Embedded Youth Outreach Program

Key findings: Evaluation report (September 2020)

An evaluation of the EYOP pilot program was conducted over a two-year period. The findings showed the program to be an effective youth intervention strategy, and provided overall positive results for young people who engaged with the program.

Swinburne University, 24 September 2020.

The evaluation produced the below insights:

• A 9% reduction in the annual rate of offending in EYOP clients with a history of offending following intervention.
• The benefits of the EYOP outweigh the costs and provides value for money.
• Most young people who received a referral to a support service attended at least one appointment.
• Young people spoke positively about the relationships they established with their youth workers and referral services.
• Police members noticed the effectiveness of the youth workers’ approach to de-escalate and engage with young people.

Evaluation findings are very encouraging, showing that the EYOP has been able to successfully identify at-risk youth and intervene in a manner that has interrupted the offending pathway for many young people. This helps both meet the needs of young people and furthers the goal of increasing community safety.

Distinguished Professor James R. P. Ogloff AM,
Director of the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Studies and evaluation lead

EYOP sites in Werribee and Dandenong

As part of the phase 2 evaluation of the Werribee and Dandenong EYOP sites, a multi-year, mixed methods evaluation is being conducted. The evaluation incorporates both process and outcome-focused components and includes an economic evaluation.

The evaluation utilises a matched control design. This examines the impact of the program on key outcomes in EYOP clients.

The evaluation is being conducted on a rolling basis with regular reporting. This allows evaluation findings to inform service delivery over time.

EYOP sites in Caroline Springs and Shepparton

A multi-year evaluation has been commissioned for Caroline Springs and Shepparton over the period of 2024-27.

The evaluation of the pilot phase provides insights into the establishment of the program at the new locations. This includes the identification of several challenges and enablers to service delivery in the early phases of the program.

It also provided information on:

• the impact of the program on short-term offending outcomes in EYOP clients, and
• the value for money provided by the program.

We used the findings from the pilot evaluation to:

• guide further service delivery at each site, and
• make improvements where necessary.

The evaluation of the program in Shepparton and Caroline Springs will allow us to examine outcomes such as:

• service delivery
• offending and victimisation outcomes, and
• value for money over a longer period.

This is also an opportunity to make a comparison of program efficacy between metro and regional sites.