Research in Action Series’ which cover pressing topics facing the youth mentoring field in the USA

• Youth mentoring and resilience

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 This article outlines the research on youth mentoring by focusing on comprehensive literature reviews and evaluations of factors that influence the effectiveness and closeness of mentoring relationships

• Young people’s educational attainment in London’s Turkish, Kurdish and Turkish Cypriot Communities

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 The Mayor of London’s Office commissioned this research exploring the educational attainment of young people from London’s Turkish, Kurdish and Turkish Cypriot communities

• Promoting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of unaccompanied young people seeking asylum in the UK

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 For asylum-seeking young people not in foster placements, there is clear value in them having access to support through a one-to-one key worker or mentor

• Mentoring: a key resource for promoting positive youth engagement

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Issue 1 in the ‘Research in Action Series’ which cover pressing topics facing the youth mentoring field in the USA

• Mentoring across generations: engaging 50+ adults as mentors

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 This series covers pressing topics facing the youth mentoring field in the USA. The latest research is summarised and insight offered into the implications of that research on mentoring practice

• Make Me a Criminal: Preventing youth crime

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Makes the case for a more therapeutic and family-based approach to youth offending and recommends that ‘Sure Start Plus’ centres for 5-12 year olds should be introduced to support at-risk children and families and stop them turning to crime and anti-social behaviour

• Young People, volunteering and youth projects: A rapid review of recent evidence

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 The review looks at the evidence base for volunteering, including young people’s attitudes to and participation in volunteering, types of volunteering and government funded volunteering

• The Gateway Protection Programme: an evaluation

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 An overview of Immigration Research and Statistics (IRS) research exploring the integration of refugees resettled under the UK’s Gateway Protection Programme in Sheffield, Bolton, Hull and Rochdale

• The business case for LinkAge Plus

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 This research presents the business case for LinkAge Plus and brings together key costs and benefits from across eight pilot areas

• Research Synthesis: Student Volunteering – background, policy and context

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 The research was commissioned to provide the Student Volunteering Initiative with a robust knowledge base and explores a broad range of areas

• Policy, purpose and pragmatism: dilemmas for voluntary and community organisations working with black young people affected by crime

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 Research into the experiences of voluntary and community organisations working with black young people affected by crime – many providing mentoring services

• Increasing Participation: Understanding Young People who do not Participate in Education or Training at 16 and 17

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009  Presents key findings from research commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families aimed at exploring the characteristics and experiences of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) or in jobs without training

• Girls and offending – patterns, perceptions and interventions

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 Concern has grown that the number of females involved in offending has risen although most youth crime is committed by young men. This research aimed to give an overview of knowledge about girls who offend.

• Extended Telephone Support Service Pilot Evaluation

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 An evaluation of a Parentline service which consists of one-to-one telephone support provided for parents and carers with longstanding issues or problems based on a ‘coaching’ model.

• Tackling worklessness: evaluation of a multi-intervention worklessness and health programme in Sedgefield, County Durham

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2010 The aim of the study was to examine the effects on health, wellbeing and employability of the multi-intervention worklessness programme funded through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund in Sedgefield Borough, County Durham

• Problem drug users’ experiences of employment and the benefit system

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 Indicates the importance of mentoring to support transition into paid employment

• Joint pilots baseline research

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2010 Research on three pilot initiatives which aim to improve employment prospects for individuals exposed to serious social exclusion, particularly ex-offenders. Mentoring for offenders identified as a service that could be more widely available

• Children and Gangs

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2011 Summary report of study on why children are getting involved in gangs even younger, and how their activities are getting increasingly violent

• A qualitative evaluation of the IntoUniversity programme

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2007 An evaluation of the impact of IntoUniversity, an educational programme aimed at children and young people most at risk of failing to meet their potential to go to university owing to economic, social, cultural or linguistic disadvantage.

• Mentoring, Befriending and Emotional Bonding

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Two year research on a Spanish programme of mentoring and befriending

• Mental health, volunteering and social inclusion

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 This report underlines how volunteering can help improve the health of people living with mental illness

• LinkAge Plus national evaluation: End of project report

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2009 Final evaluation of LinkAge Plus pilots which aimed to improve outcomes for older people and activities included mentoring and befriending

• Growing old in a London borough; the shrinking personal community and how volunteers help to maintain it

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2006 Research with elderly people, found that loneliness was one of their biggest problems

• Refugee to Citizen: ‘Standing On My Own Two Feet’

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 A report on integration, ‘Britishness’ and citizenship. It documents the life stories of 30 refugees who came to the UK during the last 50 years

• Friendship and Befriending

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Presentation given at the Befriending Network Scotland Conference in 2008.

• Does befriending by trained lay workers improve psychological well-being and quality of life for carers of people with dementia, and at what cost? A randomised controlled trial

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 This community-based study aimed to determine whether a social support intervention (access to a befriending facilitator in addition to usual care) is effective compared with usual care alone

• Beyond the school gates: supporting refugees and asylum seekers in secondary school

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Discusses the findings of the research phase which explored the needs and experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in relation to secondary schooling. Recommends mentoring and befriending services for refugee children

• A friend indeed. The case for befriending young carers

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 1994 A guide for practitioners and policy makers around new policy and practice concerned with young carers.

• How to get the most out of mentoring young people

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2009 A dissertation which looks at what youth mentoring and befriending can achieve, what kind of young people it works best for and the ingredients that make it successful

• Groups, gangs and weapons

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2007 Research into the nature and prevalence of young people’s involvement in group offending, gangs and weapons. The young men claimed that a significant, respected adult they could turn to was one of the things that they felt might have prevented their involvement in group offending

• An evaluation of a community youth befriending programme for young people with cystic fibrosis and their carers in Lothian

  Research type: Project evaluation Year of publication: 2007 This study evaluated The Butterfly Trust’s befriending programme ‘Cool Friends’, which worked with children with cystic fibrosis to relieve stress and boredom, improve self confidence and enhance well-being. Befriending was seen as a good thing by all parties in the project

• Cheers!? A project about older people and alcohol

  Research type: Research study Year of publication: 2008 Explores circumstances in which older people drink, the meaning it has for them and the impact it has. Identifies befriending schemes as important to help older people who may need to be actively encouraged to take part in activities

Policy and evidence

• Influencing policy
• Building the evidence
  • Research and evaluation directory
  • Research summaries
• Case studies