Evaluating the Effectiveness of Keeping Safe - a School Based Intervention Aimed at Preventing Abuse
Condition: Child Maltreatment
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study evaluates the effectiveness of Keeping Safe, a whole school preventative education
      intervention in improving children's knowledge and understanding to keep safe in situations
      of abuse. The intervention

        -  Comprises three themes (1) Healthy Relationships; (2) My Body; and (3) Being Safe and
           includes content across the following keeping safe concepts; bullying, neglect,
           emotional, physical, domestic and sexual abuse, in online and offline contexts.

        -  Includes activities for the formal and informal school curricula - 63 lessons will be
           taught to children by their classroom teacher; 3 per term, 9 per year across 7 years
           from Primary 1 to primary 7 (age 4-11 years).

        -  Each lesson is accompanied by directed homework activities to involve and engage parents
           and enable them reinforce learning at home. A number of whole school, key stage and year
           group assemblies have also been prepared.

        -  At the beginning of each term school leaders will deliver a prepared assembly to
           introduce the theme for the term. Following this assembly each teacher will deliver 3
           lessons tailored to the age group of their class and parents will assist with home
           works. The lessons use eBooks, character animations, stories, rhymes, and interactive
           whiteboard activities to engage children in their learning.

      The intervention adopts a whole-school approach and seeks to build the capacity and skills of
      teachers and parents as key partners. Teachers will receive a comprehensive package of
      training, ongoing support and resource materials to equip them with the skills they need to
      effectively communicate sensitive keeping safe messages. Parents will also receive a package
      of resources to help them feel confident about communicating sensitive messages to their
      children.
    

Detailed description: 
      Exploratory research, funded by the Department of Education and undertaken by the NSPCC in
      2008, investigated the need for preventative education that aimed to equip pupils with the
      skills to recognise and respond appropriately to bullying, child abuse and domestic abuse in
      primary schools in Northern Ireland. Subsequently, an intervention was designed based on the
      findings from stakeholder consultations (NSPCC reports, 2011) and existing research in the
      field of school based prevention.

      This study uses a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) design to evaluate the
      effectiveness of Keeping Safe, a whole school preventative education intervention in
      improving children's knowledge and understanding to keep safe in situations of abuse
      including sexual and domestic abuse.

      Randomisation will take place at school level. Schools will be allocated either to the
      intervention group or a waitlist control group. Following randomisation, intervention schools
      will receive the package of training and support across a 3 month period. This comprises a
      blended package of continuing professional development training and support for teachers and
      school staff to enable them teach sensitive preventative education concepts through the
      formal statutory Personal Development curriculum, and all other informal opportunities that
      present in the daily life of the school. Intervention schools will then implement the Keeping
      Safe intervention in their school for 2 school years, between 2016 and 2018.

      The Wait List Control group will continue with standard practice, teaching the Personal
      Development curriculum between 2016 and 2018. Both groups will participate in the evaluation
      between March 2016 and July 2018 and the wait list control group will receive the programme
      in Sept 2018.

      This RCT will collect data at 3 timepoints: Baseline (March/ June 2016), Time One (May -June
      2017) and Time Two (May- June 2018). Outcome data on children's knowledge and understanding
      will be collected at all 3 time points as will data on (1) teacher confidence and teaching
      practice, (2) parent confidence and practice, (3) school level administrative data (e.g.
      incidence of disclosure and referral out) and (4) school climate/organizational culture.

      Primary outcomes (childrens)

        1. If exposure to the Keeping Safe programme:

             1. Impacts/changes children's self-reported knowledge and understanding of the
                following keeping safe concepts; bullying, neglect, physical, emotional, domestic
                and sexual abuse and in what ways?

             2. Impacts/changes children's self-reported self-efficacy to keep safe in situations
                of bullying, neglect, physical, emotional, domestic and sexual abuse and in what
                ways?

        2. If children's self-reported knowledge and understanding in relation to the above keeping
           safe concepts changes over the 2 year period that the programme is being implemented and
           in what ways?

        3. If changes in children's knowledge and understanding vary for different groups of
           children, and in what ways?

      Secondary Outcomes (teachers and parents)

        1. If engagement with the Keeping Safe programme:

             1. Impacts/changes teachers' self-reported knowledge in teaching keeping safe messages
                and in what ways?

             2. Impacts/changes teachers' self-reported confidence and comfort in their own skills
                to manage sensitive issues in relation to Keeping Safe in the classroom and in what
                ways?

        2. How school context factors such as size, sector and management type, and professional
           experience factors (length of teaching service, nature of role in school) impact on
           teacher knowledge, comfort and confidence in teaching Keeping Safe messages.

        3. If the continuing professional development training and resources specifically designed
           for the Keeping Safe programme impact on teachers' teacher knowledge, comfort and
           confidence in teaching keeping safe messages.

        4. If implementing the Keeping Safe programme leads to change in school ethos/climate, and
           if this differs across schools and in what ways?

        5. If engagement with the Keeping Safe programme (parent resources and directed homework
           activities):

             1. Impacts/changes parents' self-reported knowledge of and confidence to communicate
                with their child about keeping safe messages and in what ways?

             2. Impacts/changes parents' self-reported current and future confidence to communicate
                with their child about keeping safe messages and in what ways?

        6. If reported changes in parents' knowledge and confidence vary for different groups of
           parents and in what ways?

        7. How personal (gender) parenting profile (age of children, no of children, relationship
           to child) and home context (postcode and household income) factors impact on parents'
           knowledge and confidence in relation to keeping safe messages.

        8. How parents' knowledge and confidence change over the 2 year period that the programme
           is being implemented and in what ways?

      Data will be collected from children using a questionnaire designed to assess their knowledge
      and understanding of a range of keeping safe concepts and their self-reported self-efficacy
      to keep safe in unsafe situations. The questionnaire is a composite measure comprising
      existing and adapted standardised measures across a range of keeping safe concepts.

      The content and administration of the questionnaire (online and paper versions available)
      have been tailored to ensure age and developmental appropriateness (a number of different
      versions will be used with varying age groups).

      All classroom teachers will be invited to complete a self-report questionnaire (online or
      paper versions available) measuring their confidence, comfort and teaching practices with
      regards the programme. Fidelity data with regard to completion of continuing professional
      learning will be collated from the analytics function on the e-learning programme.
      Self-reported fidelity to programme implementation in the classroom will be collated using a
      fidelity monitoring form.

      Information on school context (size, sector, management type) and professional experience
      (length of teaching service, nature of role in school) will also be collected to identify if
      these impact on teacher knowledge and confidence in teaching keeping safe messages.

      All parents will be invited to complete a self-report questionnaire (online and paper) to
      assess their knowledge and confidence to talk to their children about sensitive keeping safe
      messages.

      Information will also be collected on parents' personal profile (gender) parenting profile
      (age of children, no of children, relationship to child) home context (Postcode and household
      income) to identify if these make a difference to parent knowledge and confidence in
      communicating with their child(ren) about keeping safe messages

      Additional school-level administrative data will be collected on Free School Meals/ newcomer
      children, level of Social Service engagement with school (referrals out etc) to see if these
      types of experience impact on teacher knowledge and confidence in teaching keeping safe
      messages, and to examine any difference between intervention and wait-list control schools.
    

Intervention name(s): Keeping Safe
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A whole school Preventative Education programme
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: school based prevention, child sexual and domestic abuse