About the research

The research on which this publication is based took place between October 2009 and June 2010, and was in two parts:

• primary research, involving in-depth interviews, paired interviews and focus groups with professionals and young adults from six different projects and services in England;
• desk-based research, involving the collation of information about a wide range of organisations working with young adults, aged 16-25, across England and other parts of the UK.

Primary research: case studies

The primary, or case study, research took place between February 2010 and May 2010. It involved a researcher visiting six young adult focussed projects and services, and speaking to those responsible for setting up the service (the staff), those benefitting from the service (the young adults), and in two examples, those who had commissioned the service. In total, we spoke to 16 staff, 20 young adults, ranging from 15-26 years of age, and two commissioners.

The participating organisations were gathered through three ways – desk-based research; word of mouth; and through direct contacts from the T2A Alliance. They were all purposefully selected based on their specific work with young adults, their field of specialism and their location in England. This allowed us to get a broad picture of the support package offered to young adults within a wide variety of spheres, and across both rural and urban locations. We deliberately did not include the organisations taking part in the T2A project ‘pilots’ as they are being reported on elsewhere.

The list below details each service, the area it works in, and its location in England:

• London: Switchback, N.E. London. A service for young men, 18-24, as they move through the prison gate and back into the community.
• East: The Yard Project, Lowestoft. A project to help young adults, 16-24 who find it difficult to sustain education, training or employment.
• South East: Bridging the Gap, Brighton and Hove. A service for young people and young adults, 14-25, with mental health needs.
• South West: IceBreak, Plymouth. A service for young adults, 16-25, who are experiencing severe emotional distress.
• East Midlands: Young Addaction Derby. A service for young adults, 18-24, who require support for drug use.
• West Midlands: Young Carers Transition Service, Worcester. A service for young adult carers, 16-24.

The case study research was conducted through individual and paired interviews, and through facilitating focus groups. Interviews with staff were typically around an hour in length. Interviews with young people were typically around half an hour. There were two focus groups conducted with young people. Both were between 45 minutes and one hour in duration. Most of the interviews and focus groups were conducted face-to-face, during the researcher’s visit to the project/service. In a minority of cases, interviews were conducted over the phone.

Young Addaction Derby was the only service not directly visited by the researcher. Interviews were all conducted over the phone.

Desk-based research: directory of young adult services

The desk-based research was conducted throughout the project’s duration, from October 2009 to June 2010. Organisations included in the directory were mainly researched online, though some were suggested by other sources (colleagues; other associates). Projects and services were only selected if they offered direct, mainly face-to-face support or assistance, and had a specific focus on young adults, 16-25 – even if that group was not the sole focus of the organisation.