Research-Driven. Outcomes-Focused.
Prevention earns trust when it is measured. The Chaperone Initiative pairs Chaperone Health's existing peer-support infrastructure with ongoing research, independent evaluation, and continuous improvement, so funders, partners, and the public can see what works, for whom, and why.
With UIC
Measured & evaluated
Independent academic evaluation.
An academic research and evaluation partner
The Chaperone Initiative is being developed in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) as an academic research and evaluation partner, bringing independent perspective and academic rigor to a prevention model built for real-world youth settings.
The role of the partnership
UIC helps the Initiative ask the right questions, study them honestly, and let evidence guide what comes next. The partnership supports research, evaluation, implementation learning, and continuous improvement as the Initiative moves from launch into broader implementation.
For how oversight, accountability and stewardship are structured across the Initiative, see Trust & Transparency.
What independence means here
A prevention model that names its own results is only as trustworthy as the people checking the work. Independence means evaluation stays separate from delivery, methods are open to scrutiny, and findings are reported as they are, not as we hope them to be.
- Separation of evaluation from delivery
- Transparent, shareable methods
- Findings that travel to healthcare, education and policy
Research-Informed, Built on Real Infrastructure
Not a concept on paper. Built from operating peer-support systems. The Initiative builds on the established peer-support operations of Chaperone Health, where trained Peer Chaperones provide trusted human connection.
Evaluation is designed to run alongside delivery, not instead of it: as support reaches young people, the Initiative measures, learns, and refines, so research can strengthen the model rather than pause it. Technology supports Peer Chaperones; it never replaces the human relationship at the center of the work, and it is never a substitute for clinicians, therapists, or crisis services.
For the mission behind this model and how the Initiative relates to Chaperone Health, see About.
Operating peer-support infrastructure
Trained Peer Chaperones provide trusted human connection through Chaperone Health's existing operations.
Continuous evaluation in the loop
Findings feed directly back into practice, refining how access is delivered and improved over time.
Supporting technology, human-led
Technology assists Peer Chaperones with reach and consistency; it does not replace people or clinical care.
Where research can move prevention forward
A focused research agenda, anchored in how young people actually seek help online and what helps trusted human support reach them first.
How youth seek support online
Understanding the moments, channels and signals through which vulnerable young people reach out for help in digital spaces.
Measuring engagement
How young people connect with Peer Chaperones, what sustains a supportive relationship, and what helps the first encounter go well.
Evaluating safety practices
Studying the safeguards, escalation pathways and responsible-use practices that keep young people protected throughout.
Prevention research
Identifying protective factors and intervention timing that help trusted human connection reach youth before harmful influences do.
Evidence generation
Building a credible, shareable body of evidence on what works, so the model can be evaluated, replicated and trusted.
Future policy development
Translating findings into practical guidance for the healthcare, education and public-sector systems that shape youth safety.
The Initiative's research priorities are designed to support continuous learning, responsible implementation, and evidence-informed improvement over time.
What the Initiative will measure
The unique question this page answers is not who we are, but how the work is studied: a clear, honest set of outcome areas defined up front, so progress can be tracked, reported and improved rather than asserted.
Engagement
Whether young people connect with Peer Chaperones and stay in a supportive relationship over time.
Safety practices
How consistently safeguards and responsible-use practices are followed across every interaction.
User-reported support
What young people themselves say about feeling heard, supported and safer through the connection.
Escalation
Whether young people who need clinical care or crisis services are connected to the right help, promptly and appropriately.
Access outcomes
Whether funded access actually reaches the defined youth populations, communities and pathways it is intended to serve.
Continuous improvement
How findings translate into concrete changes in practice, closing the loop between evidence and delivery.
Evaluation will focus on engagement, safety, support quality, care navigation, access, and continuous improvement, with methods refined through the Initiative's research and evaluation process.
Philanthropy expands access now; evidence makes it last
Philanthropic support extends trusted human connection to defined youth populations today. Evaluation does something just as important for the long run: it helps identify the approaches that can be sustained and scaled inside healthcare, education, and community systems.
Funders are not only resourcing access for young people in the present; they are helping build the evidence base that makes prevention durable, replicable, and worthy of broader public and institutional investment over time.
Funded access
Philanthropy helps make trusted human connection available earlier for defined youth populations.
Evaluation
Independent evaluation will help identify what works, for whom, and where the model can improve, giving funders a clearer basis for continued support.
Scalable systems
Evidence will inform models that can be sustained inside healthcare, education, and community systems over time.
Guidance from people who study youth safety
The Initiative is forming a Research Advisory Council to provide guidance on youth safety, prevention, digital risk, implementation learning, and responsible evaluation. Members will be announced as appointments are confirmed.
Researchers
Academic researchers in youth development and intervention science.
Public health experts
Specialists in prevention, population health and community well-being.
Youth safety experts
Practitioners focused on protecting and supporting vulnerable young people.
Digital safety experts
Experts in online risk, responsible technology and digital well-being.
Members will be announced as appointments are confirmed.
Publications and reports, forthcoming
As implementation begins, the Initiative will publish evaluation reports, methods briefs, and plain-language findings summaries for funders, partners, and the public.
Evaluation Report
Independent outcomes reporting across the evaluation framework.
ForthcomingMethods & Safety Brief
How the Initiative studies its work and protects young people throughout.
ForthcomingFindings Summary
Plain-language summaries for funders, partners and the public.
ForthcomingInitial reports will be published as implementation and evaluation activities progress. Research-aligned partners can register interest through the Initiative team.
Future Learning Agenda
Over time, the Initiative intends to synthesize learning on youth online vulnerability, help-seeking behavior, protective factors, and prevention opportunities. This work will help inform funders, partners, and youth-serving systems as the evidence base develops.
Help build a measurable, prevention-focused future for youth
Research-aligned foundations, healthcare systems, research institutions, and community partners can help expand access while supporting rigorous evaluation and shared learning. Explore partnership on our Founding Partners page.