Realising Ambition: Community Initiative Impact Report

Date: 26th May 2015
Category: Civil Rights and Freedoms

Children's Parliament has been part of a 3-year UK-wide programme replicating evidence-based work to reduce the likelihood of young people offending.

"As a result of the project I behave better, I listen more and I feel better about myself. It's been like a rollercoaster ride. I feel more confident to do things I may have been scared of. Friends and family have been surprised and they are proud of what I have done."

Realising Ambition is a UK-wide, £25m Big Lottery Fund programme, replicating 25 interventions aimed at preventing children and young people aged 8-14, from entering the criminal justice system.

Through this programme, Children's Parliament was funded between 2012 and 2015, to work with children in the east end of Glasgow, to improve outcomes for individuals and to demonstrate how to replicate evidence-based work, with fidelity.

This programme targeted primary school children aged 9-11 years old (P6 and P7) attending schools in the east end of Glasgow.

Children's needs were defined by factors, which if left unaddressed, highlight children with a greater risk of offending in later life. These risk factors were:

- Children who displayed challenging behaviour in school
- Children with a record of exclusion
- Children with poor attendance
- Children with a difficult home life or from a family where there was a history of offending
- Children who tended to be susceptible to negative peer influences
- Children who found it difficult to form positive relationships with their peers and/or adults.

At the heart of the work has been a challenging and inspiring creative arts programme designed to support children to develop their life skills, build their aspirations for the future and develop their sense of wellbeing.

The full project report features an outline of the process, videos and images, as well as summarising the outcomes of the programme. Through the programme it has been able to evidence three outcomes:

- Improved peer relationships.
- Increased emotional well-being.
- Increased engagement with learning.

• Download the report here.