Essex Guidance for Providers of Domestic Abuse prevention programmes in schools.

A Framework for Providers who work within Essex Schools

It is Essex County Council’s vision that all young persons across Essex live and study in a healthy, equitable and non-violent environment, and that their relationships as children, young people and adults should not damage them or others emotionally or physically.

Young people should have the opportunity to learn the importance of healthy relationships with each other, their families and other people that they meet and interact with. This learning should empower each young person to evaluate their own and others behaviour. This learning should provide them with the information on when and where they can seek help if they believe their relationships or the relationships of those around them are damaging and harmful.

Background

To deliver the vision set out above there are very limited identified dedicated resources for developing, providing and evaluating programmes in Essex schools. In this environment the burden of delivering programmes falls mainly on schools themselves and the voluntary sector.

The purpose of this Framework is:

  • to encourage voluntary and private sectors providers who wish to work in schools to develop programmes that are built on good practice and can evidence measurable outcomes
  • to provide guidance to schools about the evaluation of events and programmes offered to them by voluntary and private sector providers so that they can choose those likely to have the biggest impact on their pupils
  • to guide funders in selecting to support programmes that are based in good practice and have the best chance of success

Social attitudes are also a factor that underpins the prevalence of domestic abuse:

  • Almost 1 in 3 girls have experienced unwanted sexual touching at school and sexual harassment is reported as being routine in young people’s lives, and a similar proportion of girls in an intimate relationship aged 13-17 have experienced some form of sexual violence from a partner.
  • 1 in 2 boys and 1 in 3 girls believe that there are some circumstances when it is okay to hit a woman or force her to have sex. A Home Office poll from (2010) found that 76% of young people believed it was ok to hit your girlfriend or boyfriend if they have been flirting with someone else. Studies by the NSPCC in 2009 found girls had a high experience of coercive control and were unsure over what was caring and what coercion was. They had high levels of self-blame in relation to sexual coercion.

Evidence of what works

It is clear that many school based programmes have a positive impact on the knowledge pupils have about acceptable behaviour but very few actually change attitudes and behaviour.

Individual Information campaigns, lessons, leaflets, posters, presentations do not normally achieve a sustained change in complex behaviours. Individual skill building, a clear message, and awareness of risk are not in themselves sufficient. These elements have a place in school activity but only if used in conjunction with other strategies for the primary prevention of intimate-partner, and other types of violence, bullying or harassment.

School based programmes must be based on social science theories and models of behaviour change and an understanding of the particular beliefs, perceptions, and behaviour of the intended audience.[i]

An effective programme will not only deliver a reduction in intimate partner violence in the school and in later life, but will also improve behaviour in the classroom, reduce bullying and violent incidents.[ii][iii]

Existing resources for schools and providers

A range of existing programmes are available to support activity in schools. Contacts for these programmes are as follows. Consultation with these officers will ensure that programmes devised by partners integrate effectively.

  • Essex County Council runs a Healthy Schools Programme which schools can choose to participate in.

Carole Partington

Schools Health Improvement Manager

Essex County Council

07796937979

  • Essex County Council provides a public health function that supports health promotion in schools.

Chris French
Assistant Director of Public Health
Essex County Council

01245 437335
  • Essex County Council also provides a “Risky behaviours programme” for secondary schools.

John Zammit

Criminal Justice Lead,

Essex Drug and Alcohol Action Team

Essex County Council

01245 431623, 07786 125022

Domestic Abuse/Healthy relationship programme providers

In agreeing to this code voluntary sector organisations will ensure that events and programmes which they deliver meet the following standards:

  • Activities chosen will be part of an on-going programme and not one off activities.
  • Programmes will address the four cultural norms identified by Cohen. (appendix 1)
  • Programmes should be devised to deliver actions against all elements of the spectrum of prevention.
  • Evaluation will assess the delivery of planned actions, measure changes in staff and pupil’s knowledge and skills and changes in attitudes and behaviours.
  • Evaluation activity will be long term, and look at activity in the school and outcomes over a number of months.
  • Programmes of activities will integrate with the existing resources available to schools.

Schools

  • Schools wishing to sign up to the Essex ‘Healthy Schools Partnership’ (HSP) should contact Carole Partington(her contact details are above)
  • Schools that wish to deliver a programme on intimate partner violence and harassment should aim to follow the best practice set out in this document and work with providers that have signed up to the “Healthy Schools Framework”. If a school wishes to engage a third party to deliver the programme the offer made to the school should be assessed against best practice in the framework
  • Schools/Providers will be expected to engage in monitoring the impact of programmes delivered their students. One option for monitoring impact is the Essex Young People’s Questionnaire SHEU Survey. This is free to schools and has many questions that can used to evaluate the impact of any programme run in a school (see appendix 2). For details of the Survey please contact Vanessa Baxter () at Essex County Council on 01245 438658

Agency……………………………….

Sign…………………………………….

Date…………………………………….

Appendix 1 - Suggested school based activities according to the Spectrum of prevention

Cohen et al (2003) propose a spectrum of prevention that should form the basis of any school based programme

  • Strengthening individual pupil’s knowledge and skills
  • Educate the school community
  • Educate school staff
  • Provide the school, its staff and students with access to support and advice
  • Change school practice

The table below gives examples of how a school based programme might be devised to align with the spectrum of prevention.

Level of Spectrum / Definition of Level / DV Example
1. Strengthening Individual Knowledge and Skills / Enhancing an individual's capacity to prevent a problem and promote safety /
  • Work directly with young people in schools in lessons, assembly, tutor groups etc. to give clear message.
Tackle the four cultural norms that underpin intimate partner violence:
  • Limited roles for and objectification of women.
  • Use of violence as a problem solver.
  • Traditional masculinity and male privilege.
  • Privacy and secrecy.
Examine with students the risks of children and young people’s exposure to violence against women in the media.
Provide students and staff with information about how to access support services.
2. Promoting Community Education / Reaching the school community with information and resources to promote health and safety / Implement a regular visible school wide information campaign, with accessible resources, posters and leaflets etc.
Integrate healthy relationships activities into the wider curriculum at the school. e.g.
  • Study the “This is abuse” website in information technology lessons.
  • Discuss the links between four cultural norms and relationships between characters in set English Literature texts.
  • Study school Young People’s Questionnaire results to look at trends over time and consider how statistics can be used to guide policy and practice.
  • PSHE – specific lessons to address the four cultural norms, and strengthening individual skills and knowledge
  • Assembles and tutor groups – regular discussions regarding healthy relationships, addressing the four cultural norms, and strengthening individual skills and knowledge.

3. Educating Providers / Informing teachers and other staff who will transmit skills and knowledge to others / Provide appropriate training for all school staff to ensure that they:
  • understand the four cultural norms that underpin violence against women
  • have awareness of school policy and practice and are aware of how effective policy and practice can improve classroom and school wide behaviour
  • able to challenge their own beliefs and behaviours
  • model appropriate behaviours
  • have the skills to address the issues of health relationships effectively with pupils

4. Fostering Coalitions and Networks / Bringing together groups and individuals for broader goals and greater impact / Foster coalitions and networks – to ensure that school staff and pupils are aware of how to obtain help and support in future.
Develop networks of support for staff and pupils within the school.
5. Changing Organizational Practices / Reviewing and changing policy and practice. /
  • Work with schools to evaluate all media available in the classroom and remove media that is violent and denigrating to women
  • Review and amend relevant school polices.
  • Provide training in new policies.
  • Collect and examine the views of staff and pupils.

Appendix 2 - The Essex Young People’s Questionnaire (SHEU Survey)

About a third of secondary schools in Essex ask their pupils to complete The Essex Young People’s Questionnaire. Schools may have other methods they use to understand their pupils.

The questionnaire asks questions about the following areas:

  • Relationship with their parents/carers
  • Whether they think they have a good life
  • How happy they are with their relationship with friends, family
  • Whether they are able to control their temper or often get angry
  • Whether they often feel sad or tearful
  • Whether they feel safe and where they feel safe, what makes them feel safe
  • Whether they are bullied at school – effective healthy relationship programmes will improve behaviour in school and reduce bullying.
  • Whether they scare other students
  • How useful are the school lessons on sex and relationships, drugs, smoking, alcohol, citizenship, PSHE.
  • What they worry about – problems with friends, family problems and their safety.

For details of the Questionnaire please contact Vanessa Baxter 01245 438658