In this report (December 2020), a two-year evaluation of the Young People’s Social Prescribing pilot found that:
- social prescribing for young people has a greater than average social return on investment (£1:£5.04) if compared to adult services
- young men appear to have fewer issues in accessing social prescribing services than adult men
- personal and mental well-being improved and loneliness also experienced a decline for the group most in need
- Young people reported that link workers contributed to improving their sense of autonomy, reduced their sense of ‘stigma’ around mental health challenges, and filled a gap in mental health service provision
Read the full findings of the report below to gain a greater understanding of why we continue to deliver high-impact social prescribing for young people across Sheffield, covering 6 Primary Care Networks (PCNs) alongside school provision and support from our central link worker at Star House.
The evaluation was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and carried out by the Institute for Connected Communities (ICC), University of East London.