Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service Evaluation Final report

By Nina Maxwell, Jonathan Ablitt, Verity Bennett, Zoe Bezeczky and Megan Nightingale 

Executive summary The Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service (SOCEIS) is an innovative intervention for young people aged 11 to 18 years. It is aimed at identifying young people involved in, or at risk of involvement in serious organised crime, addressing the vulnerabilities that led to their involvement and diverting them towards more positive pathways. Following its success in Glasgow, Action for Children were awarded funding from the National Lottery Community to implement SOCEIS in four new areas: Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh and Newcastle. Method To examine the wider feasibility and applicability of SOCEIS, this process evaluation was commissioned by Action for Children in 2020. The evaluation had four objectives: 1. To capture information relating to the key components of SOCEIS. 2. To provide insight into young people’s entry and journey through SOCEIS. 3. To examine the views of young people, caregivers, partners, practitioners and peer mentors of ‘what works’. 4. To explore the feasibility of using police data to assess SOCEIS outcomes. Aligned with the research objectives, data collection consisted of four phases: 1. Documentary analysis. Programme manuals, reports, documentation and interviews with three of the four SOCEIS managers were used to identify the core components of SOCEIS and inform the development of a logic model. This model was refined based on the findings from phases two to four. 2. Case file data analysis and interviews: SOCEIS staff and partner organisations. Anonymised case files from each area were analysed to provide insight into young people’s entry and journey through SOCEIS. This included referral forms, risk assessments, contextual safeguarding forms and intervention plans. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with eleven SOCEIS practitioners, one peer mentor and ten representatives from partner organisations to capture their views of the core components of SOCEIS and views of the service. 3. Updated case file data analysis and interviews with young people and caregivers. Case file data was updated and supplemented with semi-structured interviews with eleven young people and eighteen caregivers to examine their views and experiences with SOCEIS. 4. Service data and police data analysis, and focus groups: SOCEIS staff and co-ordinators Anonymised data for all young people referred to the service and police data for those who had offending or missing person’s police records were analysed. Additionally, data for a comparison group of young people matched on demographic and offending criteria were requested from each police force. Due to delays in negotiating information-sharing agreements, findings will be presented in a supplemental report due for submission in December 2023. Focus groups were undertaken in each of the four areas to capture outcome information. A focus group with all four SOCEIS managers was conducted to explore strategic-level service developments on outcomes, information-sharing, partnership working and the journey to desistance. 

Cardiff, Wales: CASCADE, Cardiff University, 2023. 62p.