Collaborate with Step by Step to deliver real-world research that amplifies young voices, informs policy, and strengthens practice across the youth sector.
Contact Us About ResearchWe support over 1,500 young people aged 11–25 each year through Supported Lodgings, Foyers, Counselling, Advice & Guidance, and more. Many of these young people can contribute to research that could make a difference.
We work in close partnership with researchers to:
Ensure trauma-informed and ethical engagement with young people
Support informed consent and safeguarding protocols
Offer staff presence or debrief support where required
Help with navigating ethical approvals where relevant
Step by Step has previously partnered with doctoral researchers, universities and think tanks. Our work in this area includes:
Collaborating with a Westminster research project on youth voice and mental health policy
(Read more: Step by Step Takes Young People's Voices to Westminster)
Supporting students exploring trauma, identity, UASC integration, and transition out of care
Providing anonymised data, frontline insight, and participant access (with appropriate safeguarding)
Step by Step is actively engaged in influencing policy, developing best practice, and elevating youth voice:
A member of regional and national youth homelessness networks
Contributing to public policy discussions and media features
Regularly invited to present at conferences, strategy boards, and research roundtables
When you work with us, you don’t just gain participants — you gain a strategic partner.
Access to participants (via our staff, with safeguarding and ethical processes in place)
Frontline insight and practice-informed context
Anonymised data or service feedback trends (where appropriate)
Organisational learning and model access
Support for dissemination – we’ll help share your findings where they can create impact
While we’re open to a wide range of partnerships, we’re especially interested in work exploring:
Youth homelessness and housing transitions
Separated children (UASC), care leavers, and complex journeys
Youth mental health, trauma recovery and resilience
System change, early intervention and co-production
Education, employment and life readiness
The voices and rights of young people in public services
“Working with Step by Step gave our research real-world grounding. Their young people’s voices were central to shaping our policy recommendations.”
Yes, but we prioritise projects with clear purpose, ethical grounding, and potential for impact. We welcome exploratory conversations.
We can share summary-level insights or anonymised data from selected services where there is clear alignment with our values and a demonstrable benefit to Step by Step’s mission. We consider each request on a case-by-case basis, prioritising research that contributes to improving outcomes for young people. Full access to individual case files is not permitted, and any data sharing must meet strict ethical and safeguarding standards.
All youth involvement is voluntary, fully consented, and supported by trained staff. We support researchers to develop engagement approaches that feel safe and appropriate for young people, helping to build trust, manage expectations, and reduce the risk of re-traumatisation. This includes co-designed consent processes, safeguarding oversight, and access to support during and after participation. We ensure young people are involved in ways that are meaningful and empowering, never one-sided or exploitative.
Youth homelessness and housing are at the heart of our work, and we’re particularly interested in research that strengthens understanding and prevention in this area. We also prioritise projects focused on mental health, trauma, transition from care, co-production, and systems change. Ultimately, we’re open to any work that aims to improve outcomes for young people through ethical, inclusive research. Mental health, trauma, housing, transition from care, co-production, youth policy and systems change are all areas of high value.
Where possible, we encourage appropriate recognition, whether through vouchers, thank-you gifts, or co-authorship, depending on the nature of the research. However, researchers should be aware that Step by Step cannot routinely cover these costs. We expect research partners to factor in participant recognition or compensation within their funding or project planning. Above all, we want to ensure that young people gain meaningful experiences from their involvement. Where recognition is appropriate and wanted, we will absolutely support it.
If you’re planning a project, preparing a funding bid, or looking for a youth-focused research partner, we’d love to hear from you.
Whether you need participants, organisational insight, or an impact-led charity partner, we’re ready to collaborate.
