Fiona Mitchell is the co-ordinator for the Scottish Child Care and Protection Network (http://www.sccpn.stir.ac.uk/). In this clip she talks about an evaluation to explore the most effective ways of delivering Return Home Welfare Interviews (RHWI) for young runaways, which Fiona was involve in along with Margaret Malloch and Cheryl Burgess (University of Stirling) and Vanessa Chan, Jane Eunson, Lorraine Murray (IPSOS Mori Scotland). The evaluation focused solely on the role of the police in delivering RHWIs so is unable to draw comparisons with delivery by other agencies. The evaluation looked at the operation of a pilot as implemented by Grampian police force in Aberdeen City and Elgin, and one area in Aberdeenshire (Fraserburgh) formed the control area for comparison with original practice in Grampian and current practice outwith the pilot areas.The principal conclusion of the evaluation is that RHWIs are an appropriate intervention; helping identify young people who require further support and referring them to an appropriate agency. Even without an onward referral, they can improve outcomes by helping young people appreciate the value of talking about their problems rather than running away. RHWIs may be of most benefit to young people not already involved with services (just under a third of those who received a RHWI during the pilot period were not already involved with social work services). When young people were already accessing other services, other professionals were less convinced of the benefits of the RHWI. However, as the evaluation highlights, even where other services were in place, the RHWIs could provide benefits by obtaining information from young people which was not already known to services; and by providing the young person with an additional opportunity to engage and to access support by doing so. RWHIs, alongside appropriate responses by other agencies, have the potential to ensure that services meet the needs of some young runaways. The full report of the evaluation discussed in this clip is available to download here - http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/pubs/Evaluation-of-the-Grampian-Police-Return-Home-Welfare-Interview-Pilot-for-Young-Runaways/275