About this study

Teens and Toddlers is a youth development programme designed to prevent teenage pregnancy. It targets vulnerable young people and combines group-based learning with work experience over 20 weekly sessions.

Those on the programme mentor a small child at a nursery under supervision. The classroom-based learning concentrates on life skills, such as communication, emotional literacy and positive sexual health and relationships (culminating in a National Award in Interpersonal Skills, NCFE). Teenagers also learn about topics such as parenting and child development, and receive one-to-one life coaching and counselling.

The main purpose of the evaluation is to measure the impact of the intervention. This is not only whether the programme reduces teenage pregnancy, but also the impact on a range of other outcomes linked to the programme's rationale - such as the young peoples’ educational aspirations and their social and emotional wellbeing.

Potential policy impact

Pending positive results from the Teens and Toddlers programme evaluation, the DCSF may roll-out the intervention as part of its Teenage Pregnancy Strategy for England.

Methodology

The main component of the evaluation, the impact assessment, is designed as a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT). In addition to this a qualitative scoping study and process evaluation will be conducted.