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An assessment of the potential savings from Barnardo’s interventions for young people who have been sexually exploited

“This report presents the findings from research undertaken by Pro Bono Economics on behalf of Barnardo’s into the potential savings from Barnardo’s interventions for young people who have been sexually exploited.

The research sought to determine the effectiveness of Barnardo’s interventions in reducing the risk of sexual exploitation and associated risk factors, and estimated the fiscal rate of return of such interventions – that is, the saving to the taxpayer for every pound spent by Barnardo’s on the intervention.

Statistical methods were employed to measure the effect of Barnardo’s interventions on the severity of sexual exploitation and its associated risk factors. The cost of sexual exploitation was estimated for varying degrees of severity using a range of secondary sources. These estimates were then combined to calculate the gross financial benefit of the intervention, and compared to the cost of the intervention to give an overall fiscal rate of return.

Two models are presented – one which assumes that the level of risk remains unchanged in the absence of the intervention, and one which provides an estimate of how the level of risk changes in the absence of an intervention. Both highlight that the benefits to the taxpayer of Barnardo’s interventions for young people who have been sexually exploited substantially outweigh the costs, with a potential saving of either £6 or £12 for every £1 spent depending on the assumptions made, in addition to a substantial (non-costed) reduction in the risk of sexual exploitation.”