Program Profile: Chance UK

This is a one-to-one mentoring program in which children (ages 5–11) meet weekly over 12 months with an adult volunteer. Mentors engage in structured activities to help reduce behavior and emotional problems in children by developing self-esteem, self-efficacy, social skills, and future aspirations. The program is rated Ineffective. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in parent- and teacher-rated problem or prosocial behavior or in child self-esteem or goals.

An Ineffective rating implies that implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s).

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes at least one high-quality randomized controlled trial.

An Ineffective rating implies that implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s).

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes at least one high-quality randomized controlled trial.

Program Goals/Target Population

Chance UK is a one-to-one community-based mentoring program that targets children ranging in age from 5 to 11 who have been identified as showing behavioral and emotional difficulties either at school or at home. Children meet with trained and supervised adult volunteers. The goals of the program are to prevent long-term problems (e.g., antisocial behavior) among at-risk children by reducing emotional and behavioral problems through the development of a relationship with a supportive adult mentor who engages youths in positive and prosocial activities.

Program Activities

The mentoring program involves weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions (usually 2 to 4 hours long) that take place over a 12-month period. During the first 3 months of the program, mentors concentrate on building a trusting relationship with each child by responding to the child’s strengths and interests. The mentor, the child, the primary caregiver, and program staff then meet to agree on at least one behavioral goal, one educational or social skills goal, and one fun goal. The remainder of the meetings between the mentor and child focus on working toward these goals.

Mentors use solution-focused techniques including problem-free talk, identifying and encouraging strengths, giving positive and specific feedback, and imagining a preferred future. In addition to the one-on-one mentoring meetings, children have the option to attend one or more group mentoring sessions with other children and mentors. At the end of the 1-year program, children, their mentors, and their families attend a graduation ceremony to recognize children’s successes and achievement of goals.

An optional part of the intervention program offers additional services to parents/guardians of participating children, also following the solution-focused approach that is core to the program model. Services are available throughout the child’s involvement in the program and are tailored to the needs of the parent and family. Services may include assistance with family management, referral to additional services, and support for parental career development. Services can be offered as one-to-one sessions, family sessions, or group workshops.

Key Personnel

Mentors are adult volunteers recruited from the community. Mentors complete a 3-day training delivered by Chance UK staff.

Program Theory

The program uses a solution-focused approach (Ratner, George, and Iveson 2012) that encourages a positive future orientation in identity development (goals and action steps), cognitive development (develop effective coping skills), and social–emotional development (identification of strengths and building self-esteem).

Study

Axford and colleagues (2021) conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the implementation and effectiveness of the Chance UK program in five sites in London, England: 1) Enfield, 2) Hackney, 3) Islington, 4) Lambeth, and 5) Waltham Forest. Children (who were ages 5–10 at referral, thus 5–11 during program participation) were referred by school staff based on behavior or social difficulties and were eligible based on initial assessment of behavior problems by teacher and/or parent report. A total of 246 children were randomly assigned to receive the mentoring intervention or standard services (123 children assigned to each group). Youths assigned to the intervention group were offered mentoring services provided by Chance UK, while youths assigned to the control group received services typically available to children within each borough area.

The great majority of the study sample (87.4 percent) were boys, with a mean age at baseline assessment of 8.4 years. Most children in both the intervention and control groups were of minority ethnic status (66.7 percent and 56.6 percent, respectively). About one participant in four came from households that reported struggling financially. Most children in both intervention and control groups lived in single-parent households (79.3 percent and 78.5 percent, respectively). Intervention and control groups were similar in terms of child age, gender, parent marital status, family socioeconomic status, and baseline assessment of outcome measures. Children in the intervention group were slightly more likely to identify minority group membership and represent the lowest income category. Attrition was somewhat higher (40 percent) for the control group, compared with intervention (27 percent).

The outcome measures included the parent and teacher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, in which items are scored on a three-point scale (0 = “not true,” 1 = “somewhat true,” or 2 = “certainly true”). The Total Difficulties scale reflects subscales of conduct problems, emotional problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems, with scores ranging from 0 to 40. The Prosocial scale has five items, with scores ranging from 0 to 10. The parent-reported Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory Problem Scale (26 items, with a score range of 0 to 36) was also an outcome measure. Child self-report outcome measures included the Global Self-Worth subscale of the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children, which has six items rated on a four-point scale in which higher scores reflect greater self-perceived competence, and the overall score on the Children’s Hope Scale, which reflects the summed score of all six scale items. These scales were administered at baseline (before randomization) and at 16 months post-randomization. The Self-Perception Profile for Children and Children’s Hope Scale were administered only to participating children who were 8 years and older at baseline.

Intervention effects were tested using an intent-to-treat analysis that compared children assigned to the mentoring intervention group with those assigned to the control group on endpoint scores (16 months post-assignment) on outcome measures, adjusting for child’s age, gender, borough, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, special educational needs status, parent marital status, and baseline depression, and the baseline value of the outcome measure.

The study conducted subgroup analyses through exploratory moderator analyses for age, gender, parental marital status, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Total Difficulties score at baseline (borderline versus abnormal). A planned complier average causal effect analysis was conducted to compare intervention youths who participated in 11 or more months of mentoring (program recommended amount) with a comparable group in the control condition.

Mentors complete a 3-day training delivered by Chance UK staff that covers the following topics: intervention aims and objectives, program structure and logic model, the solution-focused approach, safeguarding, and reporting requirements. Training is provided in a group setting and involves role play, individual feedback, discussion, and homework assignments. Mentor–child matches are based on the mentor’s personality, shared interests, parental preference, and mentor availability. Mentor–child matches are supported and supervised by program managers throughout the child’s and family’s involvement in the program.

For the study by Axford and colleagues (2021), implementation fidelity data were collected from program managers (following monthly supervision sessions with mentors), children (at 3 and 9 months), and parent program managers (for each parent and family session). Implementation fidelity measures included dose (number and length of mentoring sessions as recorded by program managers; amount of additional support for children, parents, and families as reported by parent program managers); adherence (mentor use of solution-focused techniques as rated by Program Managers); quality (of mentoring provided, as rated by program managers); and engagement (child report using the Mentor Youth Alliance Scale).

Moderator Analysis

The exploratory moderator analysis conducted by Axford and colleagues (2021) found no statistically significant subgroup differences on the primary outcome (parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Total Difficulties score) for age, gender, parental marital status, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or SDQ Total Difficulties (borderline versus abnormal) at baseline. The analysis of the complier average causal effect analysis, using the Total Difficulties score, did not show a statistically significant difference between children who received 11 or more months of mentoring and a comparison group of control condition children. Further, exploratory causal effect analysis analyses also showed no statistically significant effects on the primary outcome for stronger program adherence, higher program quality, parental involvement in extra support services, or child report of a stronger mentoring relationship.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

Ratner, Harvey, Evan George, and Chris Iveson. 2012. Solution Focused Brief Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques. Oxfordshire, England: Routledge.

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Mentoring for Youth Development

This practice provides youth with a positive and consistent adult or older youth relationship to promote healthy youth development and social functioning and to reduce risk factors. The practice is rated Effective in reducing delinquency and improving educational outcomes; Promising in improving psychological outcomes and cognitive functioning; and Ineffective in reducing substance use.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

	Crime & Delinquency - Multiple crime/offense types
	Education - Multiple education outcomes
	Mental Health & Behavioral Health - Psychological functioning
	Mental Health & Behavioral Health - Cognitive functioning
	Mental Health & Behavioral Health - Social functioning
	Drugs & Substance Abuse - Multiple substances

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?