Table 3 Social return on investment (SROI) of public health interventions: childhood and adolescence
From: The social value of investing in public health across the life course: a systematic scoping review
Reference | Public health topic | Country | Population | Aim of Intervention | Crude SROI ratio for assessed time horizon | Quality score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barnardo’s 2012 [33] | General health and well-being | England | Families with young children who need additional support/have behavioural needs | Numerous aims to improve the health and well-being of children and their families through services such as ‘Stay and Play’, ‘Family Support Workers’, ‘Tiny Toes’ and the ‘Triple P Parenting Programme’. | Stay and Play £2/£1 invested Family Support Workers £4.50/£1 invested Tiny Toes £3.50/£1 invested Triple P £2.50/£1 invested | 10 |
Chance 2013 [34] | General health and well-being | England | Disadvantaged two year olds accessing childcare and their immediate families | To improve outcomes for children and narrow the gap in educational achievement between them and other children. | £8.40/£1 invested | 9 |
Lakhotia 2019 [35] | General health and well-being | New Zealand | Families with children aged 3–8 years | Improving parental capabilities to promote emotional and social competence in children and to prevent, reduce and treat conduct problems. | NZ$3.75:NZ$1 invested | 11 |
New Economics Foundation 2009a [36] | General health and well-being | Wales | Young people and children (from about 5 to 14) and their families | Preventative early intervention service for young people and children (from about 5 to 14) and their families, where there are recently emerging emotional, behavioural or mental health issues. | £7.60/£1 invested | 9 |
New Economics Foundation 2009c [37] | General health and well-being | England | Children and families in the local area | Provides short-term, focussed and flexible support for children, young people and families in crisis. | £9.20/£1 invested | 9 |
New Economics Foundation 2010 [38] | General health and well-being | England | Vulnerable families | To work with the most vulnerable families to treat the cause and effects of multiple issues, such as domestic violence and anti-social behaviour. | £4.28/£1 invested | 10 |
Action on Addiction 2014 [39] | Substance misuse | England | Children and young people aged 8–17 years | Supports children and young people aged 8–17 who are experiencing the effects of substance misuse within the family. Programme offers a ‘whole family approach’. | £2.76/£1 invested | 7 |
Bradly and Bolas 2013 [40] | Substance misuse | England | Individuals aged 16–19 years | To deliver a psycho-social intervention alongside harm reduction work. | £3.91/£1 invested | 10 |
Hackett, Jung and Mulvale 2017 [41] | Substance misuse | Canada | Individuals aged 13–19 years | Provides treatment to young people between the ages of 13–19 who face addiction issues, as well as behavioural and psycho-social challenges. | £7/£1 invested | 9 |
New Economics Foundation 2009b [42] | Mental well-being | England | Children in the local area | To provide universal services to children in the area. | £4.60/£1 invested | 10 |
Winrow and Tudor Edwards 2018 [43] | Mental well-being | Wales | Primary school age children | Delivers music sessions in two schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods based on the El Sistema method - aims to improve educational and well-being outcomes for children who face socio-economic challenges | £6.69/£1 invested | 9 |
Bradly 2011 [44] | Sexual health | England | Adolescents | To support the delivery of sexual health services for young people in community settings that they would typically access e.g. school, youth services. | £8.75/£1 invested | 11 |
Children Our Ultimate Investment 2010 [45] | Sexual health | England | At-risk young people referred to the programme by their school | To provide at-risk young people of both sexes with real life experience of mentoring and caring for a small child by enrolling in a 15–20 week course for one afternoon a week where the teenager is paired with a child in a nursery. | £5.52/£1 invested | 8 |
Hoskisson 2012 [46] | Employment | Australia | Young offenders | To create meaningful employment opportunities and offer education, training and workplace mentoring for young offenders. | £2.33/£1 invested | 9 |
Butler and Leathem 2014 [47] | Physical activity | England | Young people aged 10–19 years | To increase the range of sporting opportunity, to ensure that local delivery reflects needs, multigenerational and build evidence base to show sport as an instrument of social change. | £4.21/£1 invested | 9 |
Ward and Thurston 2009 [48] | Anti-social behaviour | England | Young people aged 11–16 years | Remotivate young people aged 11–16 years who were disaffected and/or displaying antisocial behaviour. | £3.70/£1 invested | 9 |