Rainer has provided me with a secure and supportive place to live instead of being on the streets. I’ve now got a second chance to get my life back on track.
Darren, young person.
Policy & Research
Rainer's Policy & Research Team aims to influence policy and practice to improve the lives of under-supported young people.
The team acts as the bridge between frontline services and national policy. It draws on the experiences and views of staff, volunteers and the 18,000 young people and young adults that Rainer supports each year, combined with academic research and evaluation reports.
The team also provides services with updates on policy changes, evidence of best practice and other guidance.
This section of the website contains a range of policy briefing and consultation responses. New research and briefing papers will be added to these pages as they are developed.
Why do the young pay more?
Young People, debt and financial exclusion
This report shows that debt has become a 'fact of life' for young people, who increasingly rely on credit to get by. Based on a YouGov survey of 4,000 individuals and in-depth interviews with nearly 100 Rainer service users, Why Do the Young Pay More explores the underlying causes of debt, the devastating impact that it can have on the lives of vulnerable young people and sets out the action required to tackle what is a serious and growing problem.
To download a copy of the report, please click on on the link below.
Justice Select Committee Inquiry
Rainer welcomes the Justice Select Committee's into spending in the Criminal Justice System and has submitted written evidence on the effectiveness of Rainer's approaches to crime prevention. Rainer has consistently argued that there is a critical lack of resources available to address the root causes of offending behaviour. Disengagement from education and employment, involvement in the care system, substance misuse and mental health issues are all factors that can contribute to social exclusion and involvement in crime.
Resources should be redirected from the penal system into social and educational measures aimed at preventing offending. Greater emphasis should be placed on intervention to divert young people away from crime and, where they do offend, on sentences that can drive changes in their attitudes and behaviour, reducing reoffending. Justice Reinvestment presents an excellent opportunity to invest in people, rather than in prison-building. This is not only the most effective way to tackle crime, but also to create a more just society.
The full submission can be found here: Justice Select Committee Memorandum
Children and Young Persons Bill
Rainer has contributed to the Care Matters proposals from the early stages pre Green Paper. While there is an enormous amount to welcome within the Bill there are considerable gaps within the planned legislation. Along with the National Care Advisory Service and What Makes the Difference?, Rainer has jointly submitted evidence to the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee on the needs of young people leaving care. In particular, Rainer recommends that young people should be given the opportunity to remain in care until the age of 18, care leavers in higher education should be entitled to a leaving care personal advisor to the age of 25 and a bursary.
The submission can be found here: DCSF Submission
Education and Skills Bill
While welcoming the measures to increase compulsory participation in education from 16 to 18, Rainer has raised a number of concerns about the enforcement measures proposed in the bill. Together with Barnardo's, we have set out alternative proposals for learning and support contracts to rebalance the Bill from its current focus on enforcement, towards early intervention and support.
Home Alone: housing and support for young people leaving care
This report reveals that young people leaving care are not consistently receiving the housing support that they are entitled to under current legislation. Home Alone assesses the scale of the problem and highlights the shocking conditions in which some care leavers are expected to set up their first home. It also identifies the gaps within local authority support, which can be as basic as simply not assessing the accommodation where vulnerable young people are being housed.
To download a copy click Home Alone (pdf)
Returning to its roots. A new role for the third sector in probation.
This publication from Rainer and the Social Market Foundation explores some of the issues for charities delivering criminal justice services. It draws together essays from leading commentators including Rod Morgan (YJB), Stuart Etherington (NCVO), Harry Fletcher (Napo) and Julian Corner (Revolving Doors Agency).
To download a copy click here (pdf)
Policy Briefing Papers
These set out an overview of some of the main areas that Rainer works in.
Rainer Research Reports
Rainer has carried out and commissioned a number of research programmes on the core issues facing young people we support.
For more information about Rainer's policy or parliamentary work contact:
David Chater, Head of Policy and External Affairs on 0114 213 1020
