NCT02961010CompletedNot Applicable

A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial of Keeping Safe: Investigating the Effectiveness of a Whole School Preventative Education Programme in Improving Children's Knowledge and Understanding to Keep Safe in Situations of Abuse

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children2 sites in 1 country6,300 target enrollmentStarted: June 2015Last updated: June 27, 2019

Conditions

Trial Snapshot

Phase: Not Applicable
Status: Completed
Sponsor: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Enrollment: 6,300
Locations: 2
Primary Endpoint: Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire (CKAQ) (Tutty, 1995)

Study Overview Study Design Eligibility Criteria Outcomes Investigators Sites Records & Identifiers Similar Trials

Study Overview

Brief 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.

Study Design

Study Type: Interventional
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel
Primary Purpose: Prevention
Masking: None

Eligibility Criteria

Ages: 4 Years to 12 Years (Child)
Sex: All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Inclusion Criteria

•(1) children 4-11 years attending mainstream sector primary school in Northern Ireland whose school has accepted the invitation to take part in the RCT and whose parents have provided consent for their participation.

Exclusion Criteria

•children attending special sector primary schools in Northern Ireland.
•children 4-11 years attending mainstream sector primary school in Northern Ireland whose school has not been invited/ rejected the invitation to take part in the RCT
•children 4-11 years attending mainstream sector primary school in Northern Ireland whose school has accepted the invitation to take part in the RCT and whose parents have not provided consent for their participation.