Are youth mentoring programs good value-for-money? An evaluation of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Melbourne Program.
BACKGROUND
The Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) program matches vulnerable young people with a trained, supervised adult volunteer as mentor. The young people are typically seriously disadvantaged, with multiple psychosocial problems.


METHODS
Threshold analysis was undertaken to determine whether investment in the program was a worthwhile use of limited public funds. The potential cost savings were based on US estimates of life-time costs associated with high-risk youth who drop out-of-school and become adult criminals. The intervention was modelled for children aged 10-14 years residing in Melbourne in 2004.


RESULTS
If the program serviced 2,208 of the most vulnerable young people, it would cost AUD 39.5 M. Assuming 50% were high-risk, the associated costs of their adult criminality would be AUD 3.3 billion. To break even, the program would need to avert high-risk behaviours in only 1.3% (14/1,104) of participants.


CONCLUSIONS
This indicative evaluation suggests that the BBBS program represents excellent 'value for money'.
Moodie
Marjory L
ML
Health Economics Unit, Public Health Research Evaluation and Policy Cluster, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia. marj.moodie@deakin.edu.au
Fisher
Jane
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016487:Parenting; D011336:Probability; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012944:Social Support; D014505:Urban Population; D014739:Victoria