Respectful Relationships Evaluation –
Rounds 1 and 2 Section 1.4
Authored by
Caroline Crothers, Elizabeth Shaw, Robyne Le Brocque, Martin O’Flaherty,
Silke Meyer and Michele Haynes
Prepared for the
Department of Families, Housing Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA)
Institute for Social Science Research
The University of Queensland
August, 2013
ISSR Final Report No. P11007
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
5
1
INTRODUCTION
7
2
METHODOLOGY
9
3
2.1
DESCRIPTIVE REVIEW OF PROJECT DOCUMENTATION .................................................. 9
2.2
SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH KEY INFORMANTS ........................................... 10
2.3
EXAMINATION OF PROJECTS AGAINST THE NASASV STANDARDS .............................. 11
AT-RISK AND CULTURALLY-SPECIFIC TARGET GROUPS
3.1
4
EVALUATING HIGH-RISK AND CULTURALLY-SPECIFIC PROJECTS .................................. 12
ALTERNATIVE VIOLENCE PREVENTION FRAMEWORKS
4.1
12
14
RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION IN VICTORIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS
(VICHEALTH, 2009) ........................................................................................................... 14
4.2
PREVENTING VIOLENCE BEFORE IT OCCURS (VICHEALTH, 2009) .............................. 15
4.3
GOOD PRACTICE IN NATIONAL ACTION PLANS ON VIOLENCE AGAINST W OMEN (UN
WOMEN, 2010) ................................................................................................................. 16
5
FUNDED PROJECTS AND INCLUSION IN EVALUATION AGAINST NASASV STANDARDS18
6
RESULTS
22
6.1
EVALUATING PROJECTS AGAINST THE NASASV ....................................................... 22
6.2
SUMMARY OF IDENTIFIED STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES ........................................... 25
6.2.1 CONTENT AND UNDERLYING CONCEPTUAL APPROACH ............................................... 25
6.2.2 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY ................................................................... 26
6.2.3 AT-RISK AND VULNERABLE TARGET GROUPS ............................................................. 28
6.2.4 INCLUSIVE, RELEVANT AND CULTURALLY SENSITIVE PRACTICE ................................... 28
6.2.5 STAFFING AND TRAINING ......................................................................................... 29
6.2.6 EVALUATION AND REPORTING .................................................................................. 30
6.2.7 GENERAL PROCESS ISSUES ..................................................................................... 31
7
EVALUATIVE PROJECT SUMMARIES
7.1
32
CASA HOUSE (RWH) & CANBERRA RAPE CRISIS CENTRE: SEXUAL ASSAULT
PREVENTION PROJECT FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS ............................................................ 33
7.2
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT ............................... 36
7.3
NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVERNMENT, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, ‘KEEPING SAFE’
CHILD PROTECTION CURRICULUM AND SUPPLEMENTARY ‘SMART’ TRAINING PROJECT ........ 41
7.4
UNIVERSITY OF NSW: SEX AND ETHICS ................................................................... 44
7.5
UNIVERSITY OF W ESTERN SYDNEY: SEX AND ETHICS ............................................... 49
7.6
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE: RESPECT & RESPONSIBILITY .................................. 56
2
7.7
AKEYULERRE: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT ............................................. 59
7.8
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS: KWINANA PROJECT.......................................................... 65
7.9
BAPTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES: ACT-2: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT ...... 72
7.10
KURBINGUI YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION: HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS .............. 75
7.11
RELATIONSHIPS AUSTRALIA CANBERRA AND RIVERINA: LOVE BITES PROJECT ......... 78
7.12
SEXUAL ASSAULT RESOURCE CENTRE: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION..... 83
7.13
SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS ................. 87
7.14
UNITING CARE W ESLEY: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT .............................. 91
7.15
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER INCORPORATED: W ANDIYALI MURRUNG
PROJECT .......................................................................................................................... 95
7.16
YOUTH & FAMILY FOCUS: THE MERSEY RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIP PROJECT,
TASMANIA ......................................................................................................................... 99
7.17
8
YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES LOGAN: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS ......................... 103
NON-EVALUATIVE PROJECT SUMMARIES
114
8.1
KEEPING SAFE CHILD PROTECTION CURRICULUM – EVALUATION ............................ 115
8.2
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
(NAPCAN): LOVE BITES ............................................................................................... 117
8.3
SEXUAL HEALTH INFORMATION NETWORKING & EDUCATION SA: RESPECTFUL
RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION PROJECT .............................................................................. 120
9
REFERENCES
APPENDIX A: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SERVICES AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE
(NASASV) NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR PREVENTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT THROUGH
EDUCATION
123
126
A.1
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 126
A.2
APPLYING THE NASASV STANDARDS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION THROUGH
EDUCATION TO THE RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS FUNDING PROJECT ................................ 126
APPENDIX B: CATALOGUE OF DOCUMENTS REVIEWED
130
APPENDIX C: CONSENT FORM FOR INTERVIEW
134
APPENDIX D: SEMI-STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE
136
3
List of Tables
Table 1 Funded projects and inclusion in evaluation against NASASV Standards .............. 19
Table 2 Summary of Round 1 projects ................................................................................ 53
Table 3 Summary of Round 1 project characteristics and performance against the NASASV
.................................................................................................................................... 54
Table 4 Summary of Round 2 projects .............................................................................. 109
Table 5 Round 2 project characteristics and performance against the NASASV ............... 111
Table 6 Catalogue of documents reviewed ....................................................................... 130
4
Executive Summary
This report of the Respectful Relationships Evaluation Project is prepared for the Department of
Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and outlines findings from
the evaluation of projects funded during Rounds 1 and 2 of the Respectful Relationships initiative.
Respectful Relationships is a primary prevention strategy that seeks to reduce sexual assault and
domestic and family violence through education. Respectful Relationships education projects were
targeted at young people and aimed to raise awareness of ethical behaviour; promote positive
relationship behaviours; and develop skills in conducting respectful relationships Across
Australia,$9.1 million has been committed to the Respectful Relationships Initiative. In addition, four
Indigenous Respectful Relationships projects totalling $556,000 were funded under Round Two under
the Indigenous Family Safety Program. In 2012, $3.7 million was provided to 11 projects for the third
round of funding. All funded projects were undertaken in schools, sporting clubs, and community
organisations.
There were a number of different intervention methods employed by Round 1 and 2 projects including
various approaches to development, design and delivery. Theoretical models included feminist,
cultural, strength-based and ecological approaches to violence prevention through education while
design and delivery models included whole of school approaches, seminar style educational sessions
and interactive and activity based workshops.
Violence prevention education is still in its infancy in Australia and in other parts of the world, and little
is known about the efficacy of the various approaches employed. As such, the evaluation of project
content detailed herein provides an opportunity to consider the efficacy of the various approaches
employed in the field of violence prevention education and the consistency of these with established
standards of best practice (as described in the National Association of Services against Sexual
Violence (NASASV) Standards for Sexual Assault Prevention through Education).
This report is based on an analysis of documentation and interviews with nominated representatives
from projects funded during Round 1 and 2 of the Respectful Relationships initiative. The National
Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) project which was funded under a
previous initiative in 2010 and the Indigenous Family Safety Initiative was also reviewed as a model of
best practice in the field of primary violence prevention education.
The approach to the evaluation of Respectful Relationship projects was largely informed by the
National Association of Services against Sexual Violence (NASASV, 2009) Standards which provide a
guided methodology of best practice for domestic violence primary prevention projects and their
evaluation.
Overall, findings suggest that projects demonstrated appropriate approaches to:
1. Community and school consultation (NASASV: Standard 3 and 4); and
5
2. Cultural inclusion and relevance for culturally specific projects (NASASV: Standard 3).
However, projects could benefit from additional focus and development in the following areas:
1. Articulating explicit conceptual approaches to project design (NASASV: Standard 1 and 2);
2. Explicitly articulating determinants of violent relationship behaviours and how the intervention
targets these to affect participant change (NASASV: Standard 2);
3. Designing and conducting internal project evaluations and/or in engaging an appropriate
external evaluator (NASASV: Standard 5); and
4. Meeting minimum standards of report writing and documentation (see 6.2.6 Evaluation and
Reporting, page 29).
6
1
Introduction
This report of the Respectful Relationships Evaluation Project has been prepared by the team from
the Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR) at The University of Queensland (UQ) for the
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). The report
outlines findings from an evaluation of projects funded by FaHCSIA’s Respectful Relationships
initiative in Rounds 1 and 2.
FaHCSIA provides leadership in Australian Government policy and project management on issues
affecting women and gender equality, Indigenous family and community safety, and the delivery of
women's safety initiatives. FaHCSIA, in partnership with state and territory governments, has been
responsible for the implementation of a range of initiatives aimed at reducing violence against women,
particularly the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022.
Under the Respectful Relationships initiative, the Australian Government has committed funding over
five years from 2008-09 to 2012-13, investing over $9 million to implement Respectful Relationships
education projects across Australia.
Respectful Relationships is a primary prevention initiative that seeks to reduce sexual assault and
domestic and family violence through education. The initiative funds projects which are focused on
young people and aimed at raising awareness of ethical behaviour; developing protective behaviours;
and developing skills in conducting respectful relationships. Across Australia,$9.1 million has been
committed to the Respectful Relationships Initiative. In addition, four Indigenous Respectful
Relationships projects totalling $556,000 were funded under Round Two under the Indigenous Family
Safety Program. In 2012, $3.7 million was provided to 11 projects for the third round of funding. All
funded projects were undertaken in schools, sporting clubs, and community organisations.
This report details the content and delivery processes of the relevant educational projects funded
under the Respectful Relationships initiative since 2009, and an evaluation of the perceived
effectiveness of these projects in achieving the desired awareness, attitude and behaviour change in
the target population. The first phase of the evaluation was an examination of the documentation
submitted to FaHCISA by each project funded in Rounds 1 and 2. This included grant applications
and proposals, reports, project documents, information sheets, and evaluation reports.
To undertake the analysis and evaluation of each project, it was necessary for FaHCSIA to seek
consent to provide this material to ISSR. Therefore, only those projects which were able to be
contacted and provided consent have been included in the evaluation. Secondly, the document
analysis was complemented with follow-up interviews with nominated representatives from funded
projects. Twenty projects are included in this evaluation. Seventeen projects were evaluated via the
document review and key informant interview against the NASASV Standards. The remaining three
did not meet evaluation criteria using the NASASV standards and so a non-evaluative descriptive
review was conducted.
7
By reviewing documentation and interviewing nominated representatives, the process evaluation
analysed the content and implementation of projects to evaluate the efficiency of the project model
and execution. The evaluation addressed three main areas:
1. The identification, evaluation and synthesis of project content;
2. The efficiency of the project and model implementation (including challenges and benefits
experienced throughout the implementation and facilitation process); and
3. The extent to which projects addressed and met the NASASV Standards.
8
2 Methodology
The process evaluation is based on projects funded in Rounds 1 and 2. The evaluation focused on
the content and implementation of projects to evaluate the efficiency of project and model execution,
including challenges and benefits experienced throughout the implementation and facilitation process.
It also evaluated the extent to which projects met the National Association of Services against Sexual
Violence (NASASV) Standards for Sexual Assault Prevention through Education (See Appendix A).
The evaluation methodology had three central components:
1. A descriptive review of project documentation including individual grant applications, project
resources, final reports and related documents from the 20 funded projects available for this
review;
2. Semi-structured interviews with project service providers from 19 projects; and
3. An examination of projects against the NASASV Standards.
In summary, a total of 20 projects were funded as part of the Respectful Relationships initiative: six
projects were funded in Round 1 and 15 projects in Round 2. Of these projects, nineteen were
included in the current report and a further one project was selected for review from the Indigenous
Family Safety initiative funding round. Of these, 17 were evaluated via the document review and key
informant interview against the NASASV Standards, and a descriptive review of the remaining three
projects deemed to be outside of the scope of evaluation by the NASASV Standards is also provided.
2.1 Descriptive review of project documentation
To evaluate the design and content of Rounds 1 and 2 funded projects, a descriptive review of project
documentation was undertaken. Documents reviewed included original grant applications, project
manuals, project resources such as workbooks and session plans, reports and related documents
(see Appendix B for a list of documents from each project). The descriptive review aimed to identify
the intended content of each project, to compare each project’s approach to the mode of delivery and
design, and to evaluate content against guidelines outlined in the NASASV Standards.
The analysis of project documentation and interviews was guided in part by the aim to identify to what
extent projects incorporated the NASASV Standards. The initial review of project documents and
interview transcripts was conducted using text analytics software package, Leximancer. The project
documents and transcripts were loaded to the software and analysed through default settings to
generate a textual thesaurus and identify frequent terms and concepts. Words associated with best
practice indicators outlined in the NASAV standards were also identified manually to index relevant
supporting text. For example, analysis of text excerpts relevant to NASASV Standard 5: Using
effective evaluation strategies was performed by building a thesaurus of relevant search terms for
evaluation including: evaluation, survey, review, questionnaire, outcome(s), focus group, responses,
impact, results. These terms were then used to extract relevant supporting text excerpts from the
transcripts and documentation. Project documents and transcripts were also read by the research
9
team in full to provide additional more detailed project information. Information from the Leximancer
output and the independent review of documentation and transcripts were synthesized and detailed in
the individual project summaries provided in Section 7: Evaluative Project Summaries.
2.2 Semi-structured interviews with key informants
The second component of the process evaluation incorporated a semi-structured interview with a key
informant(s) from each project. The key informants included project coordinators, facilitators and
managers who were nominated by project organisations based on their involvement across multiple
phases of the project from development, consultation, implementation to delivery. Interviews
addressed the informants’ perceptions of the Respectful Relationships project, including the
challenges and outcomes experienced, and aimed to examine the effectiveness of project and model
implementation.
In order to facilitate interviews with project personnel, FaHCSIA contacted each project and asked
them to nominate a representative willing to be interviewed about the project. Nominated personnel
were usually project grant applicants or project managers involved in the day-to-day management of
the funded projects. Research team members contacted project personnel, introduced the research
team and explained the evaluation process. A time to conduct the telephone interview with the
nominated project member was then arranged and signed consent was organised (see Appendix C:
Consent Form). As projects were undertaken across Australia, the semi-structured interviews were
conducted via telephone to minimise evaluation costs.
Interviews were guided by a series of specific focus questions (Appendix D). These questions
addressed the following key areas:
1. Project description and the interviewee's role;
2. Underlying conceptual approach to violence prevention through education;
3. Planning and initiation;
4. Project design;
5. Project implementation and challenges encountered as well as any modifications to approach;
6. Staffing and training; and
7. Project evaluation including the project and participant outcomes, perceived impact and
mechanisms for monitoring progress and risk assessment.
10
2.3 Examination of projects against the NASASV Standards
A major component of the evaluation was assessing primary prevention approaches and project
design and delivery against the guidelines outlined in the NASASV Standards. The evaluation looked
for any association between the implementation of NASASV Standards and project outcomes (see
Section 6: Results). The NASASV Standards include the following:
1. Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design;
2. Demonstrating the use of a theory of change;
3. Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice;
4. Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery;
5. Using effective evaluation strategies; and
6. Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators.
11
3 At-risk and culturally-specific target groups
Most of the projects funded during Round 1 and 2 targeted at-risk or vulnerable participant groups
including Indigenous; CALD background; homeless young people; young people disengaged with
schooling; and young people from low socio-economic areas. This was a consequence of the
allocation of funding to community-based organisations and the organisations’ pre-defined
relationship with the particular target demographic.
At-risk participants are an important demographic to target due to the increased likelihood of
experiencing or perpetrating relationship violence. Furthermore, these groups are typically difficult to
recruit and are often not accessible via mainstream intervention pathways, such as schools and
community or sporting clubs. As such, the strategic targeting of at-risk participants is a key strength of
the overall administration of the Respectful Relationships initiative. It does however; make evaluating
project performance or drawing comparisons between projects difficult due to the inherent diversity in
both the project target groups and the target group-specific approach to prevention. This was
particularly true of Indigenous-specific projects. Variance in approaches to prevention observed in
Indigenous-specific projects is described in more detail below.
3.1 Evaluating high-risk and culturally-specific projects
With a flexible mode of delivery, the Respectful Relationships initiative is in a position to fund
culturally-specific projects within remote indigenous communities or with specific at-risk groups.
However, the use of the NASASV Standards as a basis for evaluation may be overly prescriptive for
some of these projects and may not be culturally relevant. While the NASASV Standards model best
practice in terms of the development, implementation and evaluation of Respectful Relationships
projects, it is critical that the projects remain culturally sensitive and relevant. For these reasons, in
assessing high-risk and culturally specific target groups, it is important to consider the cultural context
in which violence prevention projects are delivered.
For example, Indigenous-specific Respectful Relationships projects utilised approaches to violence
prevention were often focused on raising cultural connection, identity and fostering generational
transmission of cultural knowledge. These projects did not tend to have a particular focus on violence
against women but rather addressed the underlying causes of relationship violence based on an
understanding of loss of cultural identify as being a central determinant.
The VicHealth (2009) violence prevention framework notes that interventions delivered to particular
groups that are at higher risk of using or experiencing violence (such as Indigenous participants) may
employ strategies which focus on the structural, cultural and societal contexts in which violence
occurs. This approach is therefore consistent with the emphasis on connection to culture evident in
most Indigenous-specific projects.
Only a small number of empirical studies in Australia have examined the relationship between
Indigenous people's levels of cultural attachment and social outcomes (Roth, 2011). There is
12
therefore, limited understanding about the extent to which this model of primary prevention is
effective. It is hoped that the current evaluation and further research will shed more light on this
important but complex area of enquiry. It is suggested that the use of the NASASV Standards as a
basis for evaluation may be overly prescriptive for some Indigenous-specific projects due to their
somewhat atypical model of intervention. As such, when reviewing Indigenous-specific projects’
performance against the NASASV, it is important to consider the cultural context in which violence
prevention projects are delivered in and the alternative approaches they may require.
13
4 Alternative violence prevention frameworks
The NASASV Standards were selected by FaHCSIA as the guiding framework for evaluating
Respectful Relationships projects. The research team reviewed other frameworks used nationally and
internationally to ensure that the evaluation reflected best practice in the assessment of violence
prevention projects. The alternative frameworks reviewed were:
1. Respectful Relationships Education in Victorian Secondary Schools (VicHealth, 2007);
2. Preventing Violence Before It Occurs (VicHealth, 2009); and
3. Good Practice in National Action Plans on Violence Against Women (UN Women, 2010).
These models are described in brief below, focusing on their comparison with the NASASV Standards
and their applicability to Respectful Relationships projects. Of the frameworks reviewed, only the 2009
Victorian Department of Health framework – Respectful Relationships Education in Victorian
Secondary Schools – was considered relevant to the current evaluation. The NASASV Standards
have grown out of, and consequently overlap heavily with, the VicHealth (2009) framework which
means the decision to evaluate the Respectful Relationships projects under the NASASV Standards
is unlikely to have a major influence on the findings.
4.1 Respectful Relationships Education in Victorian Secondary
Schools (VicHealth, 2009)
The Respectful Relationships Education in Victorian Secondary Schools framework (VicHealth, 2009)
recommends five criteria for good practice in respectful relationships and violence prevention
education in schools. VicHealth’s identification of standards for best practice in schools-based
violence prevention education is complementary and highly compatible with the NASASV. Its five
criteria for good practice in respectful relationships and violence prevention education in schools are:
1. A whole-school approach;
2. A program framework and logic;
3. Effective curriculum delivery;
4. Relevant, inclusive and culturally sensitive practice; and
5. Impact evaluation.
There are some minor differences between approaches advocated in the VicHealth (2009) framework
and those outlined in the NASASV. Perhaps the most obvious is VicHealth’s overarching emphasis on
a whole-school approach involving curriculum integration. Although this is also endorsed in the
NASASV framework, it is not a central approach. This may reflect the fact that the NASASV is
designed for use in multiple settings while VicHealth (2009) was modeled specifically for school-based
implementation. Other differences are more structural rather than substantive. For instance,
VicHealth specifies the use of a program framework and logic model. This parallels with the first and
14
second standards in the NASASV framework which describe the need for a theoretical and
conceptual approach to program development and participant change.
Similarly, the third standard, effective curriculum delivery is comparable to the NASASV’s sixth
standard which describes training and professional development of educators. Both frameworks
describe identical standards relating to inclusive and culturally appropriate practice and evaluation.
Importantly, the NASASV standards have grown out of, and consequently overlap heavily with, the
VicHealth (2009) framework. Therefore the decision to evaluate the Respectful Relationships projects
under the NASASV standards is unlikely to have a major influence on the findings.
4.2 Preventing Violence Before It Occurs (VicHealth, 2009)
Preventing Violence Before It Occurs (VicHealth, 2009) is an earlier Victorian Department of Health
primary prevention framework, which provides an ecological approach to primary prevention drawn
from international research. It was based on international evidence regarding the factors causing
violence against women and models of good practice designed to prevent it. The framework provides
an ecological logic model to primary prevention based on the World Health Organization (WHO)
World Report on Violence and Health (WHO 2002). It outlines factors influencing violent behaviour or
vulnerability to violence at multiple and interacting levels of influence – individual/relationship,
community and organisational, and societal. These levels are based on factors understood to
contribute to violence at each sphere of ecological influence and covers the key determinants of
violence, sociological contributing factors, and crisis response systems. This framework is useful as a
resource to guide and clarify program development.
Figure 1 A Right to Respect: Victoria’s Plan to Prevent Violence against Women (2010-2020) –
diagram representing the ecological approach to understanding violence
15
Projects implemented in Round 1 and 2 appeared to lack of a clear conceptual and theoretical
approach to violence prevention and often struggled to explicitly articulate an understanding of the
broader antecedents of gender based violence or corresponding models of change. W hile the NASASV
does describe the need for these (see Standard 1 and 2), it could be said that it lacks clear and
detailed recommendations to guide the development and articulation of these. As such, the VicHealth
(2006) framework may be a very useful resource for projects to use in conjunction with the NASASV
to inform and guide content development and program logic.
4.3 Good Practice in National Action Plans on Violence Against
Women (UN Women, 2010)
UN Women (2010) has developed an international guideline for good practice for National Action
Plans for the prevention of violence against women. The guidelines provide a top down approach to
guide effective policy for the prevention of, and response to, violence against women. While it has an
international perspective, the guideline has been designed to be applied across contexts and
countries. Similarly to the Preventing Violence Before It Occurs (VicHealth, 2007) framework, it has an
ecological approach to change and provides guiding principles for policy, governance, civil society
participation and legislation. It also describes guiding principles for primary prevention however; these
principles tend to address high level policy and governance strategies for prevention over
recommendations for field level implementation.
This model framework presents recommendations, accompanied by explanatory commentaries and
good practice examples. The framework also outlines the following guiding principles for national
action against violence against women. According to these principles, national action plans should
incorporate:
1. A human rights based approach;
2. An understanding of violence against women as a form of sex discrimination;
3. Different strategies for preventing forms of violence against women;
4. Root causes, prevalence and impact of violence against women; and
5. Multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and disadvantage.
National Action Plans on violence against women should include measures to prevent violence
against women:
1. Through addressing social and cultural norms, including awareness-raising strategies and
sensitization of the media;
2. In key educational, organizational and community settings;
3. Targeting and engaging specific groups, such as men and boys, parents, children and young
people; and
4. Addressing associated factors which can exacerbate or intensify violence against women.
16
The usefulness of this framework to inform funding and governance of prevention efforts is obvious
however; this resource may be somewhat less relevant in informing best practice at the project level.
17
5 Funded projects and inclusion in evaluation against
NASASV Standards
In total, 21 projects were funded under Round One and Two of the Respectful Relationships initiative.
Of these, 17 met criteria for evaluation against the NASASV Standards— two projects (Dirty Work
Comedy and Link-Up NSW Aboriginal Corporation) did not consent to participate in the evaluation
and therefore were not included in the current report. A further two projects were considered to be
outside of the scope of evaluation against the NASASV Standards— The SHine SA project model is
described in Section 8 Non-Evaluative Project Summaries and was not evaluated against the
NASASV Standards as it was not implemented in field following the initial consultation phase.
KPMG’s evaluation of the ‘Keeping Safe’ Child Protection Curriculum and Supplementary ‘SMART’
Training Project is also described in Section 8 Non-Evaluative Project Summaries as it was not a
violence prevention through education project and therefore could not be evaluated against the
NASASV. The NAPCAN’s LOVE BiTES project was not funded as part of the Respectful
Relationships initiative and as such, was not evaluated against the NASASV Standards. However, a
summary of NAPCAN’s LOVE BiTES was included in the current report as an exemplar project for the
purposes of informing recommendations for best practice in the field of violence prevention education.
A summary of the NAPCAN LOVE BiTES project is provided in Section 8. In total, 20 projects were
included in the current report; 17 were evaluated against the NASASV Standards and the remaining
three were described in brief project summaries in Section 8. See Table 1 below for a complete list of
funded projects and which underwent a full evaluation in the current report.
18
Table 1 Funded projects and inclusion in evaluation against NASASV Standards
Organisation
Project
Evaluated against
NASASV Standards
Reason for exclusion
Funded under Round 1 of the Respectful
Relationships initiative:
CASA House (RWH) & Canberra Rape Crisis Centre
Sexual Assault Prevention Project for
Secondary Schools
SA Department of Education and Children’s Services
Evaluation of the Keeping safe child
protection curriculum
La Trobe University
Respectful Relationships Project

Northern Territory Government, Department of Education
‘Keeping Safe’ Child Protection
Curriculum and Supplementary ‘SMART’
Training Project


X
Respectful Relationships education
SHine SA
project
University of NSW
Sex and ethics

University of Western Sydney
Sex and Ethics

X
Did not meet criteria for evaluation
against NASASV. Summary provided
in Section 8.
Project Discontinued. Summary
provided in Section 8.
Funded under Round 2 of the Respectful Relationships initiative:
University of Western Sydney
Sex and ethics

Akeyulerre (funded under IFSP)
Respectful Relationships Project

19
Evaluated against
NASASV Standards
Organisation
Project
Australian Football League
Respect & Responsibility

Australian Red Cross
Kwinana Project

Baptist Community Services
ACT-2: Respectful Relationships Project

Dirty Work Comedy (funded under IFSP)
The No Means No Show
Kurbingui Youth Development Association
Healthy Relationships
Link-Up NSW Aboriginal Corporation (funded under IFSP)
The Link-Up program
Relationships Australia Canberra and Riverina
LOVE BiTES

Sexual Assault Resource Centre
Respectful Relationships Education

Swinburne University of Technology
Respectful Relationships

Uniting Care Wesley
Respectful Relationships Project

Wandiyali Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Incorporated (funded under IFSP)
Wandiliya Murrung

Youth & Family Focus
The Mersey Respectful Relationship
Project

Youth & Family Service Logan
Respectful Relationships

Reason for exclusion
X
Did not consent to participate
evaluation. No summary provided.
in
X
Did not consent to participate
evaluation. No summary provided.
in

Funded under Indigenous Family Safety
initiative: - see above projects funded
20
Organisation
Project
Evaluated against
NASASV Standards
Reason for exclusion
under IFSP.
National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and
Neglect (not funded under IFSP – can you please add an
extra section for NAPCAN
LOVE BiTES
X
Out of scope for evaluation against
NASASV. Summary provided in
Section 8.
21
6 Results
The following results sections are based on the process evaluation of projects funded in Rounds 1
and 2. Project documents and qualitative interviews were conducted to assess the efficiency of
project models, development and implementation and document challenges and benefits experienced
throughout the implementation and facilitation process. The following sections provide an overview
of project performance against the NASASV Standards (See 6.1 Evaluating projects against the
NASASV) and a summary of strengths and challenges identified throughout the development,
implementation and facilitation process (see 6.2 Summary of identified strengths and challenges).
Individual project summaries are provided in Section 7 followed by summary tables describing project
characteristics and performance against the NASASV.
6.1 Evaluating projects against the NASASV
A major component of the process evaluation was the comparison of guidelines outlined in the
NASASV Standards with the performance of each project funded under the Respectful Relationships
initiative. Framing Best Practice: National Standards for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Assault
through Education (Carmody et al, 2009) provided six standards which are designed to be read and
applied when developing projects, or when selecting projects for funding. The six NASASV Standards
are:
1. Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design;
2. Demonstrating the use of a theory of change;
3. Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice;
4. Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery;
5. Using effective evaluation strategies; and
6. Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators.
Appendix A.2 details how each of the Standards can be applied to projects funded under the
Respectful Relationships initiative and describes characteristics that indicate best practice.
Performance against the NASASV Standards is provided in summation in the following section and is
detailed for each project in Section 7: Individual Project Summaries.
Overall, findings suggest that projects demonstrated appropriate approaches to:
1. Community and school consultation (NASASV: Standard 3 and 4); and
2. Ensuring cultural inclusion and cultural relevance for culturally specific projects (NASASV:
Standard 3).
However, projects could benefit from additional focus and development in the following areas:
1. Explicitly articulating conceptual approaches to project design (NASAV: Standard 1 and 2);
22
2. Explicitly articulating approaches to defining determinants of violence and how these are
targeted to affect participant change (NASASV: Standard 2); and
3. Designing and conducting internal project evaluations and/or in engaging an appropriate
external evaluator (NASASV: Standard 5).
It is important to note that projects funded through rounds 1 and 2 of the Respectful Relationships
program were not required to address the NASASV Standards during the application process.
Consequently, performance against the Standards should not be interpreted as indicating poor project
implementation. A summary of overall performance against each standard is provided below.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to program design:
Overall, projects demonstrated coherent conceptual approaches to project design. When reviewing
project content, the use of a theoretical framework was often found to be embedded implicitly in the
project curriculum. Most commonly, content demonstrated feminist, cultural, strength-based and
ecological approaches to prevention. However, while it was evident that most projects employed a
theoretical approach to project design, this was rarely formally identified in the project documentation.
Nor was a clear rationale for the selection of this approach made explicit. Approaches to
understanding the antecedents of violence (for example, ecological, gender-based) and the
theoretically-based mechanisms for addressing these, need to be identified explicitly in project
documentation using the indicators of Standard 1 of the NASASV as a guide.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change: Projects generally did not articulate the
use of theory of change adequately in project documentation. While some projects identified an
underlying theoretical framework, there was little articulation of how a theory of change was used to
achieve the project’s intended outcomes. For instance, some projects employed activities that focused
on critically analysing attitudes that are tolerant or supportive of relationship violence. The purpose of
this was presumed to challenge the beliefs and attitudes that are associated with relationship
violence, based on the cognitive-behavioural understanding that attitudes predict behaviours. While
the intention of changing attitudes in order to change behaviour is presumed to be the intention of
such an activity, the link between curriculum and intended outcome was seldom articulated and often
had to be inferred by the research team. In other cases, the link between project curriculum and the
desired participant outcome was less clear, for example the link between activities that aimed to
increase participant self-efficacy or cultural understanding and violence prevention outcomes was less
direct and often not adequately described in documentation or interviews with project representatives.
Projects that incorporated content aimed at impacting attitudes, beliefs and promoting skill
development demonstrated a good understanding of determinants of change.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice:
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Culturally specific projects clearly demonstrated cultural inclusion and sensitivity through community
engagement and consultation and tailoring of content. Projects delivered to mainstream or nonspecific target groups also engaged in consultations with target group representatives (i.e. school
staff) prior to delivery to ensure content was suitable however, cultural inclusion was generally not
described as a central tenet of consultation or project design. It was deemed that projects on the
whole adequately demonstrated culturally relevant and sensitive practices given the cultural specificity
of their target group. However, it is recommended that projects that deliver to large and culturally nonspecific target groups still make explicit that they have considered the cultural appropriateness of their
project. The NASASV Standard 3 indicators can be used as a guided methodology for undertaking
inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice. This process should be documented and a
justification should be provided in reporting to ensure that the lack of cultural specificity is the result of
thoughtful consideration and not oversight. For projects that did adapt content, it is further
recommended that these adaptations also be made explicit in the project documentation.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive program development and delivery:
Projects generally demonstrated comprehensive approaches to project development by engaging in
community consultation during the development and implementation phases of their projects and
tailoring content, where appropriate, based on the identified needs of their target group. Some
projects demonstrated excellent project design by developing mechanisms to ensure sustainable
delivery after the funding period. These projects engaged in teacher training and curriculum
development, provided online resources, or linked participants to available services to provide
ongoing counselling or referral. Projects often encountered time restrictions on their delivery in
schools and single session deliveries were common. This is a challenge for prevention efforts as
isolated or single session deliveries have demonstrated limited effectiveness in affecting long term
change.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies:
A key component of the review process was to identify projects that included some form of evaluation.
There are minimum standards which should be met in evaluations of schools-based violence
prevention. It is essential for the effective evaluation of violence prevention programs that evaluation
includes an assessment of the intervention’s impact on violence-related variables (such as attitudes
and behaviours), the use of standardised measures, a pre-test/post-test design, and a dissemination
process. Most projects that did perform an evaluation were limited in their conception and
implementation, and relied on unvalidated measures. Some of these evaluations were therefore
limited in their contribution to a best practice knowledge base in the field. Some projects contracted
the evaluation component of their project because they lacked expertise or time. In several of these
cases however, the resultant evaluation did not meet the defined criteria described under Standard 5
of the NASASV. Projects that did not meet Standard 5 generally suffered from poor evaluation
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methodologies, a lack of validated survey tools, an over-emphasis on project feedback and a lack of
focus on participant outcomes.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators:
Training and professional development was deemed to be adequate for all projects reviewed. Most
staff and facilitator training occurred via one-off sessions at the beginning of the project however,
ongoing support to develop competency and confidence was frequently employed across the span of
the project. Recruitment of facilitators from organisations that work in the field of violence prevention
or crisis response was deemed to be highly beneficial as facilitators generally had extensive
counselling and/or group facilitation experience and in-depth content knowledge of the sexual
violence prevention through education model.
6.2 Summary of identified strengths and challenges
Findings from the process evaluation of all Round 1 and 2 projects have been compiled below. The
recommendations and considerations listed below are based on facets of projects that were perceived
to be effective or beneficial or have been provided in response to reported challenges that emerged
during the project design, implementation or delivery phase. These are listed to provide a summation
of exemplar practices that were employed in field during the Round 1 and 2 and recommendations
based on observed challenges. As such, these are not relevant for all projects. Findings are based
on an analysis of project content only.
Seven major themes emerged from the analysis of project content and interviews for Round 1 and 2
projects; these have been used to structure the overall findings, recommendations and observations
below. These themes broadly include overall project findings related to:
1. Content and underlying conceptual approaches;
2. Project development and delivery;
3. Approaches to working with high-risk and vulnerable target groups;
4. Inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice;
5. Staffing and training;
6. Evaluation and reporting; and
7. General process issues.
6.2.1 Content and underlying conceptual approach
Strength-based approach among high-risk participants: It was observed that many projects
working with high-risk and vulnerable target groups reported using a strength-based approach to
changing behaviours. A strengths-based framework focuses on developing new skills and
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emphasising existing strengths that the participants could use when facing problems or crisis. The
theory of change inherent in this approach is based on the understanding that emphasising and
building on skills increases confidence and self-efficacy which will increase the likelihood of a
participant behaving in a positive way. This strategy was often employed among at-risk groups and
was described as a way to avoid inadvertently raising feelings of failure, guilt or shame which may
create resistance among participants. This was achieved by emphasising positive behaviours and
healthy ways of interacting with peers, teachers, parents, siblings and the wider community compared
with a focus on the prevention of negative behaviours.
Whole-of-school approach: A whole-of-school approach was described by projects as highly
effective in facilitating a cultural shift at multiple levels of the school community and in encouraging
ownership of the project by the school community itself. This is consistent with the VicHealth (2009)
framework which describes a whole-of-school approach as an ethical approach to relationship
violence prevention as young people cannot be expected to change in isolation, or opposition, to their
environment.
6.2.2 Project development and delivery
Flexible, module-based delivery: The use of a module based structure, with core and optional
modules, was found to be an effective mechanism for adaptable and flexible delivery. Additional
modules added at each session can be used to provide additional information, address new and
changing needs, and be adapted for available time.
Multiple intervention pathways: Some projects provided multiple intervention pathways by offering
primary prevention via the project delivery and also tertiary support, counselling and referral services
to participants, individuals and their families. This approach depicts a pathway of change which
incorporates both prevention-through-education and a secondary response for victims, perpetrators
and those vulnerable or at-risk. It was described as beneficial for projects to have the capacity to
respond to disclosures and participant distress and to provide access or referral to ongoing
therapeutic services.
Determining school readiness: It was reported by some projects that there needed to be a greater
focus on assessing school readiness during initial consultations with a focus on timelines, content and
the feasibility of delivery. Assessing school readiness during initial consultations is a crucial factor in
ensuring schools have the capacity to participate in project deliveries.
Fostering teacher engagement: It was reported by some projects that engaging buy-in from
teachers and school staff was achieved by engaging them during the consultation and implementation
process. Employing teacher input can help engender school level engagement and support for the
project, and improve implementation. Some projects were able to further support schools to
incorporate Respectful Relationships into their curriculum in the longer term through ongoing
26
participation in the project or through supporting teachers to incorporate materials into their
curriculum.
Service relationships between organisation and the target community: Projects that existed
within the context of an ongoing engagement with the target community be it current projects with
schools or specific Indigenous communities, appeared to be more successful during the development
and implementation phase compared to other projects. Organisations that were funded to initiate new
projects in communities where they did not have an existing collaboration reported that most of their
time was consumed with building and establishing relationships needed for effective engagement with
the targeted communities. Organisations funded without this prior established collaboration found that
much of their time and resources were directed towards developing these relationships before being
able to establish their project. Communities and target groups were less willing to engage with new
projects offered by people they did not have previous experience with.
Awareness piggy-backing: One project was completed during National Nonviolence Week. The
timing of this was strategic and had the dual effect of raising the profile of the project within the
community and also increased the perceived relevance of violence interventions among the
participants themselves.
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6.2.3 At-risk and vulnerable target groups
Avenues to increase participation of at-risk participants: One project reported that the use of
support funds such as meal and transport vouchers reduced sporadic attendance and the rate of
project attrition among their at-risk participant group. Allocation of these funds was suggested to
ensure all participants were able to take full advantage of the project regardless of their social or/and
financial disadvantage.
Preventative versus punitive delivery timing: The delivery of projects to high-risk groups who have
experienced or perpetrated violent behaviours was described as sometimes engendering opposition
in participants. For some projects, it was reported that there was a certain amount of
opposition/reactivity to the project content among participants who had exhibited violent behaviour
previously. Evidence suggests that participants receive information better when it is delivered using a
preventative and collaborative approach rather than addressing what the participants are doing
wrong. This raises questions about the timeliness of violence prevention projects among participants
who are at higher risk of exhibiting violent behaviour.
Project duration and attrition: The duration of the project needs to be considered given the
particular characteristics of the group. Longer term duration is preferable, however, may not be
suitable given the particular participant group as participant retention and engagement particularly
among at-risk participant groups was a reported challenge.
Flexible delivery for projects engaging young people with complex needs: High rates of attrition
are typical of projects delivered to young people with complex needs. One project reported
responding to this issue by employing a flexible design so that there was a range of entry and exit
points to facilitate re-entry and longer term participation. More broadly, this highlights the need for
flexible and responsive service delivery to account for the particular circumstances of young people
with complex needs.
6.2.4 Inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
Project duration in Indigenous Communities: It was reported that the continuance of projects in
Indigenous communities is of particular importance in facilitating engagement with the community.
This was in part, due to the mechanisms of participant recruitment operant in Indigenous communities
(largely via word of mouth and extended family networks) and the trajectory of participant
engagement as the uptake of Indigenous participation was reported to be typically slow initially and
increased exponentially via word of mouth recruitment and community familiarity.
The role of a cultural broker (for projects implemented in Indigenous communities): It was
reported by some Indigenous focused projects that the appointment of a person who is connected
with the community and can negotiate cultural issues and convey these to the project facilitators is
highly beneficial. It was suggested that recruiting Indigenous people from the community to the project
28
as cultural brokers was integral to the success of projects. Cultural brokers play a significant role with
language and cultural protocols and also symbolise legitimacy and place of cultural knowledge
thereby increasing community receptivity. The use of a cultural broker may foster inclusion and
increase the cultural relevance of the project among Indigenous participants and the community at
large. It is for this reason, that it was found to be beneficial for the projects to offer mentorship
opportunities to local Indigenous people recruited to these roles.
Community development framework for culturally-specific projects: As with projects targeting
the wider community, projects which target the Indigenous community should demonstrate a
community development framework. A community development framework aims to empower local
communities and utilise, acknowledge, and respect the knowledge and skills that already exist within
that community. This requires flexibility in plans and design in order to meet the unanticipated and
changing needs of the community.
Applying the NASASV to Indigenous and culturally specific projects: The Respectful
Relationships initiative funds a varied array of projects, some of which are delivered to culturallyspecific target groups such as Indigenous groups in remote communities. For some of these culturally
specific projects, an evaluation using the NASASV Standards may be overly prescriptive. It was
observed during the current evaluation that projects that were developed and delivered to culturally
specific target groups often did not address several of the NASASV best practice standards. NASASV
guidelines that related to theoretical and conceptual approaches to project design were often not
made explicit by some Indigenous projects. The emphasis on the cultural transmission of relationship
values (such as respect) and activities that focused on building confidence and self-efficacy were, in
some ways, unique to Indigenous-specific projects. While it is suggested that Indigenous-specific
projects would benefit from formally conceptualising their theoretical underpinnings, it is important to
avoid applying the NASASV Standards too stringently to projects that target specific groups given the
unique cultural context in which the projects are developed and delivered.
6.2.5 Staffing and training
Standardised training modules for project facilitators and staff: Some projects identified staff
training as an area for improvement within their organisations' approach to the project. Some projects
experienced a lack of standardised training which led to inconsistencies in the knowledge and skill
bases between project facilitators and other staff. Informal training was provided when deficits in
knowledge/ skill bases were identified; however this training was often after the fact. It was suggested
that project fidelity and delivery mechanisms may have been improved by the use of standardised
training prior to the commencement of the project.
Workshop/conference: A number of projects indicated that a Respectful Relationships workshop or
a conference open to all funded Respectful Relationships projects would have been beneficial in
providing opportunities to share information and discuss the design and implementation strategies,
29
outcomes, challenges and successes, and experiences in running the Respectful Relationships
projects to inform future project development.
Networking (ideas exchange): Similar to the workshop/conference concept, a number of projects
considered that a network of projects staff and experts in the field of primary prevention education
could have added to the experience and provided guidance in the approaches used for the various
projects in these rounds. A board of experts available to support participating projects could add to
the overall value of individual projects as well as Respectful Relationship projects as a whole and
would have been beneficial in communicating how these projects contributed to communities and
individuals.
6.2.6 Evaluation and reporting
Evaluation within projects (standard format and framework): It was apparent that some
evaluation processes within projects did not necessarily meet rigorous standards or practices when
undertaking evaluation work. The validity of the instruments used and the congruity with the project
content needs greater consideration. It is frequently cited in the literature that a problem with project
evaluation in the field of violence prevention education is the lack of validated measurement tools
(Morrison, et al., 2004; Perry, 2006; Tutty, et al., 2005).
Designing a rigorous outcome evaluation: As the main goal of an evaluation is to indicate whether
a program is effective or not, it is important that an evaluation is conducted appropriately. At a
minimum, projects should employ the following components in their evaluation:
1. Validated measures; and
2. A pre- and post-test design.
In addition, follow-up testing and the use of a control or comparison group is considered gold standard
evaluation practice however, it is recognised that these two elements may not be within the scope of
most project funding.
Using validated measures: In many cases, an instrument will have already been used in field that
measures identical program objectives. It is worth investing time in researching appropriate existing
measures, or ones that can be adapted with minimal effort. A good resource for finding survey
measures specific to sexual violence prevention is Michael Floods’ compendium of measures for the
assessment of dimensions of violence against women available online— good source for survey
measures http://www.svri.org/measures.pdf (Flood, 2008).
Pre- and post-test designs: Pre- and-post-test designs assess participants “before” and “after” the
intervention in order to assess whether participant change has occurred. The measures which assess
participant change should match the program goals. Testing participant attitudes or knowledge before
the intervention project (pre-test) allows for a comparison of results after participation (post-test) and
can demonstrate how much change has occurred during that period (Parker and Lamont 2010).
30
Follow-up testing: Follow-up testing is needed for assessing whether interventions have an enduring
impact on participant outcomes. For example, participants may have increased knowledge about
conflict resolution strategies immediately after a single session delivery; however, to determine
whether an intervention has had a lasting effect, another evaluation of outcomes will need to be
conducted using the same outcome measures preferably 3 to 6 months after project delivery.
Recommended resource: Parker R. and Lamont, A. (2010). Evaluating Programs. The Australian
Institute of Family Studies
Establish standard reporting requirements: In reviewing project documentation, it was observed
that many projects did not meet minimum standards of reporting. It is recommended that
documentation and reporting be standardised for all funded projects to ensure that projects meet
required reporting criteria. Final reports are required to cover the entire project period, and should be
a stand-alone document describing the project and detailing the project’s outcomes. Content analysis
found that the quality of the funding application was high across the board however the quality of
reporting for interim and final reports and supporting documentation was inconsistent. This raises
issues, not only for accurate recording and dissemination, but also transparency and accountability.
6.2.7 General process issues
Contact and liaison with FaHCSIA: Comments received indicate that the lack of consistency in staff/
project-related contact persons within FaHCSIA was a complication for project personnel when they
were seeking advice, following up issues, or providing and receiving feedback. The considerable
movement of staff was described as challenging from the project staff point of view.
Period of project: A number of project representatives who were interviewed commented that the
project funding, although invaluable in concept, suffered from a lack of continuance over a greater
period of time and lacked the opportunity to be extended to a wider group of young people outside the
initial project participants.
Record keeping: Projects often suffered from a lack of good practice in record keeping. Guidelines
for a standardised approach to maintaining appropriate records and reporting would be beneficial.
Inconsistency in the quality, quantity and content of project documentation presented problems for the
ease of information accessibility and undermined good practice in the tracking of project progress and
project transparency. Suggestions for reporting of content include clearly detailing the duration of the
project including the frequency and length of the sessions, the number of participants involved, the
recruitment method, demographic information and the rate of participant attrition across the duration
of the project. Often the intention or purpose of the project was clearly articulated however, the way
this intention was executed via the content of the project was less so for some projects.
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7 Evaluative Project Summaries
The following sections provide a detailed summary of Round 1 and 2 projects reviewed for this
evaluation. Findings presented in the individual project summaries are based on a review of project
documents and telephone interviews with project representatives. In total, 17 projects were evaluated
against the NASASV Standards. Document reviews and telephone interviews were undertaken to
assess whether projects were designed and implemented in line with the National Association of
Services against Sexual Violence (NASASV) Standards. As such, the evaluation of project content
and delivery has been structured around these criteria. Evaluative project summaries have been
provided by funding round as below:
7
EVALUATIVE PROJECT SUMMARIES ........................................................................................... 32
7.1
CASA HOUSE (RWH) & CANBERRA RAPE CRISIS CENTRE: SEXUAL ASSAULT
PREVENTION PROJECT FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS ............................................................ 33
7.2
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT ............................... 36
7.3
NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVERNMENT, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, ‘KEEPING SAFE’
CHILD PROTECTION CURRICULUM AND SUPPLEMENTARY ‘SMART’ TRAINING PROJECT ........ 41
7.4
UNIVERSITY OF NSW: SEX AND ETHICS ................................................................... 44
7.5
UNIVERSITY OF W ESTERN SYDNEY: SEX AND ETHICS ............................................... 49
7.6
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE: RESPECT & RESPONSIBILITY .................................. 56
7.7
AKEYULERRE: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT ............................................. 59
7.8
AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS: KWINANA PROJECT.......................................................... 65
7.9
BAPTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES: ACT-2: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT ...... 72
7.10
KURBINGUI YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION: HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS .............. 75
7.11
RELATIONSHIPS AUSTRALIA CANBERRA AND RIVERINA: LOVE BITES PROJECT ......... 78
7.12
SEXUAL ASSAULT RESOURCE CENTRE: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION..... 83
7.13
SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS ................. 87
7.14
UNITING CARE W ESLEY: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS PROJECT .............................. 91
7.15
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER INCORPORATED: W ANDIYALI MURRUNG
PROJECT .......................................................................................................................... 95
7.16
YOUTH & FAMILY FOCUS: THE MERSEY RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIP PROJECT,
TASMANIA ......................................................................................................................... 99
7.17
YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES LOGAN: RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS ......................... 103
32
7.1 CASA House (RWH) & Canberra Rape Crisis Centre
The Sexual Assault Prevention Project for Secondary Schools (SAPPSS) delivered by CASA House
was a six session project delivered to year 9 and 10 students. Sessions lasted approximately one
hour and were delivered over six weeks. SAPPSS has been recognised as a good practice model by
the Victorian State Government which led to the employment of the model by six sexual assault
support agencies across Australia, including CASA House which initiated SAPPSS in 2004.
CASA House, a department of the Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne, was funded by FaHCSIA as
part of the Respectful Relationships initiative to work in partnership with the Canberra Rape Crisis
Centre (CRCC) to implement SAPPSS in three schools in the ACT and to support local performances
of the ‘No Means No’ comedy show. A total of 1000 young people attended the No Means No Show.
Between 2009 and 2012 CASA House and CRCC delivered the SAPPSS student program to a total
of 720 students aged between 13 and 18 years at three schools within the ACT. Participating schools
were diverse and included two state high schools, and an Independent Anglican boy’s school. This
project engaged young participants as well as the staff and leaders in their school community and
local specialist agencies.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The project was largely informed by feminist theory, with content focusing on consent and sexual
assault. It had a strong focus on gender stereotyping and gender identity as key determinants of
sexual violence, including gender-based understandings of power and control. The SAPPSS project is
underpinned by a clear gender analysis and feminist understanding of why sexual assault occurs, with
the goal of achieving behaviour change. As such, SAPPSS delivered a coherent conceptual approach
to project design.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The SAPPSS focused on gendered and social determinants of violence to achieve attitudinal and
behavioral change. In the interview, the project representative described how the project discussed
gender constructs and gender power dynamics to help identify personal or social views that may
foster or tolerate relationship or sexual violence. This approach was aimed at changing individual
behaviour but also at raising social consciousness and understanding. The project representative
described the approach as follows:
“(Gender analysis in a social context is) more than and beyond individual behaviour, although
individual behaviour is, at the end of the day, what of course is the issue when we live in a
society that is allowing for gender inequality.”
This ecological view is consistent with the indicators of Standard 2, which recommends that
approaches to behaviour change should be embedded within an understanding of the social, cultural
33
and individual factors that allow sexual assault to occur. Furthermore, the SAPPSS project curriculum
demonstrates an understanding of the differences between attitude change and behaviour change,
and the impact of social context in achieving primary prevention outcomes.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
The target age group for the project were male and female students aged 13 to 18 years at three
schools in Canberra with distinct student profiles including a range of linguistic and cultural
backgrounds, including some Indigenous young people. There was no evidence in the project
documentation of culturally-based project adaptation and no development of selective interventions
for culturally-specific or at-risk groups. Due to the whole-of-school approach and mainstream settings
for delivery, it is likely that the consultations with school bodies and partner agencies that occurred
within the local community were adequate. However, it is recommended that projects that deliver
content to large and culturally non-specific cohort groups specify that they have considered the
appropriateness of doing so, using the NASASV indicators as a guided methodology for undertaking
inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice. This process should be documented and a
justification should be provided in reporting to ensure that the lack of cultural specificity or inclusion is
the result of thoughtful consideration and not oversight.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
The delivery incorporated several components including multiple-session curriculum projects for junior
and middle school;‘No Means No’ performances for young women and men which used interactive
theatre to convey prevention curriculum content; train the trainer projects with teachers to enable cofacilitation and broaden the scope of prevention education; and a peer educator project for senior
school. Using this multi-component design, SAPPSS deliver a whole-of-school approach to sexual
assault prevention.
The project had a six week; six session duration and engaged young participants as well as staff from
local specialist agencies and leaders in the school community in the project deliveries. Project
development incorporated contributions from students, Victoria Police and CASA House counsellors
and advocates. A key aim of the consultation was to support community and education sectors to
develop the ability to manage future implementations of the project. Teachers and support staff
received professional development sessions throughout the project however, deliveries by trained
school staff did not eventuate within the funding period.
Mechanisms for addressing the needs of domestic violence victims were incorporated into the project
in two ways. Firstly, crisis centre and local agency staff members were involved in project delivery
which enabled both the promotion of agency services and the presence of experienced crisis
response staff to deal with disclosures and referrals if required during sessions. Secondly, the teacher
facilitator training focused on crisis and disclosure response to equip teachers with the skills to
34
support and appropriately refer students in the event of disclosure during project sessions or
thereafter. SAPPSS demonstrated comprehensive community engagement and community
partnerships and employed strategies for addressing the needs of victims of domestic violence. In
review, SAPPSS met requirements of best practice against Standard 4.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
The SAPPSS evaluation was comprehensive and consisted of pre and post surveys for every
participating student; a focus groups with a select group of students (usually 4-6 students from the
cohort) and; facilitator and teacher surveys completed at the end of each project. However, while the
SAPPSS project evaluation was more comprehensive than most in design, reporting could have been
improved. Final results and participant outcomes were hard to find within the provided reports,
questionnaire items were often not provided and reported participant changes on key measures often
did not provide an indication of the number of participants that participated in the survey at pre and
post. It is important that the number of students that participated in the project and the number of
participants who returned surveys at pre and post are documented so as to convey the coverage of
the evaluation relative to the number of total participants. It is not sufficient to simply report that all
participants completed surveys.
Furthermore, when reporting percentages, it is important that all the summary numbers that relate to
that percentage including the denominator and numerator are included. This means providing the
total number of survey responses provided overall and the total number of participants who provided
the response of interest. Given the comprehensive approach to evaluation taken and the resources
required to undertake this, it is vital that outcomes are reported adequately— to enhance project
delivery internally, and to enable adequate reporting and dissemination to relevant external entities.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
SAPPSS used a model of co-facilitation where the teachers and prevention and crisis response
workers deliver the project together. The intention of this approach was to eventually have teachers
trained and capable to deliver the project independently, with professional staff stepping back to a
less intensive role (for example as guest speakers). Teachers from the participating schools were
recruited to the role of co-facilitators to assist with discussion and activities in the Year 9/10 project,
and to act as a source of information and contact for students. The training provided by CASA for this
role consisted of a three day training workshop covering topics such as responding to sexual violence,
sexual assault terminology and prevalence statistics, and responding to disclosures, and group
facilitation skills. While teacher facilitation did not occur during the funding Rounds due to time
constraints, the ground work for this model at least partially addresses both school culture and wholeof-school intervention objectives and provides a self-sustaining framework for embedding gender
equity throughout the curriculum beyond the funding and delivery period.
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7.2 La Trobe University: Respectful Relationships Project
The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS), La Trobe University, Living
Safer Sexual Lives: Respectful Relationships Project was funded to develop trial and evaluate a peer
led primary prevention of violence against women project for people with intellectual disabilities. The
primary focus of the project was on violence and abuse prevention, utilising a peer-education model.
Few education and prevention projects use a peer-education model when working with intellectually
disabled young people resulting in this project being innovative and cutting edge in the disability and
sexual health education areas.
The project had three goals: first, to develop, implement and evaluate a primary prevention of
violence against women strategy that will enable people with an intellectual disability to engage in
respectful relationships; second, to develop a training resource for the education project that is
transferrable to other sites; and lastly, to develop an evidence base concerning Respectful
Relationships education with people with an intellectual disability or cognitive disability, using the
project model.
The project was implemented across four sites in Victoria and Tasmania (Geelong, Gippsland,
Northern Metropolitan Melbourne, and Burnie). People with intellectual disabilities were employed as
co-researchers to work on the project development, implementation and evaluation. The project team
worked closely with government and non-government organisations from the disability sector. The
project included the training of people with intellectual disabilities as peer educators, and their support
people as co-facilitators. By the end of the funding period, 20 people with an intellectual disability, and
their support co-facilitators, were trained as peer educators, having completed a three-day training
workshop. Further, three workshops (with up to four sessions per project) were delivered by trained
peer educators (people with an intellectual disability) and their trained co-facilitators across three
different sites. A total of 41 people with an intellectual disability completed the project by July, 2011.
The project conducted evaluative research, including qualitative interviews with key stakeholders and
participants. This aspect of the project was included in the project design. Challenges of the project
included some resistance by many of the partner organisations from the disability sector. Many of the
partner organisations operated from an advocacy approach, and were very resistant to participating in
a peer-education model project, therefore creating barriers for people with an intellectual disability to
participate in the project. The project team attempted to overcome these barriers by integrating liaison
with partner organisations into the project design. Participants reported a sense of being able to help
others, and themselves; felt they had gained more confidence, felt more respected by others, and had
acquired new knowledge and skills relating to respectful relationships, where to access support and
how to support others.
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Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The project was based on an integrated ecological theory of abuse (see Sobsey 1994). The project
proposal clearly articulates a number of theoretical concepts, relevant to sexual assault prevention of
people with intellectual abilities. A conceptual approach is used to guide and support the project
through every stage. For example, in the development stage of the project, the ecological model of
risk of sexual violence for people with an intellectual disability (Hollomitz 2009; 2011) was used to
develop the peer education model. Implementation of the project was guided by Sobsey’s (2009)
assertion on the need for personal empowerment and Hollomotz’s argument on the need for
education in sexual assault prevention. The implementation of the project was also based on peereducation, and learning partner approaches. Both these approaches accommodate the specific needs
of the target group.
From their project evaluation, it was evident that the project needed to address the role of gender and
power in the context of sexual abuse and violence towards people with intellectual disabilities. To be
consistent with the NASASV Standards, it would be recommended that gender be considered in the
conceptual approach. Stakeholders were concerned that the ‘genderless’ nature of the project with
males and female both participating in the same groups may put their clients at-risk of further
victimisation through existing power imbalances.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The theoretical approaches utilised in the project demonstrated a strong understanding of the social
factors involved in the occurrence of sexual assault. The project focuses on empowering people
(strengths based approach) with an intellectual disability by education about respectful relationships.
Previous preventative projects were cited by the researchers to take a protective behaviours
approach. The researchers believed an empowerment approach would be more effective in
prevention, and in also dispelling the many myths surrounding people with an intellectual disability’s
sexuality.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
The assumptions inherent in the project were evident in the project documentation at both the surface
and deep structure level. The project proposal included detailed discussion on the terminology used
to refer to people with intellectual disabilities, and the reasons for such use. The evaluation report also
includes a detailed discussion on the language used to describe the sexuality of people with
intellectual disabilities, and some of the activities undertaken in the project to correct inappropriate or
disrespectful language.
The initial development of the project materials was based on qualitative research interviews with
people with an intellectual disability. This process was undertaken critically, to explore the
stereotypical assumptions about people with an intellectual disability’s sexuality, and, to generate
37
material for the project handbook. Deeper structural assumptions were made evident in the
conceptual approaches taken by the project. Theories relating to the causes of violence, and the
position of people with an intellectual disability in society were utilised throughout the project’s
lifespan.
The target group was identified as people with an intellectual disability. Women constituted the main
target population, though the project did not exclude men. Recent research that discussed the high
level of violence against people, particularly women, with an intellectual disability, and the need for
educational projects, was cited to support the need for a specific sexual assault prevention project
that targets people with an intellectual disability (Murray and Powell 2008). Extensive consultation
with the target population, their support people, and professionals in the disability sector was
undertaken throughout the project. The content of the project was developed directly from
consultation with these key stakeholders, and from relevant research literature.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
The project was consistent with the NASASV standards of a comprehensive project development and
delivery. The project content was developed based on relevant theory and key concepts from the
ecological model of risk of sexual violence for people with an intellectual disability, and also from
research on people with an intellectual disability’s sexual experiences. Co-facilitators and the project
research team were prepared for participants’ disclosures of abusive experiences and the potential
discomfort of clients associated with such disclosure.
The project faced major challenges in the recruitment of peer educators and the delivery of project
content. Many partner organisations from the disability sector were reluctant to participate in the
project or labelled the project as too personal. Many of the partner organisations worked from an
advocacy based approach, and argued they did not believe the project would be beneficial or
important for their clients.
Further, many organisations raised additional concerns that they may not be able to appropriately
deal with any disclosures of abuse and the associated discomfort for participants during participation
in the project. Some partner organisations were also found to be pre-selecting potential participants
for the peer education project, rather than leaving the decision to participate or not to the persons with
intellectual disabilities. These issues with the partner organisations were discussed in detail in the
evaluation report, by the ARCSHS. The original proposal included five sites for the project
implementation, however, the relationship with the fifth site in Hobart, Tasmania, deteriorated such
that the project was not implemented at this site.
The challenges identified from the project documentation and interview data suggested that more
groundwork needs to be conducted to ensure the buy-in of service providers from the relevant
partnership sector (in this case the disability sector). Similar challenges are likely to arise for any
38
projects relying on collaboration with service sectors that are highly protective of their clients due to
the perceived vulnerable status of these clients. While this protective attitude is partly understandable,
it is important for Respectful Relationships projects designed to target vulnerable and minority
populations to empower the relevant target population by involving them in project design and
implementation, as done in the example. However, to the targeted minority population, projects are
likely to rely on partners such as carers, family, and partner organisations that can facilitate access.
Thus, support for the project needs to be generated prior to project onset to inform and involve the
relevant service sector and address any concerns the sector may have.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
The project evaluative phase was informed by relevant research literature that cites research on
sexual assault prevention projects for people with an intellectual disability (Barger, Wacker, Macy and
Parish 2009). Consistent with an action research approach, the project evaluation incorporated an
interactive evaluation format involving all members of the project team. This approach provided
opportunities for the project team and evaluators to identify project improvements. An empowerment
evaluation approach was taken for the interactive component of the evaluation. This approach
facilitated the generation of new knowledge and allows for feedback to be incorporated into improved
practice. An Evaluation Report was produced, including a detailed methodology, presentation and
discussion of findings. The project proposal includes plans to publish the research findings of the
evaluation.
The overall aim of the evaluation was to inform implementation of the project, and to contribute to
international and national debates on prevention of sexual abuse of people with intellectual
disabilities. The evaluation involved an evaluation team, and a project team, which included people
with an intellectual disability employed on the project as researchers. Qualitative interviews with peer
educators, workshops with the research team and evaluators, feedback from co-facilitators and
interviews with members of the local planning groups were included in the evaluation technique.
Methods involving creative arts, including using a range of communication modes and materials, were
utilised in the evaluation workshops. An extensive findings report was produced, and is intended to be
drafted as a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
A large component of the project involved the training of peer educators and co-facilitators to present
the project to other people with intellectual disabilities. The project is designed to educate people with
an intellectual disability, so they can deliver the project to their peers, with the assistance of their cofacilitators. It is not documented though, how the continuation of the project will take place. Given the
significant set-backs to the project constituted by reluctance by caregivers, the strategic involvement
of caregivers during the project development and during the project itself is recommended to
overcome any potential future barriers to the recruitment of participants.
39
Due to the challenges encountered when trying to win caregiver and family support, much of the
discussion around training the peer educators and recruiting participants focused on the issues of
stereotypical images of people with an intellectual disability (such as ‘they are not sexual’, or ‘people
with intellectual disabilities can’t consent’), and breaking down these myths, rather than the gendered
nature of abuse. Addressing such myths, which may create barriers for the development of respectful
relationships for people with disabilities, was clearly an important focus of the project.
40
7.3 Northern Territory Government, Department of Education
The Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum (KSCPC) and Strategies for Managing Abuse Related
Trauma (SMART) training project aimed to develop a culture of child protection education embedded
in all schools across the Northern Territory, to facilitate generational change in community attitudes
towards violence. As a result of training and workshops in KSCPC, SMART, and Mandatory
Reporting, the curriculum was presented to over 10,000 students in 40 schools across the Northern
Territory over an 18 month period (2009-2011). Over 90 people were trained to present the KSCPC
and SMART to staff in education, health and policing sectors.
The KSCPC and SMART training aspects of the Respectful Relationships project directly addressed
and continued the change already occurring in the Northern Territory community of Maningrida. The
project achieved the recognition of the unique situation of Northern Territory Schools, which led to the
signing of an Agreement between the Department of Education and Training (DET) and the South
Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS) to make changes to the KSCPC
to be more Northern Territory specific. Similarly, SMART workshops were adapted to incorporate
Northern Territory specific Mandatory Reporting legislation.
The project experienced challenges that delayed timely progress which included: severe weather
patterns during the ‘Wet Season’ making travel to or from the Northern Territory impossible; ‘Sorry
Days’, prompting community closure to respect traditions for deceased community members; and,
high staff turnover in many isolated, Northern Territory Schools, some as high as 180% during the
project timeline.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The project was primarily designed to equip members of the target communities with the skills to
further train more members of the School and their communities, and thus facilitate broad community
implementation of the KSCPC and SMART approaches. The KSCPC and SMART training projects, of
the Respectful Relationships project did not specify a foundation in any particular theoretical
approach. This is not to say that the KSCPC and SMART training do not have a theoretical base,
rather that the project delivered in the Northern Territory (NT) did not state this aspect of the project.
The KSCPC and SMART Respectful Relationships project could benefit from applying a coherent
theoretical framework more formally to the content and delivery. This would aid the development of
the articulation of the underlying assumptions and driving goals of the project, which may assist in
project design and in successfully meeting objectives.
41
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
Whilst there is no articulation of the theory of change in the project proposal or documentation, the
theory of change is demonstrated in the underlying philosophical approach of the project. The project
aimed to help children develop skills to protect themselves and to minimise harm. The project
proposal identified a need to create generational change in community attitudes towards violence,
and the need to embed a culture of child protection in all Northern Territory Schools. Previous work in
the Maningrida Community (located in remote Arnhem Land, Maningrida is also a participating School
in the Respectful Relationships Project) was reported in the project proposal to drive slow, but steady
and gradual change in attitudes towards violence and abuse. This previous work helped develop
strategies to collaboratively consult with respected elders of the community.
Plans for local solutions were developed by listening to stories and employing a strength-based
approach process to explore problematic issues. Concepts, such as, ‘children see, children do’,
‘everyone has the right to be safe’, and ‘we can get help by talking to people we trust’ were also
introduced to the community vocabulary and behaviour through this consultancy process.
Education activities were evidenced to be linked to theory of change and key concepts. For example,
anecdotal feedback, reported in the evaluation interview, states that after participating in a KSCPC
lesson some children disclosed to teachers or discussed their thoughts on the lesson content with the
whole class group. After one such lesson, students reportedly openly discussed their risk-taking
experiences and realization that their behaviours may have negative outcomes with the training officer
and class-group. This demonstrates an example of a “desired effect” achievement (Hughes 2008:1).
These outcomes are linked to the theory of change in that the assumed problem (risk-taking
behaviour), and required action (thinking before taking action, and realising the consequences of
actions) to rectify the assumed problem, is having the desired effect (students have the ability to
recognise how their engagement in risky behaviour affects consequences, and how they can control
this). However, as stated in the project proposal, the change needed to embed child protection
culturally can only be effectively achieved across generations.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
Primary school aged, Indigenous, non-Indigenous and children with English as Second Language
(ESL), including refugee children, attending Northern Territory schools (government and nongovernment) were the target population. Primary school students were reported as being most at-risk,
and were thus expected to benefit most from the initiative. The Little Children are Sacred Report and
The Howard Bath Report were both referenced in the project proposal and interview as being
influential in the development of the project and project participants, and in its funding success. Child
protection was the major driving principal in the proposal. Remote Schools were given priority, in line
with the NT government ‘Closing the Gap’ initiative. The project proposal indicated that consultation
with respected community Elders was undertaken during work leading up to the project
42
implementation, and that the project design was based on suggestions from the relationship with
community Elders.
It was discussed in the interview with the training officer that care was taken when visiting a
community to visit the school or community health worker or counsellor first, who would then introduce
the training officer to other School/community staff. Staff participated in ‘relationship/trust building’
activities, involving group work and discussions. This enabled discussion, as culturally appropriate, to
identify common acquaintances, which cultivated relationship building between the training officer and
community members and Elders. This process greatly facilitated the project’s success in participating
schools and communities.
Delivery of the project was adjusted according to cultural requirements. For example, lessons
involving discussion of anatomical names of body parts, for some schools, were separated by gender,
with the appropriate Elder or cultural advisor present. Receptivity of communities to the project was
facilitated through the project trainer’s prior connections with people in the community; reportedly
either through family, or through mutual acquaintances. This relationship building was discussed as
being very important to the Indigenous communities.
There was no explicit discussion or description about the assumptions within the project, at either the
surface or deep structure levels. Surface structure aspects of the project were discussed implicitly by
the training officer in an example description of techniques used to deliver the project in an
appropriate manner for the students’ literacy, cognitive understanding levels and cultural norms.
Participant evaluations of the project indicated that deep structural assumptions may have been
addressed. Students reportedly learnt and demonstrated their understanding of the project’s desired
outcomes, such as identifying ‘safe’ adults to disclose their experiences. This may indicate
development of change in students’ understandings of their interpersonal relationships. These results
are also indicative of the relevance and cultural sensitivity of the project, as evidenced by the
achievement of surface and deep structure changes in some schools.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
To support age-appropriate and culturally sensitive presentation of KSCPC material and to encourage
student participation and understanding, resources were purchased and distributed to all Schools who
adopted the KSCPC. These resources included picture books, novels, posters and DVD’s. The
education activities engaged in by the students were aimed at changing the students’ understanding,
language and behaviour surrounding sexual abuse and violence in their communities, and about
equipping students’ with the personal and life skills to be able to keep ‘safe’ and talk about their
experiences. The provided materials did not explicitly detail the educational activities or method
undertaken during training sessions or KSCPC lessons. However, methods for engaging students in
the KSCPS material discussed in the qualitative interview were indicative of being adaptable and
diverse. For example, when faced with the issue of low literacy among students, the training officer
43
adapted the lesson content to involve a book excerpt read to the whole class, rather than asking
students to read it individually. Students were then able to discuss the content, and to progress to
achieving the intended effect of the activity.
The project demonstrated a strong ability to engage with key people in the setting where the project is
conducted, and the ability to build partnerships and consultation on local needs. Further, a workshop
was conducted for the benefit of a Non-Government Organisation on mandatory reporting, after a
discrepancy was discovered between the organisation’s process and Northern Territory legislation.
The project experienced major challenges due to the high turnover of staff in many of the schools
participating in the project. Some schools experienced a staff turnover rate of 180% during the project
implementation. This high level of turnover has meant that schools that were scheduled to be utilising
the KSCPC had no staff members present to do so. Project staff attempted to resolve this
complication by training pre-service teachers at the Charles Darwin University. This didn’t have any
direct impact on the project within the funded timeframe but was used to build capacity for future
curriculum delivery. While no documentary evidence was available to assess if the project was
comprehensively developed, it is evident that the collaboration of a number of agencies and the
content of the project was the result of a comprehensively designed project.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
Interim and post-training evaluation was built into the project design. The project proposal indicated
that interim reporting to the DET was planned; however, no documentation was provided indicating
that this occurred. Post-training evaluation by training participants, the training officer, and anecdotal
feedback from students was reported. Some pre-KSCPC students’ skill level evaluation is indicated in
the final report compiled by the training officer, however it is unclear how this was conducted or what
the evaluation actually measures. Post-training evaluation by participants was conducted with a
structured, open text questionnaire. Answers of the workshop participants were compiled, and
provided verbatim in the project evaluation, by the training officer.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Staff training was a large part of the project. Part 1 of the project, the Keeping Safe curriculum,
involved training staff to teach the curriculum to their students. Part 2 of the project aimed to provide
support to school staff with the SMART project, which provided training to teachers on how to
recognise and manage abuse and abuse related trauma. Project participants, including teachers,
university students and volunteers, were also trained in mandatory reporting and child protection. As a
result of the design of the project, participating persons in the KSCPC and SMART training will
continue to train and mentor other community members, and thereby continuing to support the
children under their care.
7.4 University of NSW: Sex and Ethics
44
Sex & Ethics is a sexual assault prevention education project based on sexual ethics theory. The
content is delivered in a simple way so that young people can apply reasoning strategies to potentially
dynamic and complex situations. The aim of the project was to equip participants with the skills and
critical examination strategies to negotiating ethical and respectful relationships. The project ran
between December 2009 and February 2010 and was delivered to 75 participants (53 completed
training, 37 participated in the long term evaluation) recruited from sub-elite NRL football clubs at four
sites across the Gold Coast and greater Queensland region. The participants were aged between 1618 years of age: all identified as heterosexual with a diverse cultural composition including Anglo
Australian (37.9%), Indigenous (13.8%) and Samoan (6.9%) with similar percentages (3.4%) of
participants identifying as Fijian, Kiwi, New Zealander and South American. About one quarter of
participants did not provide details about their cultural background. The purpose of the project was to
extend the current prevention activities through education initiatives that have been delivered to elite
players to promote sexual ethics among younger sub-elite players.
The project is composed of six sessions, which addresses increasingly complex issues and structured
activities designed to increase the skills of participants. The Sex & Ethics framework is a four step
model that supports ethical decision making. This is presented in the project via examination of issues
surrounding 1) self-care, 2) being aware of your own desires and wants, 3) the possible impact of
these on the other person, and 4) negotiation and communication strategies and reflection. In addition
to the rigorous construction of the project and effective pedagogical processes, there are a number of
important features of Sex & Ethics. Many of these are simple, concrete concepts or tools that
participants can use in their relationships.
Project details such as target group, duration, intensity, setting, facilitator gender were made explicit
and negotiated with project delivery partners. The NRL was consulted about where to find the
appropriate participant pool for recruitment. Sessions ran for approximately 2 hours weekly for six
weeks. The duration of the projects was determined by research which demonstrates that this project
duration is associated with increased project success. The NRL community is reportedly very
ethnically diverse. According to the proposal, the initial development of the target group profile aimed
to recruit a representative sample of different cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. The
Sex and Ethics framework had been adapted for delivery to elite NRL players however no major
adaptations were reported for delivery to this sub-elite, younger cohort.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
It is articulated in the project proposal and final report that the Sex & Ethics project is based on sexual
ethics. The theoretical basis underlying the project’s approach to sexual ethics is based on a post
structuralist view of gender and sexuality. The ethical reasoning framework is based on a
Foucauldian conception of sexual ethics (information provided by key project leader during the
evaluative interview).
45
Critical feminist social analysis was applied to activities that facilitated discussion surrounding gender
power differentials and the potential impact of these. One example was the ‘John and Kate’ scenario,
in which John insists that Kate gets changed before attending a party. This is presented as part of a
series of behaviours by John which are increasingly controlling of Kate, and in the context of actions
by John who is abusive to her.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The articulation of the project’s role in working towards primary prevention objectives were outlined in
the funding agreement as follows: to increase the capacity of young people who take part in the
project to negotiate ethical and respectful intimate relationships, to increase the knowledge of young
people who take part in the project in regard to sexual assault and to increase the skills of young
people who take part in the project to prevent sexual assault in a dating context. A secondary project
aim was to also demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the Sex & Ethics project to sub-elite
NRL footballers.
Foucauldian reasoning is evident in the Sex & Ethics framework which encourages participants to use
a step by step model to support ethical decision making via considerations of self-care, selfawareness and awareness of others and tools for negotiation and reflection. The articulation of this is
evident in the ethical framework taught during sessions however, the Foucauldian basis for this model
is not made explicit in the project documentation. The theoretical basis for this was provided by a key
project provider during an interview. For further information on Foucauldian approaches to sexual
ethics refer to: Carmody, M (2003) ‘Sexual ethics and the erotics of consent’ in ‘Making sense of
sexual consent’ (eds) P Reynolds, P. Cowling, Ashgate, Aldershot, UK pp 45-56.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
During the third week of delivery, a survey was administered collecting information on sexual
experiences and sexual orientations. Overall, 26 participants completed the ‘Sexual Experiences
Survey’. From the participants that completed this survey, 25 answered the question regarding
whether they had engaged in sex. Of the 25 participants who answered this question, all 25 (100%)
indicated that they had had sex. This was reportedly significantly higher than what has been observed
in previous Sex & Ethics Groups in NSW. Of previously observed figures of men enrolled in this
project aged 16-26, 75% reported that they had had sex. The NRL cohort is clearly not a
representative or random sample of young people. This project demonstrates the need to adapt
projects for both appropriateness and relevance beyond age norm considerations and to include
consideration of the unique characteristics of the cohort in order to adequately meet participant
needs.
46
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
The Sex & Ethics project was administered following comprehensive development and review for
content and delivery. Sex & Ethics is the outcome of extensive research and previous adaption to
NRL specific cohorts. A large research project was undertaken in 2004 for the NRL which analysed
player social behaviours and attitudes towards women and made recommendations about
educational initiatives aimed at preventing violence against women. A result of the research was the
development of a suite of projects, known as Playing by the Rules, which adapted principles common
to the Sex and Ethics framework for delivery to NRL based participants.
In 2007, the NRL partnered with key prevention through education research contributors and Rape
Crisis NSW to extend and evaluate educational initiatives aimed at promoting positive social
behaviours by first grade players. Subsequent funding provided the opportunity to participate to adapt
and extend this project down to the sub-elite group of players. The purpose of the project was to
extend initiatives that promote sexual ethics that were already in place among elite players. In order to
initiate a proactive approach to fostering respect towards women within the NRL community, it was
important to begin extending educational prevention down to younger players at the sub-elite level. As
reported above, no adaptations of the project which was delivered to older elite NRL players were
made for delivery to younger sub-elite players.
The format was described as a contingent and embodied approach to ethics. As such, the delivery
style was discussion based. This format was derived from research which suggests that an
instructive style of project delivery inhibits truthful participation. Instead, the focus was to encourage
participants to think through what their values were surrounding sexual negotiation and ethics and
participate in critical reflection on these. Education was interactive with a focus on engaging
participants in discussion and shared ideas.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
There were specific objectives of the project evaluation which aimed to assess the responses of the
participants to the project approach and activities and the impact of the project on young people’s
intimate relationships. The evaluation consisted of mixed methodology approach. Data was collected
via surveys, using closed and open-ended questions. Surveys were completed pre (before the project
began) and post intervention (immediately following project completion and again at 6 months post
intervention). The outcome evaluation indicated a positive impact on both short and longer term selfreported behaviours and attitudes.
Two questions were used to determine the outcome of project participation pre and post intervention.
The first was designed to determine participant understanding of what they wanted from a sexual
experience. The question asked them to identify their level of agreement with the statement: ‘I know
how to work out what I want from a sexual experience’. The second question was designed determine
47
participant understanding of their partner’s needs in sexual experiences. The question asked them to
identify their level of agreement with the following statement: ‘I know how to work out what someone
else wants from a sexual experience or relationship with me’.
While results showed significant improvement in both domains 1) understanding of own needs and 2)
understanding partner’s needs in a sexual experience, future evaluations would benefit from using
validated survey items specific to assessing skill, attitude and self-reported behaviour change relevant
to the project content. As with many project evaluations in the field of violence prevention education, a
lack of validated measurement tools continually impacts on a project’s capacity to evaluate the
outcomes of their project, especially in the long term. Future evaluations would benefit from using
validated survey items specific to assessing skill, attitude and self-reported behaviour change relevant
to the project content.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
A key element of the Sex & Ethics project is the requirement that personnel who wish to implement
the Sex and Ethics project attend formal training. The educator training project was designed to skill
project staff in delivering a variety of Sex & Ethics Education Groups with young people and collecting
data from participants for evaluation purposes. The training project followed a formal standardised
process across all projects. Training was delivered over two weekends to 17 NRL football players, explayers and manager who were involved with the NRL. The NRL facilitators were self-selected. It was
reported by a key project leader that this training prepared them extremely well for working with the
project.
There is a compelling argument for using peer educators when delivering projects to characteristic
niche groups. The use of elite football players as facilitators was reported an advantage in terms of
fostering receptivity and trust among participants due to shared cultural and demographic similarities.
Furthermore, due to the ethnically diverse composition of the NRL and the participants recruited to
this project, it was reported that a secondary benefit of recruiting peer educators from the NRL was
that all had been through projects of racial and cultural awareness prior to project facilitation during
their careers with the league. No major adaptations to content specific to this participant group
occurred. The feedback from facilitators during the training phase was positive.
48
7.5 University of Western Sydney: Sex and Ethics
Sex & Ethics is a sexual assault prevention education project based on sexual ethics theory. The
content is delivered in a simple way so that young people can apply reasoning strategies to potentially
dynamic and complex situations. The aim of the project is to equip participants with the skills and
critical examination strategies to negotiating ethical and respectful relationships. The Sex & Ethics
project was a collaborative partnership between a number of organisations including the University of
New England Student Counselling Service, Hunter New England Health Service, ACON (NSW),
Wollondilly Community Links, Wollondilly Shire Council, Macarthur Sexual Assault Service and the
Regional Youth Support Services Inc (RYSS) Central Coast. This collaboration was facilitated through
the joint attendance of staff training projects and subsequent online discussions and information
exchange between those delivering the project.
The project was delivered in 2009 to five characteristically distinct target groups. The workshops ran
over six weeks with (approx.) two hour sessions delivered to small groups at weekly intervals. The
project was delivered in different locations across NSW: two groups in inner city Sydney, two groups
on the Central Coast, one at Armidale and two in outer western Sydney at Campbelltown and
Wollondilly. A total of 75 young people were recruited into the project at multiple sites across NSW.
The inner city Sydney site delivered two workshops: one with a same sex attracted women’s group
(aged 16-25 years; n=12) and the second to a same sex attracted men’s group (aged 17-23 years;
n=10). The Central Coast site delivered two workshops: one to a mixed gender group with same sex
attracted orientation (aged 22-24 years of age; n=6) and one to a mixed gender group with identified
barriers to education and or employment (aged 18-20 years; n=11). The project was also delivered to
two mixed gender groups in outer western Sydney: participants between 16 and 19 years of age
(n=12) all who identified as heterosexual and a second group which was recruited from a local TAFE
community welfare studies subject (aged 18-25 years; n=11). All participants identified as
heterosexual except one who reported they were bi-sexual.
A university based group was also delivered to a mixed gender, student cohort aged between 17 and
23 years (n=13). In total, 75 young people signed up for the project. Of these 47 (63%) were female
and 25 (33%) were male. While only the two inner city Sydney groups were targeted on the bases of
same sex orientation, there was an unexpected number in other groups who identified as not
heterosexual. Overall, 42% of all participants reported they were same-sex attracted.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The project uses a coherent conceptual design based on a Foucauldian approach to sexual ethics
and theory of change. It is articulated in the project proposal and final report that the Sex & Ethics
project was based on sexual ethics. The theoretical basis underlying the project’s approach to sexual
ethics is based on a post structuralist view of gender and sexuality. Theoretical models underpinning
the project content were based on Foucauldian ideas about sexual ethics, adapted into a simple form.
49
Foucauldian reasoning is evident in the Sex & Ethics framework which encourages participants to use
a step by step model to support ethical decision making via considerations of self-care, selfawareness and awareness of others and tools for negotiation and reflection. The articulation of this is
evident in the ethical framework taught during sessions however, the Foucauldian basis for this model
is not made explicit in the project documentation. For further information on Foucauldian approaches
to sexual ethics refer to: Carmody, M (2003) ‘Sexual ethics and the erotics of consent’ in ‘Making
sense of sexual consent’ (eds) P Reynolds, P. Cowling, Ashgate, Aldershot, UK pp 45-56.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The project’s role in working towards primary prevention objectives was clearly outlined in the funding
agreement. These objectives were to increase participant knowledge in regard to sexual assault,
increase the capacity of young people to negotiate ethical and respectful intimate relationships and to
increase the skills of young people who take part in the project to prevent sexual assault in a dating
context. The Sex & Ethics project used an educational approach to violence prevention based on
sexual ethics theory to promote positive relationship attitudes and foster reasoning skills among
participants with which to examine negative or abuse relationship attitudes and behaviours. The
content was delivered in a simple way so that young people can apply reasoning strategies to
potentially dynamic and complex situations.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
Three different settings were targeted for the Sex & Ethics project delivery including: a youth setting
(community youth group), a university setting (residential college group) and a setting for same sex
attracted young people. Five groups with diverse age ranges, gender mixes and sexual orientations
were targeted for intervention. According to the initial proposal, each of the selected locations
reflected community readiness, a factor that is recognised in best practice literature as crucial to the
lasting impact of prevention education.
The same sex attracted women’s group and the same sex attracted men’s group were targeted for
intervention through The AIDS Council of New South Wales (ACON)—a major health prevention
education and welfare organisation for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
communities in NSW. Extensive discussion, consultation and adaptation of projects occurred to
address the needs of this target group. Some adaptations were made through consultation with
ACON educators which included the use of case studies, examples and anecdotes featuring same
sex attracted individuals in the project. However, some issues were encountered during the
consultation phase for the adaption of content for the same-sex attracted target groups due to
differing conceptual approaches to the meaning of gender.
Challenges also occurred in delivering project content to mixed sexuality groups. The ACON men’s
and women’s group targeted same-sex participants in their recruitment however other groups did not
50
have inclusion criteria that specified sexual orientation. As such, the high recruitment of same-sex
attracted participants in the sexuality non-specific groups was not anticipated. This presented a
challenge for facilitators who were unprepared for the modifications to content that were required to
provide relevant scenarios and discussions to all sexual orientations. Adaptation to content was
made in response to survey findings, identifying the high recruitment of same sex attracted
participants mid-implementation.
Delivering an inclusive project to a group with a great level of diversity in participants’ self-reported
sexual orientation is an obvious challenge for relevant and inclusive project adaptation. Anticipating
the composition of sexual orientations within a group recruited from a community setting (where
recruitment is not based on pre-identified orientation as was the case with the same sex attracted
participants recruited via ACON) renders the possibility of adaptation of project content prior to
implementation difficult and unlikely.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
The project design process included consultation with a number of organisations to deliver an
inclusive project to a diverse group of young people with comprehensive project development and
delivery. Project details such as target group, duration, intensity, setting, facilitator gender were made
explicit and negotiated with project delivery partners. Projects were adapted for the same-sex
attracted target groups and also modified post implementation to accommodate the diverse
sexualities recruited at other sites. There were a number of reasons the project was implemented at
the three sites across NSW and across a variety of community based target groups. The groups
based in outer western Sydney were targeted due to the high rates of social disadvantage
characteristic prevalent in that area. The aim was to attract young people from this area due to their
increased risk of victimisation and perpetration associated with their characteristics of socio-economic
disadvantage. The university based project was implemented because there was a perceived need
for educational intervention projects to address and further prevent reported problems with
inappropriate behaviours occurring on campus.
It was reported that the same-sex attracted participants were targeted because there has been little
intervention delivered to this specific group in terms of teaching positive messages around respectful
relationships. Project delivery to this group also provided the opportunity to establish if the project
would work with sexually diverse populations. Similarly, the opportunity to provide the Sex & Ethics
project in regional settings established its application among regional participants. Pre-existing
relationships between facilitators and community groups enabled recruitment of these niche groups.
This approach was reported to be a key strength of the project and had the effect of engendering
trust.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
51
There were specific objectives of the project evaluation which aimed to assess the responses of the
participants to the project approach and activities and the impact of the project on young people’s
intimate relationships. The evaluation consisted of mixed methodology approach. Data was collected
through online surveys, using closed and open-ended questions. Surveys were completed pre (Week
1) and post intervention (immediately post intervention and again at four to five months post
intervention). The outcome evaluation indicated a positive impact on both short and longer term selfreported behaviours and attitudes.
Results showed significant improvement in participants 1) understanding of their own needs and 2)
understanding partner’s needs in a sexual experience. Future evaluations would benefit from using
validated survey items specific to assessing skill, attitude and self-reported behaviour change relevant
to the project content.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
The project included standardised training and provided educators support throughout the project. A
key element of the Sex & Ethics project is the requirement that personnel attend a five-day training
project. The educator training project was designed to skill project staff in delivering a variety of Sex &
Ethics Education Groups with young people and collecting data from participants for evaluation
purposes. The training project followed a formal standardised process across all projects. Feedback
from facilitators during the training phase was described in documentation and during the interview
and suggested training was effective in equipping staff with the skills and ongoing support to be
successful in their role as educators:
The training program not only provided educators with the skills to deliver the
program, but links them to a growing network of educators in NSW, Queensland
and New Zealand where the program is also being delivered. This provides both
mentoring and ongoing support for these educators and new ones that follow
through web based discussion. (Excerpt from final report, p. 37).
The training environment provided an opportunity for the initial facilitation of relationships between
project facilitators and the web-based forum facilitated the maintenance of these relationships and
provided a medium via which to exchange knowledge and support. Supporting staff by providing
networking opportunities and linkages between sites that enable the exchange of information and
collaboration is considered good practice and is an important mechanism to ensure the sustainability
of the project during future implementations.
52
Table 2 Summary of Round 1 projects
Project
Location
Setting
CASA House:
Sexual Assault
Prevention
Project for
Secondary
Schools
Canberra, ACT
School
La Trobe
University:
Respectful
Relationships
Project
Geelong,
Gippsland,
Melbourne – VIC
TAFEs;
Disability
Services
Organisations.
Northern
Territory DET:
‘Keeping Safe’
Child Protection
Curriculum
Maningrida,
Northern Territory
School
SHine SA:
Respectful
Relationships
education project
Fitzroy Crossing,
Hall Creek &
Oombulgurri Kimberley Region,
WA
School
University of
NSW: Sex and
Ethics
Brisbane and Gold
Coast, QLD
University of
Western Sydney
Multiple locations
across NSW
Burnie, Hobart TAS
Total Participant
Numbers
Age(s)
Gender
Participant Characteristics
13-18
Mixed and male
only groups.
Non-specific and various— a range of languages, ethnicities
and abilities including some Indigenous and Torres Strait
Islander young people.
Not stated
Assume mixed –
not otherwise
stated
People with an intellectual disability
Primary
School age
Assume mixed –
not otherwise
stated
Indigenous (73%), Non Indigenous (26%), Other ESL (1%)
N/A
13-16
N/A
Indigenous
NRL club venues
53
17-20
Male
Anglo Australian (38%), Indigenous (14%) and Samoan (7%)
University;
TAFE.
75
12-20
Mixed and
segregated
42% of all participants were same-sex attracted
1720
Peer facilitators
n=20
Project participants
n=41
10,184
(40 schools)
53
Table 3 Summary of Round 1 project characteristics and performance against the NASASV
CASA House: Sexual
Assault Prevention
Project for Secondary
Schools
Approach
Theoretical
approach
Northern Territory
DET: ‘Keeping
Safe’ Child
Protection
Curriculum




Fostering positive behaviours/ attitudes





Feminist

Ecological
Cultural





Indigenous





Incidental/Non-targeted

All female

All male

Mixed


Urban
Rural



Remote
Culturally
specific
Scope of
intervention


Diverse
Location
University of
Western Sydney:
Sex and Ethics

Other
Gender
composition
University of
NSW: Sex and
Ethics
Preventing negative behaviours/ attitudes
Strengths-based
Ethnic
composition
La Trobe University:
Respectful
Relationships Project
Culturally specific


























Whole of community
Whole of school


54
CASA House: Sexual
Assault Prevention
Project for Secondary
Schools
NASASV
Standards
La Trobe University:
Respectful
Relationships Project
Coherent conceptual approaches to project design




—
Demonstrated the use of theory of change








 
Inclusive, relevant, and culturally sensitive practice
Comprehensive project development and delivery

Effective evaluation strategies
Delivery
schedule
Northern Territory
DET: ‘Keeping
Safe’ Child
Protection
Curriculum






University of
NSW: Sex and
Ethics
University of
Western Sydney:
Sex and Ethics



















—

 





 

Supported thorough training and professional development

Duration/Sessions
6
4-6
1-3
6
6
Weekly
*
Once
1/week
1/week
55-75mins
2 hours
whole day
workshops
2 hours
2 hours
Frequency
Intensity
* No information available at time of reporting.
—Review indicated project did not meet NASASV Standard.
If blank, review indicated inadequate evidence to determine performance against NASAV Standard.
55
7.6 Australian Football League: Respect & Responsibility
The Respect & Responsibility project, delivered by The Australian Football League (AFL) was
targeted at 16 to 21 year old participants involved in State League and Community Club Football
groups across Australia. Single 90 minute sessions were delivered to a total of 3,222 young people
within community sport settings. Sessions were delivered by two facilitators, a former player (from
either the elite or community club environment) and a non-player facilitator, recognising the AFL’s
potential to play a role in promoting respectful relationships with women. Sessions were also delivered
to both male and female teams.
Content centred on the theme ‘what do you want to be known for?’ and aimed to challenge young
men to consider the connections between sporting success and off field incidents. The project
delivered the content via an interactive discussion format which included understanding sexual
assault, family violence, harassment and abuse; negotiating situations that have the potential to lead
to sexual assault; and building respectful social relations with women.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The Respect & Responsibility project did not have a documented conceptual approach to project
design, however during an interview with the project representative it was identified that the project
was based on fostering a self-reflective and critical examination of attitudes towards consent, sexual
assault and sexual ethics as a means to generate attitudinal, cultural and individual change. The
project was also described as “{drawing} upon the findings of VicHealth”, a national leader in violence
prevention research (see Vic health (2009).National survey on community attitudes to violence
against women survey 2009. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology). The project used nearpeer facilitators and a whole-of-community approach, and thus could be said to employ a socialecological approach which recognises the importance of role models, social networks and cultural
norms within communities. The Respect & Responsibility project has demonstrated sound project
design consistent with ecological approaches to participant change.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The Respect & Responsibility Project has demonstrated a robust approach to affecting change. It
states that its aim is to prevent violence against women and children by challenging the prevailing
practices and culture within AFL. A review of project content reveals that the project seeks to do this
by challenging attitudes and beliefs that are supportive or tolerant of violence against women, as a
mechanism to change behaviour.
The project is interactive and seeks to involve participants in a critical examination of violence
supportive attitudes and an analysis of aspirational behaviours (“what do you want to be known for?”).
It aims to demonstrate the dual goals of preventing the perpetration of violence and promoting prosocial behaviours, including bystander responsibility and ‘speaking out’.
56
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
Projects were delivered in regions with a high proportion of Indigenous residents, though
considerations of cultural inclusion or sensitivity were not reported.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
The Respect & Responsibility project was informed by international human rights perspectives and
national standards of good practice for delivering effective violence against women and children
prevention projects. The project consisted of a single 90 minute long session. Single session
deliveries may be less likely to affect enduring change, and a number of sessions delivered over time
are generally recommended. Despite this, the single session mode of delivery did allow the Respect &
Responsibility project to achieve widespread delivery and include a diverse cross-section of the AFL
community at the local, state and national level which can have a positive effect on community level
culture.
The use of peer educators also contributed to the Respect and Responsibility project’s demonstrated
comprehensive development and delivery. There is a compelling argument for using peer educators
when delivering projects to characteristically specific groups. The use of elite football players as
facilitators in this project was beneficial in fostering receptivity and trust among participants.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
Overall the AFL has demonstrated the use of effective evaluation strategies. The AFL engaged an
independent researcher to design and perform the project evaluation. Evaluation participants
completed a survey adapted from one previously used in a similar education intervention with elite
club participants. Items included attitudes about consent, bystander intervention willingness, selfperceived understanding of violence against women and an open-ended project feedback question.
It was reported that some pre- and post-intervention surveys were administered via Survey Monkey
and that follow-up occurred at six months, though these results were either not reported or not
disaggregated from single survey results reported in documentation. Given the comprehensive
approach to evaluation taken, it is vital that findings are adequately reported and disseminated to
improve project delivery internally and also to widen the scope of prevention literature generally.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Overall, the Respect & Responsibility project provided adequate support and training, and showed
evidence that facilitators were satisfied with the supervision and support that they received. An AFL
player was trained to co-facilitate the session along with an industry expert. Eight train-the-trainer
projects were run for a total 271 player co-facilitators. The training was delivered using a model used
previously in elite club prevention education. The training consisted of two whole day sessions which
57
were delivered to approximately 40 facilitators within each state and territory. Training feedback
surveys suggested that 96% of participants were either mostly satisfied or very satisfied with the
training they received. Co-facilitators also had access to ongoing support following the train-thetrainer session, including regular phone calls and emails. Where possible, player co-facilitators were
observed and supported at their first session by a team member who also provided feedback and
suggestions.
58
7.7 Akeyulerre: Respectful Relationships Project
The Akeyulerre project supports senior Arrente Indigenous men to mentor young boys/men and
develop their skills in engaging in respectful relationships. The aim is to use Indigenous knowledge
and social systems to educate, mentor and create respect between men and women within the
community. The aim of the project was to celebrate and empower Indigenous people by fostering
cultural pride and self-efficacy in the wake of endemic community-wide shame. The project engaged
elders (men and women) and young men in relationship building activities where young women,
mums, boys and young men engage with each other in positive supportive relationships. The project
ran from June 2010 – 30 June 2011.
The total number of participants recruited to the project is difficult to determine as involvement
fluctuated across various activities and participation and attendance was informal and inclusive of
family and friends. The final project report provided participant numbers for each activity, however as
many participants took part in multiple activities it is not possible to provide an accurate participant
across the whole project. Attendance at Men’s evenings consisted of 53 young men aged between
16-27 years; 32 senior men and a core group of five family groups. According to project documents,
attendance at family evenings consisted of 29 young men aged between 5-27 years and nine senior
men. Attendance at bush activities/country visits consisted of nine young men aged between 16-27
years; 18 senior men; 14 senior women and five young boys.
Activities included participation in family evenings, the utilisation of a men’s area when visiting the
Centre creating a sense of ‘place’, regular Men’s Night BBQs with both senior and young men,
hunting trips, support for the building of the structure of the Bush Schools on three outstation areas for
boys and girls cultural education, bush trips with Elders and young men onto country, attendance at
the Strong BALA Men’s health summit Katherine, photography and film documentation by young men
of their activities and trips, attendance at the Family Well Being Certificate II course at Batchelor
College. The project also engaged with the community regularly with elders to keep the project on
track.
59
During the project, the most senior Elder of the group became ill and passed away sadly in May 2011.
All of the men associated with the project were deeply affected and mourned his loss and out of
respect for the area once frequented by their leader and mentor would not attend the area. All
activities were put on hold whilst the appropriate mourning period was observed with limited external
activities taking place.
One of the main strengths of the project was that it was inclusive, relevant, and culturally sensitive.
This contributed to the success of the project in working with a difficult target group of marginalised
young men in the community. The project was developed with community consultation. The project
incorporated culturally significant activities into their activities and facilitated participation. Individual
activities were evaluated in terms of participants’ perception of outcomes however no formal overall
evaluation using positivist approaches was undertaken.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The Akeyulerre project did not articulate a particular theoretical approach. There was a strong focus
on promoting cultural exchange between elders and young men in the community and fostering selfefficacy as a mechanism for teaching self-respect and in turn respect for others. The Akeyulerre
project could benefit from applying a coherent theoretical framework more formally to the content and
delivery. One theoretical framework that may encapsulate the approach of the Akeyulerre project is
social learning theory with a focus on empowerment via self-efficacy (strengths based approach).
Social learning theory describes the attainment of socially valuable skills and behaviours that are
exchanged primarily from within a social group. Social learning promotes the development of
interpersonal, emotional and practical skills and considers that people learn from one another, via
observations, imitation, and modelling. Self-efficacy reflect a persons’ understanding of what skills
they can offer in a group setting and can be a tool to empower individuals to initiate positive life
changes and seek opportunities (Miller, 2010). In this way, the Akeyulerre project emphasised an
intergenerational social and cultural exchange as a mechanism for fostering respect which is similar to
social learning theory.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The project proposal identified an existing culture of abuse and violence within the community. The
project used mentorship and support to facilitate change however, once again, the project would
benefit from a clearly articulated underlying theory of change. The project’s role in working towards
primary prevention is described as one of mentorship and support primarily to the senior Arrernte
Indigenous men to become empowered, then in turn to educate and mentor young Indigenous
people. There is no articulation of a behaviour change theory model, however, the approach is one
that aims to provide Indigenous knowledge and social teachings as a mechanism by which to educate
and facilitate respect between men and women within the community. The logical relationship
between respect and the project content is implicit.
60
Project activities centre largely on intergenerational teachings, cultural practice and affirming cultural
identity, the outcome of which aims to re-establish a positive and central role of men within the
community by re-enforcing social norms based on family strength and wellbeing. In this way, the
translational effects of this culturally specific approach on violence prevention outcomes are not
explicitly related to attitude or behaviour change. The project’s focus on skill acquisition relates largely
to cultural skills and Indigenous knowledge rather than to skills directly relevant to violence prevention
(e.g. communication/ negotiation skills or bystander skills).
61
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
The project came about in response to a perceived need to engage Indigenous males in the
community in order to provide alternatives to violence and alcohol abuse. The organisation has run
previous projects that were successful in engaging women and children in the community but there
was a need for men to become more involved in the whole family structure and in the community as
well. To do this, it was important to engage male peer facilitators who could foster cultural identity
and community connectedness within the group.
The target group profile was initially developed in the original application documentation. The
identified target group for recruitment was Indigenous boys/young men aged from 7-25 years of age.
It could be said that the project also targeted Indigenous senior men (who were recruited as
facilitators) due to the mentorship and support provided to them by Akeyulerre in their role as
mentors. The project was implemented due to an identified need for intervention services and support
for young men in the community arising from the pervasive and wide-spread perpetration of violence
and alcoholism.
The project was largely based on the transmission of cultural knowledge and values through
intergenerational engagement in cultural traditions and activities specific to the region and tribe. All
content, delivery and activities within the project were developed via consultation with the community,
Indigenous elders and families recruited to the project.
It was reported that community consultation was very important at all stages of the process including
during development of the project, recruitment of participants and facilitators, and project
implementation. This resulted in a community engaged and aware of the project aims and outcomes,
and committed to outcomes. Feeding information back into the community about the Akeyulerre
project was an important mechanism for fostering understanding and increasing community
engagement. Considerations about literacy were made when reports to the community and methods
of communication were tailored to ensure inclusion. Reporting was largely conveyed orally by the
Indigenous facilitators to the community and written reports were written ‘in language’ and included
visual content when appropriate (e.g. images and video footage of a deceased elder were not
disseminated to the community).
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
There were two components to the education and mentoring project: Family evenings where senior
cultural men and women educate and mentor young Indigenous men and women on positive and
respectful relationships and; bush activities where senior men educate boys and young men and
reinforce positive attitudes on culture, identity and the social norms of respect. These activities were
based on the approach that intergenerational cultural transmission will provide the opportunity to
model relationships of respect, foster self-efficacy through shared learning and increase community
62
connectedness. The project’s delivery strategy was informal and content was not described in great
detail. Hence, it is difficult to determine to what extent, the Akeyulerre project undertook
comprehensive project development and delivery. The duration and intensity of the project was not
made explicit and it is a recommendation that information regarding project duration, intensity and
frequency (e.g. weekly men’s evenings) is included in future reporting.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
It is difficult to estimate the impact of the Akeyulerre project as no evaluation was performed. It was
perceived by the project leader that the boys/men involved in the project (both facilitators and
participants) enjoyed the project and it was felt that both had the opportunity to learn and grow. It was
also reported that a tertiary outcome of the project was that the men from the community now feel
more comfortable and welcome at the Akeyulerre centre which was one of the main aims of the
project. Throughout the project, word of mouth encouraged more regular attendance and participation
by other individuals with a positive response for all those who attended.
In the final report from the project, individual activities were evaluated. Reports from these activities
showed that participants worked well with Elders and enjoyed their time together. Traditional
information was passed down to the younger participants who also gained new respect for Elders and
traditional knowledge.
In additions the Elders associated with Akeyulerre, and in particular the Men’s Project reported strong
feelings about, and commitment to, the project and reported they were very proud of what the project
had achieved. Elders reported that they believed the project was a successful way to initiate change
and develop steps to stop violence, anger, depression and promote respectful relationships amongst
men, whilst empowering men through culturally appropriate support and helping to recreate a sense
of identity.
It was also reported that there was a growing sense of momentum. The community men were
beginning to find a sense of ‘place’ and were beginning to attend the Centre during the day to
contribute. The Men’s Project was seen as an opportunity to develop roles within the Centre and seen
as a stepping stone to accepting an active role in the building of respectful relationships with their
family and community and throughout all areas of their life. Support from providers of funding to
develop culturally appropriate effective evaluation strategies may help quantify outcomes.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Elders were encouraged to undertake mentorship roles and project staff facilitated this. Integration of
a training component for Elders may be of benefit for the ongoing success of this project. Indigenous
elders and senior men facilitated the project. No formal training was provided. The project described
the professional development provided to facilitators as based on support and mentorship. The Men’s
Project has fostered skills development with many of the men involved with the project. At the end of
63
the project, three young men were enrolled in a certificate II course in Family Wellbeing, a selfdevelopment and basic counselling course for Indigenous people.
The course was aimed at:
1. Allowing young men to reflect on their own lives and community histories;
2. Developing new understandings for dealing with life’s challenges and crises;
3. Learning about effective communication and conflict resolution skills, exploring non-harmful
ways of expressing emotions;
4. Understanding behaviour in unhealthy and healthy relationships;
5. Examining the processes of grief, loss, family violence and abuse; and
6. Beginning to heal past pain and trauma.
The young men were developing inner qualities and life skills aimed at enhancing personal wellbeing,
empowerment and responsibility. With the support of the project and community, these young men
reported that they were finding the course useful and hoped to use the skills learnt to give back to
families and the community.
In addition to encouraging young men in the course, the project supported participation in Strong
BALA, a five day male health summit. The Men’s Project took four elders and three young men to this
event where men from all over the territory got together and talked about ways of implementing
change in male attitudes towards health and family among the community. It was reported to be a
positive experience for all men and gave them a chance to see how other men were dealing with the
problems in their own communities and gave them some skills to take back into their own lives and
communities. Additional training in other areas was also integrated into the project. The men learnt
basic construction skills working with the development of the Bush Schools project.
The young men who participated in the project experienced mentoring by Elders. Participants were
young men in their late teens and early twenties who were unemployed and, in a number of cases,
under orders relating to violent and aggressive behaviour. They were bored and looking to work.
Akeyulerre provided an avenue to connect with senior men where they could seek advice and talk
about their lives in a safe environment.
Future projects may benefit from providing more structured and formal training to facilitators although
the feasibility and appropriateness of this given the culturally specific nature of the project content and
informal mechanisms for delivery may not render this appropriate.
64
7.8 Australian Red Cross: Kwinana Project
The Respectful Relationships Project, Kwinana, is an Indigenous-specific project, with goals to deliver
practical, interactive, holistic, age, gender and culturally appropriate early intervention and prevention
education. The Project aimed to reach up to 100 at-risk Indigenous youth, aged 12-24 years in the
town of Kwinana, located in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. The Kwinana project was modelled
on pre-existing Red Cross projects, and was proposed to be delivered in three hour curricula over 40
weeks. The Red Cross at Kwinana has worked with the Kwinana community and key local service
providers for a number of years and has successfully implemented previous projects tailored around
the needs of Indigenous youth.
The Kwinana project, however, faced significant challenges that negatively impacted on the project’s
success in achieving the desired skill and behaviour change. Family feuding and fighting, and
difficulties engaging Indigenous youth were the main challenges. At the end of the project funding
period, the Red Cross evaluation estimated a 70% success rate among participants (n=79), who
reported increased knowledge and skills in the outcomes of ethical behaviour, protective behaviours
and conducting relationships.
A major complication in the evaluation of the Red Cross Respectful Relationships project was a lack
of comprehensive documentation of all the projects, partner organisations, staff, locations and
facilities involved in the project planning and implementation. It appears this project is the result of an
accumulation of Red Cross resources and experience with the Kwinana community. However, a lack
of comprehensive documentation, effective evaluation strategies, ability to engage with the target
population (despite claims of prior success in the project proposal) and demonstration of the projects
rationale, theoretical bases and underlying assumptions, have made this project difficult to evaluate.
The Red Cross Respectful Relationships project had success in partnering with other local
organisations and service providers. According to the final report, Red Cross Kwinana was invited to
deliver workshops from the Respectful Relationships project at Gilmore College with targeted groups.
They were also invited to participate in Gilmore College events. No further details were provided
about this though. Clontarf Football Academy also invited Red Cross, Kwinana to deliver “workshops
and youth engagement projects with groups of Indigenous boys”, as reported in the Final Report.
Limited details were provided on these activities. Given Red Cross, Kwinana’s success in partnering
with other organisations, it is recommended that the results of these partnerships be comprehensively
documented for future evaluation.
The evaluative qualitative interview with the project manager at Red Cross, Kwinana illuminated why
the Respectful Relationships project may have not been as successful as intended. The on-going
family feuding and fighting in the Kwinana Indigenous community was cited several times as having a
severely negative impact of the absorption of the project messages by the target population
participants. For example, many times when Red Cross workers transported Indigenous young people
back to their homes; they were greeted by the family group, waiting for the young person to arrive
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home so they could take him/her to fight with another family. This illustrates the extent of the problem
of violence in the community. The relatively short period of time young people spent in the project
learning about healthy relationships, had little impact, especially when family members, who
traditionally role models, were providing examples of violence and abuse in their own relationships.
Hence, it was suggested in the qualitative interview, and can be elucidated from the project
documents, that a whole-community approach is highly recommended and needed to address deepstructural issues of violence in the Kwinana Indigenous community.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The Kwinana project cites the NASASV (2009) best practice standards in the funding proposal and
states the project takes a strength-based approach. The project proposal includes a detailed
statement of how various aspects of the project are consistent with national standards for the primary
prevention of sexual assault through education. The project was designed within the Red Cross
Protecting Children and Young People framework and policy and is guided by the capacity building
approach. It utilises an ecological model for understanding violence, and encouraging change.
To address the specific needs of the target population, the Respectful Relationships Kwinana project
incorporated a strong cultural component into the delivery strategies by ensuring culturally appropriate
project content and consultation and collaboration with members of the Indigenous community and
respected Elders throughout the duration of the project. The project also incorporated elements of
pre-existing projects, Mooditij, Protective Behaviours, “SAM Our Way” and “Talk Out Loud”, all of
which have been independently evaluated for effectiveness and have been successfully delivered to
culturally-diverse participants previously. However, as stated earlier, the demonstration of the
conceptual approaches in the project delivery is limited.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The Kwinana project utilised projects that are designed to educate young people to make positive
changes and decisions. No explicit mention of the theory of change was referenced in the
documentation or evaluation interview. However, it is clear from the project’s objectives that the theory
of change was incorporated. The Red Cross project demonstrated a strong ability to identify and
respond to the problems and barriers highlighted above. They incorporated content into the program
that challenged the violence being experienced in the community at the time. They used novel
approaches to facilitating project participation. However, according to the final report, the project had
difficulty in successfully implementing change. This is perhaps due to circumstances beyond the
control of the Kwinana team. The ongoing violence in the community prompted Kwinana staff to
recommend a whole of community approach to future violence prevention projects.
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Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
The Kwinana project explicitly assumes from the outset of the project that there is a need for the
improvement of relationship skills among Indigenous youth in Kwinana. In the project proposal,
particular attention is paid to detailing the procedures in place to ensure a culturally sensitive practice.
Consultation with the Indigenous community and Elders was built into the development,
implementation and evaluation periods of the project. The project’s final report states that the project
emphasised developing and maintaining cultural knowledge and pride. Efforts were made to include
respected Indigenous Elders in the workshop projects, including a well-known Indigenous consultant
and role model who acted as a co-facilitator for some aspects of the project. Examples of activities
undertaken to celebrate Indigenous culture included youth participation in circus-skills workshops that
incorporated traditional Indigenous cultural activities, and an outing to see a play that emphasised the
importance of culture and family relationships.
Indigenous youth, aged 12-24 years were identified as the target population. The initial profile of the
target groups is reported as being based on research that indicates Indigenous women are at higher
risk of experiencing family violence than non-Indigenous women (Ferrante et al 1996). Further, the
township of Kwinana had experienced a spike in adult violence, which was initially sparked by
violence and dispute between young people. This issue of violence in the community came to a crisis
point during the implementation of the project, when there was widespread feuding and fighting
between families in Kwinana. These facts and events, in combination with the existing work the Red
Cross already does in Kwinana through after-school projects and holiday activities with Indigenous
youth, gave Red Cross, Kwinana a resource base to identify and understand those most in need, and
at-risk.
The final report provided by the Red Cross discusses difficulties staff had in engaging youth from the
target population. After initially trying to work to engage youth through partner agencies and networks,
Red Cross staff erected a ‘graffiti wall’ at the MedinaAboriginal Culture Centre (MACC) to encourage
young people to leave messages about the type of youth engagement activities and resources they
would like at the MACC. Staff also attended the “Freakfest”, a free annual youth event that forms part
of Kwinana festival celebrations. Staff utilised the festival in an attempt to provide health related
messages, and to invite young people to participate in a short survey, aimed at gathering information
on desired youth-engagement activities.
These activities, along with feedback from the community, prompted the Red Cross to initiate weekly
drop in sessions at the MACC after school on Wednesdays. The drop in sessions had minimal
success. Participants indicated the after school sessions were not really needed or wanted, rather
late-night activities were desired, which the project was unable to provide. In relation to identifying the
target population, during discussions with youth, Red Cross workers became aware of family feuding.
These discussions led to conversations about violence prevention strategies with young people. The
final report reflects that a whole community approach to violence was needed to properly address the
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needs of the target population; however this was outside the scope of the project. Further, this
example of discussion and consultation with the target population on matters of importance to them
led to the development of specific project activities on community violence. This has the potential to
generate both surface and deep structural change.
Consultation with community members was undertaken throughout the entire duration of the project.
Elders of the Kwinana community are reported to have played a role in the projects. The Red Cross
partnership with Yelakit Moort was utilised to include lessons on Noongar language, history and
culture. This aspect of the project was developed from early consultation with Indigenous youth at the
MACC. These culturally specific aspects of the project have the potential to lead to structural level
change. Given the lack of comprehensive evaluations and documentation of project content, however,
it is difficult to ascertain the level of cultural appropriateness and sensitivity that these activities bought
to the projects.
Alongside this finding and recommendation on a whole of community approach to violence, is the
issue of project delivery by non-Indigenous staff. It was cited in the Final Report that members of the
target group (young Indigenous people) were reluctant to engage with the project when delivered by
non-Indigenous staff, and when attended by a majority of non-Indigenous participants. The Red
Cross, Kwinana Respectful Relationships project attempted to address these issues in the project
design by involving Indigenous leaders and consultants. Several times in project documents, such as
the Proposal, and Final Report, it is stated, for example, “Promoting strong culture will be interwoven
into project strategies, in order to place respectful relationships within an appropriate Indigenous
cultural context relevant to the Kwinana community” (project proposal). However, it is not specified or
demonstrated exactly what the mechanisms or strategies applied were to achieve this. Further, there
is evidence in the project documentation that various members of the Indigenous community were
involved in the parts of the delivered project activities, but there is little evidence to suggest that the
members of the Indigenous target population, or community at large were involved in the actual
project design.
As stated in the project proposal and final report, by-in-large the Red Cross Respectful Relationship
project is a compilation of a number of pre-existing projects that may/may not have been originally
developed to cater for the target population. Given the specific vulnerability Kwinana young
Indigenous people have to being exposed to a number of forms of violence and abuse, it is
recommended that projects delivered are designed for, and by the target population and community,
rather than being adapted with ‘consultations’. This re-adjusts the power dynamics of the relationship
between the service providers and service recipients, and would create an environment more
welcoming and engaging for the target population.
The Red Cross also worked with partner organisations, Gilmore College, Clontarf Football Academy,
The Smith Family, South Metro Youth Link, and the Department of Child Protection to engage youth
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in the target population. Red Cross Kwinana made agreements with other agencies that would refer
Indigenous young people to the project where suitable.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
The Respectful Relationships, Kwinana project delivered a number of projects, designed with the aid
of consultations with community members, families, young people and service providers, and aimed
at addressing the issues affecting the target population. The project was designed to be a 40-week
project, delivered for 3 hours per week. Early on in the project implementation Red Cross staff
realised a 3-hour intensive workshop or project delivery was not a feasible method for the target
population. The project delivery was adapted to suit the needs of the young people. A range of
delivery modes were adopted, including workshops, a school holiday project, a project specifically
targeting at-risk youth (including those in contact with the juvenile justice system), and a ‘drop in
centre’.
The workshops covered a wide range of topics including health and wellbeing (sexual health,
managing emotions, parenting, healthy food choices, and exploring mental health), personal
development (self-esteem confidence, personal strengths, identify and self-awareness, speaking out,
goal setting, and respect for self), and cultural knowledge (women's business, dreamtime, bush
tucker, and traditional tools). The final report states the workshops were based on pre-existing Red
Cross projects developed in partnership with other organisations and government bodies (such as,
Family Planning Association of Western Australia, Challenger TAFE, Yelakit Moortj, ARAFMI, and the
Department of Child Protection). The workshops reached a smaller number of participants than
planned. Initially, the project had proposed to primarily deliver the workshops to referred Indigenous
young people. However, problems engaging with the target population hindered the progress of this
aim. SAM workshops were run with Breathing Space, and Challenger TAFE. Little information was
provided on the format of the workshops, facilitators involved, and evaluation methods utilised. To be
consistent with the NASASV Standards, it is recommended that workshop content and facilitator roles
are documented, and that a comprehensive evaluation tool or method is adopted.
As reported in the final report, the school holiday project ran over a 3 week period in January 2011.
The holiday project ran from 10am-3pm, five days a week. Participants’ age ranged from 12-17 years.
Some participants were Indigenous young people, referred by the Department for Child Protection,
and other were members of the local Indigenous community and other self-selected youth. The
holiday project is reported to have been partially funded by the Respectful Relationships project, and
partially by the Youth Wellbeing Project, funded by BeyondBlue, the National Depression Initiative. It
is not clear in the final report or Kwinana School Holiday Report which aspects of the project were
funded by the Respectful Relationships Project.
Significant challenges to the implementation of the project were encountered. This included family
feuding and violence in the community, and disruptive behaviour of at-risk youth during the project
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activities. In particular, the ongoing community violence had several repercussions for the project.
These included low attendance due to parental safety concerns, transport limitations, and delay or
cancellation of activities. The challenging behaviour of some participants in the School Holiday project
also presented significant challenges to Red Cross staff. For example, it was reported in the School
Holiday project report, that the disruptive behaviour of a particular participant created a barrier for
other youth to attend the project. This example highlights a possible lack of strategies to address the
needs of at-risk youth and manage at-risk and disruptive behaviour during the project, and further
demonstrates difficulties the Red Cross experienced in addressing the diversity of the target
population.
Finally, whilst the NASASV Standards were cited in the proposal and in the evaluation interview as
being integral to the projects development, little evidence is provided in the project mid- and postdelivery documentation of how the NASASV Standards informed the project implementation,
particularly in relation to project content on sexual assault prevention and education, and mechanisms
to address the needs of survivors of sexual assault.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
The Red Cross structured project cycle was utilised to deliver the Respectful Relationships Kwinana
project. A specific evaluative step is included at the end of the project cycle, with monitoring activities
included during implementation. However, in this proposed strategy there was no pre-project
evaluation. Monitoring of the projects progress is included as a mid-project step; however it is not
clear in the provided materials and data, whether these procedures were documented. The Red
Cross final report indicates that informal, qualitative evaluation techniques were undertaken
throughout the project duration, and that this method was more effective, and culturally appropriate.
Observations of participant discussions, engagement in activities and creative products, such as short
dramas and artwork were considered to be rendering better and more authentic evaluations. To
capture the effectiveness of workshops, Red Cross staff participated in specific yarning in small
groups. This method was successful and reduced participant literacy barriers to written surveys. It is
recommended that use of culturally appropriate and participant-friendly evaluation methods are
continued in the future, though, combined with detailed documentation by facilitators of the
interactions and evaluative activities undertaken. Further, the documentation of evaluative feedback
would assist in future planning of projects, and with effective dissemination of project results.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Minimal education of facilitators was undertaken during the project implementation. Training was
discussed in the evaluation interview with the project’s Senior Manager. Training was not delivered to
Red Cross, Kwinana staff during the project, as they were deemed to be sufficiently trained. The
preparedness of staff to deal with disclosures from participants was discussed in the interview, and
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again, they were considered to be trained already, and not in need of further education. There were,
however, no disclosures from participants during the Red Cross project. Red Cross stated in the
funding proposal that all Red Cross staff were highly experienced and educated in the relevant area
of project delivery. In the funding proposal Red Cross Kwinana staff were reported to have a strong
track record of engaging at-risk Indigenous young people. The Red Cross Kwinana team also has a
comprehensive staff support system in place, with regular supervision, and access to professional
external and cultural supports.
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7.9 Baptist Community Services: ACT-2: Respectful
Relationships Project
ACT-2 Respectful Relationships Project was delivered by Baptist Community Services. It was a one
day project delivered to approximately 5,120 Year 9 students across 29 schools in targeted locations
in outer and northern Sydney. The project was designed to be interactive, engaging and dramabased, utilising theatre and participant-led activities to challenge beliefs and promote respectful
relationship behaviours. The project was designed for mixed gender delivery except where schools
were sex segregated.
The aims of the project were to:
7. Expand young people’s understanding of what constitutes violence in relationships;
8. Identify and challenge gender stereotyping and unacceptable behaviours in relationships;
9. Improve knowledge and understanding of unhealthy/unsafe and healthy/safe relationships;
10. Assist young people to make respectful and safe choices in relationships;
11. Increase capacity to assess unsafe situations in relationships and exploring alternative ways
of dealing with situations; and
12. Increase knowledge about relevant services and resources.
The project was implemented in a range of schools for students in Year 9. The project was developed
in the context of other interventions designed for behaviour change for perpetrators and support for
victims and children.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
ACT-2 used an ecological model focusing on the prevention of violence in intimate partner
relationships. The targeting of the entire Year 9 cohort within a school was informed by the social,
developmental and ecological understandings of the vulnerability and receptivity inherent in this age
group. A whole-of-community approach was employed in the delivery of the project to all of Year 9 in
the seven selected areas. The project used a strengths-based approach to the prevention of violence
in intimate partner relationships, underpinned by a pro-feminist and positive-male theoretical
framework. This framework was designed to integrate both the feminist understanding of intimate
partner violence with a focus on the role of men, approached primarily from a bystander as opposed
to perpetrator perspective. The bystander perspective was used to minimise alienation and stigma for
male participants. The project was clearly informed by a number of theoretical understandings of
gender and social development and has adopted a whole-of-school and whole-of-community
approach and therefore delivered a coherent conceptual approach to project design.
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Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The ACT-2 project content was psycho-educational with activities and discussions designed to foster
self-analysis and critical ethical thinking rather than teaching prescribed attitudes and beliefs. The
project provided male participants with a third person/witness construct (compared to a first
person/perpetrator construct) with which to evaluate their own beliefs and attitudes towards gendered
violence. Using an ecological approach is consistent with the indicators of Standard 2, which
recommends that approaches to behaviour change are embedded in an understanding of the social,
cultural and individual factors that may result in sexual assault occurring.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
Twenty schools in outer and Northern Sydney were selected to participate in the project in locations of
high disadvantage as identified by the SEIFA index (ABS Census 2006, as cited in original funding
application). A high incidence of violent assault was also reported for five of the seven targeted
locations relative to the NSW average (NSW Bureau of Crime and Statistics and Research for
Domestic Violence assault figures for 2008). A whole-of-community approach was employed in the
delivery of the project to all of Year 9. The targeting of schools in seven identified locations, rather
than broader delivery, also allowed for saturation of delivery at the community level.
As noted in the original application, a high proportion of people from culturally and linguistically
diverse (CALD) and Indigenous backgrounds live in the selected targeted areas. The project was not
specifically adapted for delivery to these groups. The delivery of this project was to large, mainstream
schools and the inclusion of Indigenous or CALD background participants was incidental and not
targeted. Language did not appear to be a barrier to participation or the positive outcomes following
the project however, literacy levels (reading and comprehension) were described as a significant
issue for some schools.
The receptiveness of the young people and schools to the project varied. For example, some of the
private schools had more resources and were able to smoothly facilitate the project into their
curriculum. For schools with more limited resources, some teachers felt that the project was another
demand and distracted from the work they had been doing. As a one-off project, the facilitators did not
have ongoing relationships with many of the schools where the project was implemented. This
impacted on how easy it was to conduct the project, and ultimately, how receptive the students were
to domestic violence awareness. Despite what seemed to be unsupportive environments, schools
reported to project staff real change in attitudes and behaviour of their students and staff following
exposure to the ACT-2 Project.
Due to the whole of school and community approach, consultations with school bodies and partner
agencies that occurred within the local community appeared to be adequate. However, it is further
recommended that projects which deliver content to large and culturally non-specific cohort groups
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specify that they have considered the appropriateness of doing so using the NASASV indicators as a
guided methodology for undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
ACT-2 Respectful Relationships Project used a universal approach whereby entire Year 9 school
cohorts were recruited to participate in the project. The one-day project was conducted across
multiple days at a given school with an intake of approximately 50 students per day. A ‘whole
community’ approach enabled wide delivery and avoided the stigmatisation of targeted delivery to
selected high-risk students. Estimates, based on the original target number of 5,600 students,
suggest that 50% of young people aged 14-16 years in the selected areas received the project. The
project had only a single session whole day duration which may not be adequate to allow for real and
enduring change to occur, however targeting entire year 9 cohorts within the selected regions
represented both whole-of-school and community level intervention. A whole-of-school approach is
highly effective in facilitating a cultural shift at multiple levels of the school community and encourages
ownership of the project by the school community itself. In addition, it is an ethical approach as young
people cannot be expected to change in isolation, or opposition, to their environment.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
An external evaluation was commissioned by the project however, due to the methodological,
interpretational, and reporting inadequacies; the external evaluation did not inform our current
evaluation of the project. It is understood that some organisations may contract out the evaluation
component of their project due a lack of expertise in this area. In these instances, it is evident that
projects may require additional support in engaging a suitably skilled external evaluator.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Few details are available relating to staff training and professional development. From the interview
with the project representative it was ascertained that most of the facilitators were previously
employed LifeCare counsellors with at least university level community services education and
experience. In addition, facilitators were trained on the content and presentation of the project and
also participated in a brief domestic violence information session and a session relating to mandatory
reporting requirements. For these experienced staff, it appears that this level of training was adequate
for facilitators involved in the ACT-2 Project.
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7.10 Kurbingui Youth Development Association: Healthy
Relationships
Kurbingui Youth Development Association (Kurbingui) is a not-for-profit agency which delivers
employment and training projects, and family violence projects to Indigenous families. Kurbingui has a
respected role within the Indigenous community in northern Brisbane and has developed strong
working partnerships with mainstream organisations. Kurbingui’s Respectful Relationship project was
developed in response to the high rate of interpersonal and relationship violence observed among the
young people accessing their services and in the community. From their referral base, Kurbingui
recognised that it was necessary to target young males in the 12 to 24 year age group with early
intervention projects and activities that build personal capacity and skills to engage in respectful
relationships. The project had four main components which included:
1. School based educational sessions;
2. A series of adventure camps engaging school students and adult participants;
3. A parenting workshop, and
4. Specialised counselling referral services.
A total of 230 participants were engaged in activities over a twelve month delivery period. This
included school-based Healthy Relationships education sessions (75 young people school in grades 6
to 8; delivered across 6 weeks); a follow-up three to four day camp attended by approximately 60 of
the young people from the recruited schools and adventure camps attended by 40 young men aged
18 to 24 years. The projects were aimed at enhancing self-esteem, confidence and problem solving
within a team-work framework.
Parenting workshops were also delivered to a small group of young parents in three, three-hour
sessions aimed at providing skills and strategies for focusing on positive parenting and understanding
child development. The second and third sessions were delivered in collaboration with Red Cross
Family Support and were aimed at developing parental confidence and competence.
Kurbingui also facilitated referrals for young people for issues relating to unhealthy relationships (drug
and alcohol use, anger, and loss of cultural identity) to external partner services.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The project aimed to increase the capacity of participants to conduct positive relationships by
increasing communication and interpersonal skills and developing problem solving and conflict
resolution skills. The model utilised a strengths-based framework which aimed to emphasise positive
behaviours and promoted self-efficacy, team building and positive role modelling as an avenue to
promote positive ethical behaviours. Cultural identify was also a key theme in the project which was
delivered to schools with a high proportion of Indigenous students. The project aimed to increase the
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salience of cultural identity among the participants as a mechanism for increasing self-worth and selfefficacy.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The project identified loss of cultural identity, and drug and alcohol abuse as the main antecedents of
relationship violence among the target group. The project attempted to address these by including
information about drugs and alcohol and by facilitating discussions and activities that aimed to
increase cultural identify. While it was not articulated in the project documentation, the project used a
strengths-based framework which focused on developing new skills and emphasising existing
strengths that the participants could use when facing problems or crisis. The theory of change
inherent in this approach is based on the understanding that emphasising and building on skills
increases confidence and self-efficacy which will increase the likelihood of a participant behaving in a
positive way. It is sometimes employed among at-risk groups as a way to avoid inadvertently raising
feelings of failure, guilt or shame which may create resistance among participants. This is achieved
by emphasising positive behaviours and healthy ways of interacting with peers, teachers, parents,
siblings and the wider community over focuses on the prevention of negative behaviours.
This approach was conveyed by the project representative during the evaluative interview:
‘…most of the work that we do is strength-based work. That’s our focus. I think in the
Indigenous community there are many times people are faced with negative perspectives and
negative thoughts about what they do… and you’ve got barriers and you’ve got problems. I
really think that’s a very negative way to look at working in the Indigenous community’
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
The region has a high incidence of Indigenous residents and as such, it was expected that the
schools in the region would also have a large number of Indigenous students. Consultations with the
schools were undertaken prior to delivery to ensure content was relevant and suitable to the
participant group. It was reported that little adaption of project content was undertaken in order to
maintain cultural relevance for Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. Both an Indigenous and
non-Indigenous facilitator performed session deliveries which demonstrated a suitable approach to
fostering cultural inclusion among the diverse participant group. In view of this, it is deemed that the
Kurbingui project undertook inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practices to prevention
education.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
Kurbingui undertook comprehensive project development and delivery. During development phases,
content for the Healthy Relationships project was adapted from materials drawn from Kurbingui’s
Family Support Program and work in providing counselling and referral services to their mostly
Indigenous client base. New materials specific to school-based delivery were also developed. School
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deliveries underwent a sound consultation process before delivery and the delivery model was
comprehensive in incorporating multiple sites, target groups and modes including education sessions,
parenting sessions, and adventure camps. The duration of each was between 4 and 8 weeks which
was a key strength of the project and demonstrates further, Kurbingui’s comprehensive approach to
project development and delivery.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
An external evaluator was commissioned to complete the evaluation component of the Healthy
Relationships project. The described method of evaluation was vague and was only detailed in the
final report as follows:
‘Project evaluation methods to date have required staff to collect data and write reports
against milestones achieved and to work with an independent evaluator to complete final
reports on specific projects.’
While the report specifies that participant data was collected, no participant data was reported. The
final report describes that positive outcomes were achieved for the target group however this was not
demonstrated in the reporting. As such, Kurbingui did not meet the minimum requirements of effective
evaluation. In future, it is recommended that an evaluation of participant outcomes occur and that
these are reported adequately to support conclusions about overall project and participant outcomes.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Kurbingui reported that both an Indigenous and non-Indigenous facilitator was allocated to all session
deliveries which was a strategic staffing approach to foster cultural inclusion and cultural relevance
during deliveries. All staff had a minimum of Certificate III in Youth Work and staff also participated in
adult literacy training with regular internal supervision on a monthly basis for professional
development. Staff were also trained in the delivery of the project within schools and followed detailed
lesson plans and activities. In review, staff appeared to be appropriately trained and supported.
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7.11 Relationships Australia Canberra and Riverina: LOVE BiTES
Project
The LOVE BiTES Project was delivered by Relationships Australia Canberra and Region, Riverina
Branch (RACR) to 802 year ten high school students from 16 different high schools. The project was
delivered over 36 days, with 14 site visits. Each site project delivery involved a one-day workshop with
a class-size group of approximately 30 students. The workshop format included two interactive
sessions, one on family/domestic violence, and the other on sexual abuse, followed by an introduction
to a panel of local service providers. Participants shared lunch with the project and service providers.
The afternoon session was dedicated to students creating an art piece to consolidate what they had
learnt. Pre-and post-delivery student evaluations were conducted.
The LOVE BiTES project also delivered a teacher training component. This element of the project
allowed teaching staff to become familiar with the material that the LOVE BiTES project would cover.
Due to the sensitive nature of the topics discussed, RACR commented in the final report, that this
teaching training was essential to the successful delivery of the LOVE BiTES project.
The LOVE BiTES project was developed by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse
and Neglect (NAPCAN). It was originally designed to build young peoples’ awareness of unhealthy or
abusive relationships. The LOVE BiTES project has been tailored to suit the NSW Department of
Education’s Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) curriculum. Feedback
from participant teachers and the project manager indicated that the project’s fit with the schools’
PDHPE curriculum was excellent and contributed to its overall success in the schools.
Evaluations conducted on the LOVE BiTES project suggest an increase in participating students’
understanding of respectful relationships, ability to identify abusive relationships, and ability to
understand social facts about domestic violence and sexual abuse. It is unclear, however, whether
the project succeeded in guiding structural level change. Anecdotal reports included in the final report,
suggest that some students were able to reflect deeply on their own personal situations, prompted by
the workshop activities. In some cases, students’ disclosure provided the opportune moment for
RACR and school staff to link students with appropriate school and other service providers.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The project was delivered by RACR using the NAPCAN LOVE BiTES program. The RACR staff were
not involved in the project design. There was no discussion or report of the conceptual approaches to
the project design in any of the project materials. However, the original NAPCAN program was
developed on the theory of community responsibility using an ecological framework. The concept of
the ‘Cycle of Violence’ and a ‘Continuum approach’ on sexual assault was referenced as being
included in project material. It is inferred in the qualitative interview that the ‘Cycle of Violence’
concept and continuum approach to sexual assault is utilised in the project content as a knowledge
building exercise, and to diminish domestic violence and sexual assault social myths. This aspect of
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the project content may potentially work towards creating an understanding of factors involved in the
occurrence of violence. Other aspects of the project, such as, discussion of the legal definitions of
assault and violence may also serve to meet this aim, and work towards motivating positive
behaviours and change in relationships, and responsibility for behaviour.
Anecdotal evidence supports the success of this element of the project content. The senior project
officer reports several occasions where young male students disclosed to RACR workshop facilitators
or teachers that they think they may be acting abusively toward their partners and would like help to
address their behaviour. Conversely, anecdotal reports also indicate that young female students have
disclosed experiences of sexual assault or domestic violence after participating in the workshops.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
A theory of change did not feature in the discussion or project content in an explicit manner.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that project content and activities were effective in promoting positive
behaviours in relationships and an increased understanding of the factors involved in domestic
violence and abuse. It is recommended that LOVE BiTES project developers include and articulate
the theory of change in the any updated content. This would enhance the understanding of the
mechanisms of change and success of the project.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
The project was originally designed to deliver the LOVE BiTES project, developed by NAPCAN. The
development of the LOVE BiTES project by NAPCAN was not discussed in detail, and hence it is
difficult to ascertain the level of consultation engaged in with community leaders or representatives
during the project content development. The LOVE BiTES project seemed to be delivered mostly as a
blanket project, that is, delivery was executed in the same way to all schools. There was
communication with school principals and other school staff prior to project delivery and training of
teachers, however, there is no evidence to suggest that these engagements led to a change in
content to adapt to the needs of the particular school group. Mechanisms to address the specific
needs of students from culturally diverse backgrounds, Indigenous students or students with a
disability were not mentioned in the project materials or interview.
There was evidence, though, that the project was delivered in a manner appropriate to the sensitive
nature of the material covered. The project discusses in detail, and shows video footage, of different
types of relationship interaction, including abusive sexual interactions. As detailed in the qualitative
interview, the project is delivered to a large class group, of mixed genders (unless asked to do
otherwise by participating schools). This decision to have large groups was cited in the qualitative
interview as being a protective factor for students who were either survivors of domestic violence or
sexual abuse, or who were currently in abusive relationships.
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This aspect of the project clearly demonstrates one of the mechanisms undertaken to ensure a
sensitive delivery of the project, which had a strong focus on caring for survivors. This was a priority of
the project deliveries as some school deliveries were targeted at engaging student/s that were known
to school welfare officers to be in abusive relationships, or in domestic violence situations at home.
The large class groups were described as an attempt to create an inclusive environment for survivors
and those who have not experienced domestic violence or sexual assault. It avoids singling out
vulnerable populations.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
As discussed earlier in this report, the LOVE BiTES project was developed by NAPCAN, and hence,
there is no discussion in any project documentation on the LOVE BiTES project development. Overall,
the project documentation and evaluative qualitative interview suggests that the project was delivered
in an effective and sensitive manner. The materials provided also suggest that most of the objectives
outlined under the NASASV Standard 4 were met by the LOVE BiTES, RACR project. However, an
improvement of the project documentation would allow further clarification for project evaluation.
Project activities, such as discussing the cycle of violence and social myths on domestic violence and
sexual assault could be considered to be linked to the theory of change and key concepts. The
artwork sessions, and the messages the students portray in their paintings, may be considered as
evidence of a change in understanding. The project activities range in the delivery format. They
include discussion of project materials, including a DVD viewing, class discussion sessions and
artwork. No comprehensive list of activities and materials were provided, thus it is difficult to ascertain
if project activities were sufficiently diverse to achieve educational outcomes.
The senior project manager discussed in the qualitative interview that delivering the LOVE BiTES
project over one day was a strategic action, in an effort to engage the students. It was also discussed
that the project delivery period was dependent on funding. RACR offers the project free of charge to
participating schools, rationalising that charging a project fee would exclude low socioeconomic status
students and schools.
The project proposal cites the success of the LOVE BiTES project from other implementation periods
and sites. General statistics of rates of violence were referenced, but no discussion about the needs
or suitability of the target population was given aside from a general assumption that the 15-17 year
old age group “has the emotional maturity to engage with the subject matter”. The more specific
articulation of the target population in future deliveries of LOVE BiTES would significantly aid in the
appropriateness of the project content to a diverse audience.
Interview data states that strategic decisions were made on which schools to target, but the rationale
behind these decisions was not articulated. The interview data indicated that some decisions on
schools to target were based on existing relationships. It was mentioned in the qualitative interview
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that a focus of the RACR LOVE BiTES project was to build relationships with schools, and not just
deliver the project without pre and post consultation. The project design also includes an emphasis on
relationship building with schools and supporting young people at-risk. LOVE BiTES included
consultation and participation of local service providers in the workshop, to add continued support to
students after project delivery. The project proposal reports that a small study done by NAPCAN
found referrals to sexual assault service increased after the implementation of LOVE BiTES.
The unstructured artwork session gave time for students to process the project content and reflect on
their own relationships. The Art Session was identified in the qualitative interview as often being a
space where survivors of abuse were identified or where disclosures occurred. The LOVE BiTES
project design included a team of trained professionals who were available for support and referral
when required.
The mixed gender group design was rationalised in the project materials to encourage peer-learning
opportunities. For example, after the DVD viewing of different abusive and non-abusive relationship
interactions, the facilitator leads a discussion around students’ perceptions of the interactions, posing
questions specifically at the female and male members of the group. The opposite gender then has
the opportunity to comment and reflect on the perceptions of their peers.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
The LOVE BiTES project conducted pre and post workshop evaluations of students and teachers.
Questionnaire items were designed to evaluate the knowledge, skills, behaviour and awareness of the
participants. However, the questionnaire items were not effective measures of skills or change in
behaviour. The first set of items measured knowledge and awareness of domestic and sexual abuse
in society. The second set of items attempted to measure knowledge, skills and behaviour in a
combined item however, truncating these concepts and actions into one questionnaire item effectively
renders the item unusable, as it is impossible to ascertain what is being measured and therefore what
the project itself, successfully or unsuccessfully addressed.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
All teachers of students participating in the LOVE BiTES project underwent 2 hour training sessions,
prior to the project delivery. Decisions on which school staff were trained were made by each
participating school. In some small rural schools all teachers participated in the LOVE BiTES training.
The Final Report states that the majority of RACR facilitators had received NAPCAN training in the
past. Those who had not were trained by the project coordinator. The project coordinator is an
accredited trainer of the LOVE BiTES project. It was originally proposed that all facilitators were to
receive additional training from NAPCAN; however, this could not go ahead due to scheduling clashes
between NAPCAN and RACR.
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Local service providers who participated in the workshop by sitting on the panel reported being
satisfied with the level of support and supervision provided (according to the Final Report); however, it
is not clear if panel members received LOVE BiTES training. The Final Report states that refresher
training was provided for the Griffith Women’s Refuge staff. It is recommended for future
implementations of LOVE BiTES that comprehensive training is received by all facilitators, including
panel members. No data is available to determine if training was adequate or to gauge how teachers
felt about teaching this content. Following NASASV Standards, comprehensive training should be
provided to all staff and facilitators.
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7.12 Sexual Assault Resource Centre: Respectful Relationships
Education
Respectful Relationships Education delivered by Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) targeted
young people aged 12 to 24 years of age across all Western Australian local government areas. The
project involved one off, in-class seminars on respectful relationships delivered to Year 8 to 12
students in metropolitan state and independent secondary schools, including schools in regions with a
high percentage of indigenous students. The seminars included content on a range of topics,
including: puberty and relationships, dating, understanding consent, online dating and chat rooms,
sexting, protective behaviours, sex and the law, impacts of sexual violence, recognising and
assessing risk in terms of sexual assault and/or abuse, awareness of issues surrounding date rape
and drink spiking and; sexual rights and responsibilities.
Train the trainer sessions were also delivered to professionals working with young people including
youth workers, allied health workers, pastoral care workers, police, medical staff and juvenile justice
officers. Respectful Relationships sessions were also provided to young people in alternative nonschool settings including a teen parenting centre, TAFEs, universities, juvenile justice facilities,
centres for young people with disabilities and centres for culturally and linguistically diverse young
people including Indigenous young people. In total, 465 sessions were presented to students,
parents, educators and professionals. A total of 11,498 participants attended the sessions.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
There was no explicit articulation of the conceptual underpinnings of the Respectful Relationships
Education project in the project documentation. During the evaluative interview, the theoretical
framework was described as research-based and centred on the funding requirements of the funding
contract with FaHCSIA. Content such as cyber bullying and sexting were included in the project
based on perceived need and in consultation with schools. The conceptual approach was described
during an interview with a key informant as follows:
“Well I guess the model that we used in the actual presentation was the model that SARC
uses, regarding like consent for instance is our ready, willing and able, and that has all
stemmed from research that we've done previous to the project commencing. SARC has
been involved for many years in providing school based projects, it's just that we refined it
and focused very particularly on the requirements of the funding contract with FAHCSIA.
Things like the cyber bullying and the sexting {was added} as new information that we needed
to keep up-to-date with. So we were actually reviewing and changing our project as time
went on based on what really was the presenting issue within the community and what we're
identifying with young people, and also too what we identified throughout service here.”
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It would appear that in general the Respectful Relationships Education project did not have a strong
or well-articulated theoretical framework, although a section of the project included delivery of the ‘Sex
and Ethics’ program which is based on a strong conceptual framework. It is recommended that
projects make explicit the theory base underpinning their approach. Content that is topic driven can
be useful, however mechanisms for attitudinal and behavioural change need to be embedded within
this and underpinned by a coherent and explicit conceptual approach.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
Project content focused on topics relating to managing risk including online chatting, sexting, drink
spiking and sex and the law, as well as understanding consent and identifying abusive and respectful
relationship behaviours. Excluding the delivery of the ‘Sex and Ethics’ component of the project, there
did not appear to be a clear gender analysis or feminist understanding of why sexual assault occurs
or an examination of the social or personal attitudes that predict tolerant or permissive attitudes
towards sexual /gender violence. While risk management is an important facet it should not be central
to violence prevention education. It is recommended that primary prevention content examines
violence supportive attitudes and promotes skill development where possible as a mechanism to
foster change.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
It was anticipated that there would be a large number of Indigenous young people recruited across
many of the urban, rural school and alternative education settings. A SARC’s Aboriginal Community
Liaison Officer provided consultation on project development and on issues relating to Indigenous
people and participated in presentations involving Indigenous young people. Consultation with
community, agency and school representatives was also undertaken ensuring the specific needs of
the population group were considered. This process was described during the evaluative interview
with a key informant:
“...for those particular schools, we actually had quite an extensive conversation with them
prior to actually going and doing the presentation. So we actually sat down with the staff from
those particular schools and went through the presentations with them and they would say
what was okay and what wasn't okay and I mean there was only two or three I guess schools
in that particular category that we were [unclear] with.
But they had certain words that we weren't allowed to say. They were okay with most of the
content that we were covering but there was words like ‘condoms’ that we weren't allowed to
say and things like sex before marriage. We had to try and encourage that in a certain way
without actually I guess saying it.”
As such, the project’s approach to cultural inclusion and indigenous peer facilitation was most likely
adequate however; the ways in which specific deliveries were adapted was not made explicit in
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project documentation. As projects which are developed for one population group may not be suitable
for other, it is recommended that any adaptations to content or implementation made as a result of
community consultations be well documented.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
With one off, in-class seminars lasting around one hour in duration, a large number of participants
were able to be recruited to the education project. It is often reported that schools found it difficult to
incorporate longer term education projects into the curriculum due to the burden on time. However, it
should also be noted that the impact of one off educational projects is likely to diminish over time
(Cornelius and Resseguie, 2007) which is why it is preferable for projects to have the capacity to work
with young people over longer timeframes.
Similarly, it is also preferable to encourage interactive participation from participants, which may be
limited in short, seminar-style projects. SARC attempted to address this issue by using interactive
keypads and laptops in the seminar sessions. All participants were provided with a turning point
interactive keypad or laptop and where able to respond to questions individually and anonymously
during the sessions. Responses to questions were aggregated automatically and presented back to
the participants during sessions. This was found to be an effective way to engage participants in large
group sessions and to increase interactivity.
The project aims suggested a comprehensive approach to education by incorporating school-based
seminars, education for professionals working with youth and online and hard copy resources
including the SARC Respectful Relationships website1 which includes information on sexual assault
and where to seek help, printer friendly fact sheets, YouTube clips and links to other relevant
agencies, websites and resources. The development of multiple resource platforms and packages to
support ongoing training is an effective mechanism for supporting the retention, uptake and
dissemination of the Respectful Relationships Education message and demonstrates SARC’s
comprehensive approach to project delivery.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
Post-presentation surveys were distributed to students by classroom teachers at some point after the
presentations. Surveys items were also completed by students using the Turning Point Interactive
Response System. A total of 6,337 students responded to the electronic survey questions between
January 2011 and June 2012. Fifty percent of the survey respondents were male, and 50% were
female. The reported findings suggest that items were largely based on self-perceived benefit
including whether students had learnt new information, believed the information was important and
felt comfortable talking about consent and sexual assault.
1
http://youthfocus.com.au/respectful-relationships/respectful-relationships/
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Evaluation findings conclude that:
1. 78% of the students agreed they had learned new information from the presentations;
2. 85% of the students believed information about relationships was important for all young
people to hear;
3. The importance of consent to young people increased by 7% as a result of the
presentations;
4. 73% of students felt they were comfortable talking about consent, sexual assault and
sexual abuse; and
5. 59% of young people would like to learn more as a result of attending the presentation.
The Respectful Relationships Education project had the highest rate of survey participation of all
projects funded during Round 1 and 2. This is in part due to the effective use of interactive keypads
which enabled evaluative feedback from all participants as a form of interactive participation
throughout the project sessions. Overall, the Respectful Relationships Education project
demonstrated an effective use of evaluation strategies, however the inclusion of knowledge and
attitude based questions, in addition to self-perceived benefit, would have provided a better measure
of project impact.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
SARC has significant experience in providing training for professionals within the Western Australian
community. SARC has delivered specific training to school staff, doctors and allied health
practitioners, police officers, prison officers, juvenile justice workers, the Director of the Public
Prosecutions Office, hospital staff, rural and remote health workers as well as Aboriginal and culturally
and linguistically diverse (CALD) community groups. SARC was, on occasion, able to combine
Respectful Relationships training with other training being provided into remote areas, such as the
SARC Forensic Nurse training project. SARC’s Education and Training staff have established links
with counselling, intervention and emergency services to ensure the ongoing support of training
participants. In addition to this, online training packages were also employed to provide training and
support for WA Country Health Services staff. It is evident that Uniting Care Wesley’s provided
support for training and professional development within their organisation and for participants of the
train the trainer sessions.
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7.13 Swinburne University of Technology: Respectful
Relationships
Swinburne University of Technology’s Respectful Relationship’s project was targeted at young
Indigenous people in the local community. The project ran a series of workshops in secondary
schools in partnership with the Melbourne Storm rugby league club. Approximately 56 Indigenous and
Maori secondary school students from three schools participated in weekly workshops which were
delivered over 12 weeks.
The deliveries also incorporated an accredited certificate course— Learning Pathways for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander young Indigenous people aged 15-25 years who are no longer engaged in
mainstream education. This was run jointly by Bert Williams Aboriginal Youth Services (BWAYS) and
Swinburne University.
Approximately, forty-four students completed Certificate II and 34 completed
certificate III, IV and Diploma. The course incorporated a range of extra-curricular learning activities
to reinforce the central messages of the project; skill development and cultural identity as an avenue
to raise perceptions of self-efficacy. The project employed a near peer-facilitator model and
incorporated train the trainer sessions with the Melbourne Storm players, and staff from BWAYS,
Aboriginal Men’s Service and Swinburne University.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The project aimed to prevent family and domestic violence by working with participants to increase
individual capacity to respond to family violence by developing ethical behaviours through positive
role modelling, boundary setting, targeting risk-factors associated with violent behaviour and
increasing knowledge and practical skills in conducting respectful relationships. The project utilised a
strengths-based framework which aimed to promote the existing knowledge, skills and life
experiences of the participants and community and build upon these to increase perceptions of selfefficacy.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The project aimed to increase the salience of cultural identity among the participants as a mechanism
for increasing self-worth and self-efficacy. Loss of cultural identity was described as common among
the target group participants. Project content also covered life skills development and relationship
skills education. Drug and alcohol education was also included in project deliveries based on an
understanding of these as a strong determinant of incidences of violence perpetration.
A near-peer facilitator model was used by enrolling Indigenous and non-Indigenous Melbourne Storm
rugby league players as mentors and leaders in promoting violence prevention. Using the Melbourne
Storm players was described as beneficial in promoting open communication by modelling sensitivity
and openness during their facilitation of discussions topics relevant to violence prevention.
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Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
Swinburne University’s Respectful Relationship project utilised a community development framework
which sought to engage the local community during the development and implementation phases of
the project. An advisory committee was established to guide and oversee the development of the
project, provide advice, and ensure project outcomes were met. The advisory committee was made
up of representatives of key partner organisations, the local Indigenous community and teachers from
the accredited certificate (Mumgu-dhal Tyama-tiyt) course. By ensuring community involvement in the
planning, implementation, evaluation and direction of the project, the project sought to empower and
promote social cohesion and support for the project in the local community. The project also utilised
resources from existing Indigenous youth projects that had been successful and demonstrated
cultural relevance and inclusion.
Swinburne University described reattaining participants was a major challenge. In an attempt to
support ongoing participation, the project provided practical assistance to the participants including
travel tickets, meals, transport, liaison with relevant agencies, social and emotional support and
referrals. The project also undertook outreach to disengaged students, and adapted the course to
meet the needs of student’s needs with limited literacy.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
Swinburne University’s Respectful Relationship project undertook a comprehensive approach to
project development by engaging with the local community and other community agencies during the
development and implementation of the project. They included a number of activities and developed
various relationships with organisations in the Indigenous community that were important during the
implementation of the project and in engaging participants. The delivery was flexible and adaptable to
provide avenues for full participant inclusion and engagement. The project provided a range of
mediums for activities and considered participants’ literacy and numeracy needs in the selection of
these. The project aimed to create a learning environment in which the participants guided the
delivery, and their knowledge, opinions, interests and experiences formed the basis for activities.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
An external evaluator was engaged to perform the evaluation of the Mumgu-dhal Tyama-tiyt
accredited certificate course and train the trainer components. Both quantitative and qualitative
approaches were used to assess the education project and the training of core staff. The evaluation
included pre- and post- questionnaires of the participants and focus groups with the teachers and staff
at BWAYS involved in the delivery of the course.
The questionnaires used in the evaluation included relevant validated measures including the
Personal Wellbeing Index for School Children (PWI-SC), the Dating Violence Scale, the Attitudes to
Violence Scale, and a 12-item self-report, project specific questionnaire. The final report suggested
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that participants improved across all domains, though no statistical results were provided to support
this claim and no information on how many participants completed the questionnaires was included.
Focus groups assessed whether the teachers and BWAYS staff were able to correctly identify the
aims of the course and also gathered perceptions of difficulties encountered by participants. Teachers
and staff were also asked their views on the course’s strengths, weaknesses, whether the course met
its aims, the barriers to meeting those aims, and any changes they observed in the participants.
Findings from the focus groups were well reported. Reported strengths of the project included the:
1. Non-judgemental approach;
2. Flexibility and high cultural relevance of inclusion;
3. Emphasis on community involvement;
4. Holistic approach to supporting the participants; and
5. Approaches to social inclusion.
Challenges for the course included:
1. Attendance and maintenance difficulties;
2. Limited participant attention capacity;
3. Participant court obligations interrupting attendance; and
4. Participant trauma and psychosocial factors including homelessness, mental health and drug;
and alcohol addiction.
Those who participated in the train the trainer project were asked to complete an outcome survey
after the training. Eight people completed the survey with the vast majority finding the training useful.
It is difficult to ascertain from the reporting how many people participated in this training, and therefore
to judge whether the eight that completed the survey are representative of all participants in the
training.
It is recommended that projects include participant outcomes as a central focus of the evaluation to
determine intervention impact and identify areas for improvement in content and delivery. However,
the project generally demonstrated effective evaluation strategies to evaluate many component of
their project highlighting many position project facets and challenges/areas for improvement.
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Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Swinburne University provided accredited training to Melbourne Storm players which included
workshops on family violence and a review of project content for delivery to the target groups. The
training was designed to develop the players’ skills in identifying family violence, ethical and protective
behaviours and practical skills that could be used in both their personal lives and in the projects they
would deliver.
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7.14 Uniting Care Wesley: Respectful Relationships Project
Uniting Care Wesley has over 20 years’ experience in managing and delivering domestic violence
and sexual assault counseling services. The Respectful Relationships Project by Uniting Care
Wesley was delivered to young people aged 12 to 25 years. The duration and delivery of the project
varied across target groups and settings. The duration of each project ranged between one and eight
sessions and the format of delivery included small Round table discussion groups, class group
workshops and lecture style presentation. A total of 933 young people participated in the project
across 16 school and community sites including high school students and alternative learning stream
students (n=875) , young people in detention centres (n=19; aged between 12 and 18 years) and
young women at-risk of homelessness (aged 14-25 years; n=39). All three groups were targeted due
to their characteristic disadvantage and social vulnerability.
The project delivered sessions to disadvantaged young people within school settings and other
agencies (including welfare and detention facilities). A therapeutic support service was also provided
to participants and their families by offering ongoing counselling through the Uniting Care support
services.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The Respectful Relationships Project was described as a strengths-based approach to the prevention
of interpersonal violence. The framework is underpinned by a number of key approaches to
relationship violence prevention including person-centred, narrative, systemic and feminist theory. In
documentation the intervention model is described as:
“...informed by the experience and research evidence which highlights that domestic and
family violence takes many forms, including sexual violence and sexual assault, and is
prevalent in relationships where the perpetrator is known to the victim.”
While the Respectful Relationship project identified a number of theoretical frameworks, the links
between gender, power and violence, examining violence-supportive attitudes and attempts to
change these were not identified in documentation. It is recommended that an articulation of how
determinants of violence are understood according to these frameworks be provided.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
During the key informant interview it was evident that the project has an implicit understanding of
gendered attitudes as a determinant of relationship violence and that this is a target of intervention:
“…you look at all those issues if you have an underpinning analysis around violence that
looks at power differences and issues of power in relationships and the way different gender
beliefs may support that.”
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Despite this, and the fact the project identified a number of theoretical frameworks, there was little
articulation of theory of change and how these theoretical underpinnings shaped the project content
and processes in project documentation. A number of core modules were identified in project
documents and it is assumed that these modules were intended to lessen young people’s
involvements in violence perpetration or victimisation, however it was not identified how such
processes would occur. Attitudes, beliefs and skills were not addressed in project documentation as
determinants of violence or change. Uniting Care Wesley does demonstrate a use of theory of change
however it would benefit from articulating this in project documentation more explicitly.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
The project model was developed in consultation with teachers, youth workers and students. This
consultation process allowed for a deeper understanding of the project and its objectives. Based on
the results of the consultation, each project was specifically adapted to local needs and issues faced
by young people. The content and length of the project was negotiated to meet the needs of the
young people and logistics of delivery, especially for school-based projects. The duration of the
project varied between target groups and settings from single session, whole-day deliveries, to six
weekly sessions. Despite the variability in session duration, fidelity to the original content of the
project was maintained by adhering to a module based structure. Core modules on the topics of
consent, dating violence, and gender and relationships were included in all deliveries and additional
modules (e.g. respectful relationships in the digital world) were selected based on the perceived need
and available time.
The project took an inclusive approach within the school or community service. This involved working
closely with staff members and providing relevant professional development, consultancy and
materials to support the curriculum being delivered.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
The project was implemented following consultation with the schools and community services, and
taking into account their requirements. The curriculum included the delivery of six educational
modules focusing on recognising healthy and unhealthy relationships, understanding dating violence
and supplementary modules including sexting, cyber safety, and conflict resolution and negotiating
consent.
Despite the project being initially designed to run for 8 weeks, delivery was often adjusted to meet the
demands of the setting. This was particularly the case for projects delivered in a school setting which
competed with curriculum demands. In these cases the project was delivered in two ‘double-periods’
or an extended session lecture-style presentation. The use of a module based structure, with core
and optional curricula, was found to be an effective mechanism for adaptable and flexible delivery.
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Project sustainability was a key consideration discussed as part of all session planning with schools
and community groups. As noted in the project documentation, the impact of one off educational
projects is likely to diminish over time (Cornelius and Resseguie, 2007) which is why it is preferable
for projects to have the capacity to work with young people over longer timeframes and include
access to ongoing therapeutic services. The Respectful Relationships project responded to this need
by providing multiple levels of support for disadvantaged young people through the delivery of primary
prevention projects and also tertiary support to participants and their families through an ongoing
counseling and crisis response service. This approach addresses both prevention objectives and
provided mechanisms for supporting victims or offering services in the event of participant disclosure
during project sessions. By offering multiple levels of support, Uniting Care Wesley provides a
pathway of change which incorporates both prevention-through-education and a secondary response
for victims, perpetrators and vulnerable or at-risk participants. Uniting Care Wesley also aimed to
increase the sustainability of the project after the funding period by providing education and
consultancy support to the educators and service providers.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
There were three components to the evaluation processes including a participant evaluation, staff
evaluation and facilitator evaluation. The evaluation concluded that the project had increased
participant’s understanding of what a respectful relationship looks like; increased participant’s
knowledge around dating, physical and sexual violence; developed participant’s skills to conduct
respectful relationships in the future and; increased understanding of protective strategies and safety
issues.
There was however, often inadequate evidence to support these reported outcomes with little, if any,
quantitative data provided to demonstrate impact. The evaluation methodology generally lacked
planning, which resulted in changes to the survey design and content during the delivery phase.
Some students received pre- and post-project surveys however most received only post-project
surveys. Survey questions changed between deliveries meaning that survey responses could not be
aggregated for the entire cohort, which decreased the scope and power of the surveys to detect
impact. The survey items were original and had not been piloted or validated, limiting the
comparability and interpretation of participant outcomes and the dissemination of these beyond the
required funding bodies.
The survey content itself contained a large number of items relating to project satisfaction and
enjoyment, and self-perceived project benefit. While collecting information on these aspects is useful,
they should not be central as they do not provide an indication of project impact or change. It is
recommended that validated items that measure real attitude change and items that demonstrate
project impact are the focus of future evaluations.
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Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Project facilitators were generally recruited from within the Uniting Care organisation and had a
background in social work or counselling, as well as specialist training in sexual violence prevention
education. This specialist training involved content on domestic and family violence including working
with perpetrators and victims, sexual violence counselling, working with children and young people in
educational settings, and individual and group therapy. The majority of this training is delivered using
internal expertise through Uniting Care’s professional development project.
Project specific training was also provided and covered a summary of the project, objectives of the
project, project contents, key successes and challenges and a summary of evaluation. It is evident
that Uniting Care Wesley provided support for training and professional development, and that the
recruitment of facilitators from within the organisation meant that they possessed prevention expertise
and provided a link between prevention and tertiary support for participants.
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7.15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Incorporated:
Wandiyali Murrung Project
The Wandiyali Murrung Project is an educational resource project, aimed at Indigenous and nonIndigenous children aged 10-15 years and delivered through schools, community and government
organisations by ATSI Inc (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Incorporated), a not-for-profit
organisation with a vision to provide information to youth in need through a number of different
projects, in a culturally appropriate manner. Wandiyali is managed by an Indigenous Elder, who
designed the Murrung project, with the contribution and advice of other community elders, respected
community members and child health professionals.
The project was implemented in the Wandiyali service area Lambton, NSW, and surrounding suburbs.
The project primarily focuses on teaching children and young people about healthy relationships.
Using cultural and age appropriate material, the project includes exploring definitions of different types
of relationships, expectations and responsibilities in relationships, and relationship breakdown.
Sensitive topics, such as sexual and domestic abuse and family problems, were also covered in the
project lessons.
The educational resource consists of a 10-lesson project, complete with a comprehensive educational
assistance materials kit. Each lesson covers a different topic, such as friendships, intimate
relationships, kinship, rights and responsibilities in different types of relationships, expectations in
relationships, relationship breakdown, domestic violence, sexual abuse, family violence and anger
management.
As reported in the Wandiyali ATSI Inc. Performance Report, the project resource kit (including a
teachers handbook, student book, handouts, dreamtime stories and artwork) had been distributed to
eight schools, Juvenile Justice services, Community Service Youth Support Caseworkers, the
Newcastle University Wollotuka unit, Hunter New England Health Aboriginal Youth support
caseworkers, The McAuley Outreach service, The Samaritans Youth Support team and the Hunter
Aboriginal Children’s Service. The project was developed and delivered with appropriate community
consultation, contribution and support. The project manager reported anecdotal positive support from
all stakeholders and participants.
The Murrung project was originally designed for an age group of 10-15 years old. However, during
implementation it was found that young adults as old as 17 were benefiting from the project, mostly
through delivery in the Juvenile Justice Service area. Further, community groups outside of the
Wandiyali service area indicated their interest in adopting the project. It was reported in the evaluative
interview that Wandiyali ATSI Inc. plans to expand the project content to include material suitable for
an older age group, and for delivery to a wider geographic area.
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Note: Minimal documentation on the project was provided, and hence, this report is predominately
based on the data generated from the evaluative, structured qualitative interview conducted by the
ISSR, University of Queensland.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The Murrung project did not report a documented conceptual or theoretical approach. However, an
underlying set of principles driving the aims of the project and Wandiyali ATSI Inc. is implicitly evident
in the project description and verbatim data on the project development history. For example, the
project manager described an underlying aim to educate young people about the concept of respect
in relationships, and the dynamics of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
The role of gender was not discussed in the Murrung project evaluative interview or documentation.
The project was designed to address issues surrounding healthy and abusive relationships through
using group discussion format. For example, in the implementation of the project in a Juvenile Justice
‘conferencing’ context, the Murrung material was presented in a group situation, and discussed
openly amongst the youth and facilitator group. According to feedback shared in the evaluation
interview, Juvenile Justice Workers have found the project increases the communication capabilities
of the youth to discuss relationships issues, and particularly, to discuss and understand the concept of
respect.
Staff working with the project reported that increased understanding of respectful relationships and
significant structural change through projects such as respectful relationships education would help
the target population in their daily lives, where many live in highly complex family and kinship groups.
The articulation of the underlying conceptual approach of the Murrung project would assist in the
achievement of project objectives, and in its further development. In order to achieve an
implementation consistent with the NASASV Standards, a clear discussion on the conceptual
approach would be necessary.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
Whilst not explicitly articulating a theory of change, the Murrung project demonstrates aspects of the
logic of change in its ability to recognise the assumed problem, i.e. a gap in service to young people
on relationships and abuse. Further, the Murrung project demonstrates the success of the project with
anecdotal evidence of a desired effect in participants’ disclosure of abuse, and increased
communication between participants on issues related to the project content.
The theory of change provides a relevant framework from which educational sexual assault
prevention projects can receive guidance. The Murrung project may benefit, from an introduction to,
and an understanding of the NASASV Standards, and from professional guidance on incorporating
theory in project design and delivery.
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Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
As evident in the evaluation interview, upmost care was made to build project content that was
inclusive, of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth, and was age appropriate and culturally sensitive.
There are many anecdotal references supporting the delivery of this standard. In one such example,
the project developer and manager cites how as an Indigenous organisation, the project was naturally
designed to target Indigenous youth. High importance was placed on traditional artwork and stories in
the project content. This was discussed as a method to ensure cultural values were taught to young
Indigenous people, and that they were passed to the next generation. Including non-Indigenous youth
in the project served the dual purpose of cultural education, and benefiting a broader range of children
at-risk of sexual abuse or violent relationships.
The Aboriginal Education Consultative group (AECG) were consulted throughout the project
development. The Murrung project received AECG approval and their strong endorsement. This
consultation process was mainly to address the project content, and would most likely only induce
surface-structure changes. However, the fact that community consultation took place is consistent
with Indigenous teachings of ‘respect’, which is indicative of deep-structure change involving an
understanding about relationships and community. An Aboriginal elder authored the foreword of the
student book. This aspect of the consultation process may also lead to deep-structure changes taking
place in the future. In relation to the NASASV Standard 3 on consultation with community, it appears
that this objective was met and at a highly satisfactory level, on the basis of the qualitative evaluation
interview, and Wandiyali ATSI Inc. Performance Report.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
Through the work of the Wandiyali ATSI Inc., a perceived gap in services was the driving motivation
for the Murrung project development. The project manager reported that prior to the project there
were services available to parents to deal with issues of sexual assault, violence and abuse, and
services for older children and young adults, but not for young, school aged children. Thus, the project
content and supporting materials was designed entirely in a way to address the needs of this target
population and was consistent with the NASASV Standards.
Psychologist services were available to project participants from the psychologist involved in the
development of the Murrung project. Mechanisms to address disclosures either during or after
participation in the Murrung project were built into the project design. The schools involved had
existing policies in place to handle the situation, including on-site counselling teams. It was not clear,
however, if the Murrung project, specifically incorporated mechanisms into its design to handle the
needs of survivors of sexual abuse. Given the sensitive nature of the project material, and the
vulnerability of survivors, it would be advised that the Murrung project consult the NASASV Standards
and implement a strategy to ensure support is available to participants throughout the duration of the
project.
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Several of the indicators for Standard 4 were not addressed in the project documents or in the
qualitative interview. Particularly, standards around decisions regarding the project delivery context,
project providers and engaging key people where the project is delivered were not discussed. Given
the age of the target population, the setting and personal involved in the delivery of the Murrung
project is likely to be very important in its appropriate presentation and successful outcomes. It is
recommended that the articulation of processes and standards of the Murrung project, related to
Standard 4 of the NASASV is clearly documented in future implementations of the project. This will
help ensure the optimum delivery, success, and accountability of the Murrung project.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
In the project documents provided no formal evaluation process was described. However, in the
nature of the interaction and relationships between the project manager, community participants and
contributors, an informal evaluative process was evident. As many of the participants and contributors
of the project were Indigenous, strong emphasis was placed on inter-personal relationships, and time
was devoted to discussions, during which, it appears, quasi-evaluative processes were undertaken.
Staff reported that the young people were receptive to the project. It was also perceived to be
effective by project facilitators (teachers, caseworkers and similar professionals). This informal
process appears effective to the extent that the project manager found sufficient support to plan the
submission of a proposal for another round of project funding. Anecdotal reports were also given that
communities outside of the Wandiyali service area, and indeed, interstate, were interested in
implementing the Murrung project.
To ensure a consistent implementation in line with the NASASV framework however, it is
recommended that either a more formal, though culturally appropriate, evaluation process is
undertaken, or, that the feedback received is documented in such a manner (e.g. as field notes, or
securing written correspondence) as to support a substantive evaluation report, that addresses the
NASASV Standards.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Apart from the project manager meeting with service providers to discuss the Murrung project, it was
not articulated or defined if or how training and professional development of educators was
conducted. Therefore, it is recommended for future implementations of the Murrung or similar
projects, that training and support is provided to project educators before, during and after the project
delivery and that these processes are planned and documented at the project design stage and grant
application phase.
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7.16 Youth & Family Focus: The Mersey Respectful Relationship
Project, Tasmania
The Mersey Respectful Relationships Project, managed by Youth and Family Focus Inc. (YAFF) took
a three tier approach to promoting respectful relationships – engaging with community, engaging with
young people in schools and engaging with young people in alternative education who have been
excluded from school. The project aim was to ‘engage, educate and empower young people to make
healthy and responsible relationship choices’. The project consisted of small group activities and
facilitated group discussion.
The core project was implemented in Schools and Alternative Education streams and was derived
from the ‘Relationship Things’ resource developed by YWCA Canberra. The YAFF project consisted
of 6, weekly 50 minute sessions that were interactive and educational, and directed at year 7 students
attending five high schools in the Mersey region. The project topics included uniqueness and
diversity, respect, communication and fighting fair, gender and the media, and looking after yourself
and others. A total of 1,071 students across five school participated in this stream of the project.
An Alternative Education stream was delivered through the pre-existing Lighthouse Project at the
Zone Youth Centre in Devonport. A total of 64 young people took part in this stream over the four
project deliveries. Participants in this stream were those who had been identified as at-risk of
disengagement with the school system.
A Communities stream was developed with the aim to engage young people outside of the education
system through three main initiatives. A ‘Week Without Violence’ was a small grants project which
distributed eight small grants to schools and community groups to run activities during the week
promoting respectful relationships. The ‘Nurturing Respect Full Relationships’ Forum was a full day
interactive forum with guest presenters engaging participants in an exploration on the meaning of
respectful relationships. ‘The Little Book of Respectful Relationships’ is a pocket book of inspiring
quotes, helpful tips and contact numbers which was produced in partnership with Devonport Council
and Anglicare. A total of 2,840 individuals took part in activities in the community stream.
Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
No theory was articulated by project documentation or identified in the telephone interview; however
the project was an adaptation of the ‘Relationship Things’ resource. The YWCA of Canberra website
suggests that “The ‘Relationship Things’ community resources are underpinned by two key theories
that inform our violence prevention work: a gender analysis which acknowledges that violence against
women is caused by gender inequalities, and primary prevention which aims to prevent violence
before it occurs” (http://www.ywca-canberra.org.au/community_resources/relationship_things). It is
recommended that projects adapted from other models still explicitly state the design of their project
and theoretical or conceptual underpinnings.
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Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The Mersey Respectful Relationships project did not identify any theories that drove the project.
However based on a review of documentation it was evident that the project focused on attitude
change and skill building. Modules that addressed attitude change involved facilitated discussions
surrounding uniqueness and diversity, raising awareness of cultural diversity in a largely
white/demographically homogenous area, what respectful relationship are, gender roles, violence
against women and gender stereotypes and media analysis. Skill building involved developing
communication skills, identifying and managing different emotions and regulating negative emotions
to engender healthy expressions of these. A module was also dedicated to developing skills for
keeping safe, seeking help and giving help in terms of unhealthy relationships.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
The initial funding application highlights that the Mersey region is a very low socio-economic area and
has a demographic profile which research has indicated is likely to be associated with existing social
and economic determinants that may predicate relationship problems. The core group were mostly
Caucasian students from low SES schools, and one school with a higher SES demographic, currently
completing grade 7 (and some grade 8). This age group was chosen as they were identified as being
still amenable to some change.
The project is designed to be culturally relevant and inclusive especially for marginalised young
people excluded from mainstream education. Students from the Alternative Education stream were
considered to be an at-risk group. They were participants who were excluded, or about to be
excluded from school due to severe behaviour problems. These were recruited from the Lighthouse
Project and for some of these students, being involved in that project was their only link to the
education system. Partnership with the Devonport Council enabled the recruitment of this group. The
inclusion of this group was very important as they were the group considered to be most at-risk and
therefore most in need of such a project. The Community stream was utilised as a means to promote
the Respectful Relationship project aims and to raise awareness in the broader community through
community involvement and mobilisation.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
The core project was based on YWCA of Canberra’s ‘Relationship Things’ project which is aimed at
older young people aged between 14 and 18 years. In the telephone interview the project manager
indicated that the project was based on ‘Relationship Things’ as she knew it had been evaluated and
that it had good outcomes however no project documentation refers to evaluation and outcomes of
‘Relationship Things’. It was adapted to the target group; the language and content was made age
appropriate and it was shortened to be six x 50 minute sessions. After the first two implementations
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of the project, the project was reviewed. Some minor changes were made to make the project more
appropriate to the education level of the students.
The alternative education participants were particularly challenging to work with. Their
comprehension of content and understanding was not at a grade 7 level and thus the content had to
be further amended for that group. The facilitator would be more hands on with this group, slowed
down the speed of the project and delivered the content in a manner specifically to their level of
understanding. The ratio of facilitators to participants for this group was 2 facilitators to 6 young
people.
The activities that made up the Community stream were completed during National Nonviolence
week. The timing of this was strategic and had the dual effect of raising the profile of the school
based project within the community and also increased the perceived relevance of violence
interventions among the participants themselves. ‘A Week Without Violence’ was a way to mobilise
the community and increase awareness to a much larger proportion of the community. Its profile was
raised through advertising and marketing through community papers etc. The community stream
added value to the core project because it raised the profile and gave participants in the project a
sense of the value and relevance of the project. They became ‘little ambassadors’ for the ‘Week
Without Violence’.
The project established partnerships with Devonport City Council (DCC) and government education
departments (according to telephone interview – the final report referred only to the partnership with
DCC). It was reported that partnership with DCC meant that YAFF had dual management and this
created some confusion around accountability.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
The final project report indicated that a number of evaluation tools were utilised. These included: pre
and post surveys of the participants of the Schools and Alternative Education projects; feedback
forms for participants of the schools project; interviews/surveys of School Principals/Teachers;
evaluation forms for participants on the Nurturing Respectful Relationships Forum; evaluation forms
for all Women with one Voice small grants recipients and; follow-up interviews/surveys conducted with
students who received the “Respectful Relationships Little Book”. Early in the project, external
evaluators were engaged; they collated the results for the Schools and Alternative Education streams
and conducted interviews with schools.
The pre-post survey, which was designed to assess participants’ knowledge or attitudes about topics
that underpin respectful relationships, consisted of 20 items about relationships that correlated with
the project material. The majority of these were true-false statements with some questions offering
multiple response options. Results from the final report suggest that the majority of participants
improved their knowledge over the course of the project. These improvements were greatest for
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projects three and four, after minor changes were made to the project material based on experiences
from projects one and two. Student feedback from the school project was also very positive with the
majority of participants also indicating that they thought their behaviour had changed as a result of the
project.
Although results for the Mersey Respectful Relationships Project were very positive, information about
the development of the evaluation tool and the sources of its measures was not included. The
credibility of results would be strengthened through the documentation and use of standardised
measures assessing skill, attitude and self-reported behaviour change relevant to the project content.
Furthermore, the timing of the administration of the evaluation tool was also not reported; however it is
assumed that the questionnaire was administered immediately post project. To determine whether
the project has lasting effects, the questionnaire would need to be readministered at a later follow-up
interval.
It should also be noted that the report and telephone interview identified that the Alternative Education
Stream included participants with lower levels of literacy and comprehension which provided
challenges for content delivery; however the impact of this on the completion of the pre- post-survey
tool was not discussed. The completion rates (participants who completed both the pre and post
evaluation) were much lower in the Alternative Education Stream than the Schools stream.
Activities in the Community Stream were evaluated through feedback forms. A result of the forum is
the development of an ongoing ‘Reflective Practice‘ group for sector workers who attended the forum
and feel they would like to continue to develop their ‘respectful relationships’ practice. Promotions
undertaken in support of Women with one Voice have contributed to increased awareness of the
Mersey Respectful Relationships Project, which is very well known throughout the region.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
The Mersey Respectful Relationships Package and workbook was adapted by the School’s Project
Worker in collaboration with the Project Team. The School’s worker delivered the general school
package and the Alternative Education stream was delivered by the Lighthouse Project Officer and
‘Navigators’ (project facilitators); both main facilitators were Youth Workers employed with the
Devonport City Council. No formal training was conducted as part of the project.
The Project Manager indicated in the telephone interview that standardised training for all facilitators
would have been ideal to ensure that no assumptions were made about content and delivery.
However, time constraints, initially surrounding recruitment of skilled and appropriate staff and the
need to commence with the project implementation in a timely manner made this unrealistic.
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7.17 Youth & Family Services Logan: Respectful Relationships
Youth and Family Services (Logan City) (YFS) Respectful Relationships Project is a primary
prevention education project, targeting 12 -24 year olds across a range of organisational settings
within Logan City. The project was delivered in 2010/2011 to a diverse range of target groups
including a grade nine school based cohort (n=82 participants), a young men’s group (aged 16-24
years; n=9) who had previously exhibited violent behaviours or were at a high risk of exhibiting violent
behaviours, a young Indigenous women’s group (n=9, aged 16-24 years) and culturally and
linguistically diverse students attending a Logan based high school (aged 14-20 years; n=105) and
Logan TAFE (aged 16-24 years; n=40). A total of 245 young people participated in the project at
multiple sites across Brisbane’s southern suburbs and Logan.
The YFS Respectful Relationships Project objectives were to:
1. Mobilise the community to utilise existing resources (schools, agencies) to address violence
in relationships;
2. Increase young people’s awareness about domestic violence and its effects;
3. Implement early intervention strategies to address violence through a collaborative approach;
and
4. Develop skills and behaviours to address attitudes and behaviours relating to using violence
and being the recipient of violence.
The project was designed around a set of core modules as well as tailored content suitable for young
people in mainstream, CaLD and Indigenous communities within urban and semi-urban settings.
YFS employs a number of domestic & family violence counsellors (4.5 full-time equivalents). A
number of these YFS staff have facilitator training in domestic and family violence prevention projects
including ‘LOVE BiTES’, and M.O.V.E. (Men Overcoming Violence for Equality). Drawing on this
internal expertise, YFS delivered the project with a co-facilitation model, providing opportunities for
less experienced staff to work with more experienced practitioners and educators in the delivery of the
project. In addition, internal and external partnerships with staff and agencies were designed to
provide specialist expertise and content to effectively meet diverse cultural group needs. Particularly
important was the involvement of staff from the YFS Burrabilly Indigenous Project and facilitators from
the external partner agency, MultiLink.
A primary strategy planned to achieve quality outcomes for participants in the Respectful
Relationships Project was the placement of the project within a continuum of support that included
early intervention and prevention but also encompassed individual case management and ongoing
support around complex needs. YFS expected to largely draw on its own internal resources and
expertise to respond as required to individual participant referral and support needs.
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Standard 1: Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design
The Respectful Relationship project was based on the theoretical approaches of the psychoeducational model and the cognitive behavioural framework. The project’s understanding of the
perpetration of sexual violence was informed by a feminist theoretical framework. The project
addressed issues around sexual, domestic and family violence with a focus on both preventing
negative, abusive and violent behaviours and also fostering positive behaviours and conflict resolution
skills as alternatives to using violence.
In line with the theoretical approach of cognitive and behavioural theory, the project content focused
largely on the identification and self-examination of internal thoughts and emotions and the acquisition
of skills that enable self-regulation and foster positive and respectful relationship behaviours. The
content of the project was revised to meet the cultural, gender and psychosocial needs of each of the
cohort groups but generally included attitude change, skill building and behaviour change modules.
The attitude change module involved facilitated discussions surrounding gender, gender identity,
gender stereotypes and the impact of these creating power differences between genders. Skill
building involved developing communication skills, identifying and managing different emotions and
regulating negative emotions to engender healthy expressions of these. This involved practicing the
management of difficult emotions, recognising current behaviours and reactions to these and
practicing alternative positive and respectful behaviours. Behavioural activities were often performed
in pairs where skills were practiced through role play activities.
Standard 2: Demonstrating the use of a theory of change
The project’s understanding of the social, cultural and individual antecedents of sexual assault were
informed by feminist research on violence against girls and women and its overlap with other forms of
interpersonal violence and negative relationship behaviours (e.g. consent versus coercion), violence
supportive and sexist attitudes and norms, gendered power relations and inequalities, social
constructions of masculinity and non-violent conflict resolution. Understanding social influences of
violence and violence prevention were also informed by systemic theory which holds that social
networks have the capacity to engage in guardianship behaviour against victimisation (Reis, Roth &
Miczek, 1993).
The articulation of behaviour change theory was implicitly incorporated into the project content
through the following two modules: the ‘Understanding Abusive Behaviour’ module and the ‘What
Makes a Healthy Relationship’ module. This module which was delivered over one session aimed at
identifying abusive behaviours and the consequences of these behaviours and distinguishing between
behaviours that are healthy or hurtful within a relationship and, the impact of these on perceptions of
equality within the relationship. The emphasis on emotional understanding, empathy and selfregulation, and the facilitation of activities which sought to foster positive behavioural and
communication strategies in place of negative and abusive behaviours demonstrated a logical
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relationship between behaviour change theory (cognitive behaviour theory) and the occurrence of
sexual assault. However, while it is clear that the project content was based on the cognitive
behaviour theory model, it should be noted that the articulation of this was implicit in the content and
not prominent in the project documentation.
A feminist theoretical approach was evident in the content surrounding gender power differentials.
However, the way in which feminist theory informed and impacted on the project delivery or content
was not explicit in the documentation (identified during an interview with a key project leader and
evaluation report). Systemic theory was identified as a theoretical approach during an interview with a
key project leader and is not otherwise articulated in the documentation.
Standard 3: Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice
Extensive discussion, consultation and adaptation of projects occurred to meet the needs of culturally
diverse target groups. Relevant stakeholder groups engaged in consultation processes at the outset
and throughout the project and culturally specific modifications to content and delivery were made
(detailed below).
The five target groups were initially profiled in the original application for funding including age range,
school or organisation affiliation, risk of violent behaviour (based on perpetration and/or victimisation)
and cultural and linguistic information. The culturally and ethnically diverse high school and TAFE
based projects included Samoan, Maori, Afghani, Burundi and Sudanese students recruited from ESL
projects (English as a second language projects). In consultation with facilitators and community
leaders the project was reviewed to make it more culturally relevant. These modifications included
adaptations to include a basic sexual education project prior to discussing relationship issues,
address language and literacy issues by having a more visual and kinaesthetic approach to content
delivery, revising the language used and by using of visual aids and removing most of the reading and
writing activities. Facilitators from the same cultural background were employed due to perceived
benefits of peer facilitation. Gender segregation occurred for sexual health classes for both TAFE and
high school students.
During the implementation of the project culturally sensitive issues emerged including race based
violence. To respond to these issues culturally based concepts of respect and identity were shared
and discussed as a mechanism to foster understanding and tolerance between racial groups. The
impact of this was believed to be very successful in reducing race related violence in schools.
Attendance to this project increased beyond initial recruitment intake. The TAFE based project
increased fourfold from 10 participants to 40 and the school based project increased from 65
participants to 105 at completion.
The Indigenous women’s group included women aged between 16 and 24 years from high
psychosocial risk, low SES backgrounds. This group was recruited from within the Youth and Family
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Services Logan Burrabilly project and the participants were known previously to the project’s
Indigenous project leader. The Burrabilly project is a community based mental health project which
aims to support Indigenous families, carers, children and young people (aged 16-24 years) affected
by mental illness and/or disability. Consultation with the Indigenous project leader led to culturally
specific adaptation and the subsequent inclusion of content addressing Indigenous spirituality,
Indigenous history, and discussions relating to family relationships and dynamics, and the use of
culturally appropriate and relevant language. A peer facilitator from the same cultural background was
employed.
An eclectic project development approach was ultimately pursued to accommodate the cultural and
other diverse characteristics and needs of the various target populations. However, outcome
measures specific to the content or cultural specifics of these groups/ project was not developed due
to time and delivery constraints.
Standard 4: Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery
Project details such as target group, duration, intensity, setting, facilitator gender and culture were
made explicit within the project design and were determined with project delivery partners. An eclectic
project development approach was ultimately pursued to accommodate the cultural and diverse
characteristics and needs of the various target populations. Curriculum from other projects was
integrated into individual projects (e.g. Relationship Things Resource Kit, YWCA Canberra; Growing
and Developing Healthy Relationships Curriculum, Western Australia Department of Health 2011;
Step- Up Group Teen Curriculum, Minnesota Centre Against Violence and Abuse; LOVE BiTES Train
the Trainer Package, NAPCAN).
Each of the groups was run locally in Logan, Marsden and Woodridge. The young women’s
Indigenous group was held at a PCYC, and the remaining groups were run at the local schools.
When choosing a suitable space in which to run the groups, the accessibility, privacy and location
were considered. Problems were encountered with the group run at Marsden High School due to
repeated relocation. This was reported to be disruptive by the project participants.
Education activities included attitude change, skill building and behaviour change modules. Attitude
change involved facilitated discussions surrounding gender, gender identify, gender stereotypes and
the impact of these creating power differentials between genders. Skill building involved developing
communication skills, identifying and managing different emotions and regulating negative emotions
to engender healthy expressions of these. This involved practicing managing difficult emotions,
recognising current behaviours and reactions to these and practicing alternative positive and
respectful behaviours. Behavioural activities were often performed in pairs where skills were
practiced via role playing activities.
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The project reported that longer and more flexible duration of the project needs to be considered.
However, high rates of participant attrition and inconsistent attendance were observed among the atrisk Indigenous women’s and the young men’s group. Issues with attendance were perceived to be
related to the psychosocial characteristics of these at-risk groups.
Mechanisms for referral to support services were established and referral information was provided to
participants. The project’s overarching policy was that participants were told prior to commencing a
project that the content/material may ‘bring up things for you’. They were however, encouraged to not
self-disclose personal experiences in the context of the group as it was an educational group and
psychological counselling was not resourced for. Participants were told they could talk to the facilitator
privately and would then be referred to counselling services and support.
Cultural sensitivity was observed in relation to single sex and mixed sex groups. Culturally diverse
groups were segregated during sexual education sessions but otherwise material was not gender
specific.
The Indigenous facilitator reported that she felt well supported and learnt new skills in delivering
sensitive topics to her group through collaborative facilitation with an experienced group facilitator.
Two male facilitators who delivered educational content to a mixed gender, culturally diverse group
believed that their gender did not pose any participation barriers for their student group. They did,
however, reflect that the project may be best delivered by a male and female co-facilitator as this
provided an opportunity to ‘model’ gendered respectful relationships.
Partnerships were established with key community, school and TAFE groups for four of six delivered
projects. The success of project adaptation was demonstrated in satisfaction feedback from cultural
facilitators and culturally diverse participants. Project documentation reveals that all of the partner
organisations were positive about the level of engagement and consultation in the project
establishment phase. Most partner organisations were positive that they had adequate input about the
broad suitability of project content, project delivery arrangements, organisational needs and specific
student needs in the planning phase. One organisation made specific comments that the final details
of the project content were not available prior to the project commencing and that this was a problem.
Standard 5: Using effective evaluation strategies
The project undertook extensive evaluation and engaged an independent company to undertake a
final evaluation. Evaluation was an integral part of the design of the project. Quantitative and
qualitative data was collected by an independent evaluator using pre and post participant surveys and
participant interviews for a selection of participants from different sites and from culturally and
linguistically diverse students attending a Logan based high school (aged 14-20 years) and grade
nine school based cohort (n=82 participants). A small number of unvalidated survey items were used
with Likert scale response options measuring agreement. It was reportedly a challenge to develop a
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standardised tool for evaluation due to participant group diversity and content irregularities between
projects groups. A better match up between project content and survey items was identified as
needed. Mixed results in the measured impact post intervention may have partly been influenced by
survey item ambiguity and limited item scope. Future evaluations would benefit from using validated
survey items specific to assessing skill, attitude and self-reported behaviour change relevant to the
project content. Data was collected immediately post intervention.
To estimate whether the project have a lasting effect, evaluation surveys would need to be repeated
at a later interval.
Standard 6: Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators
Most internal facilitators were highly trained and significantly experienced behavioural science/human
services professionals with specialist expertise in domestic and family violence, sexual assault, child
protection, youth justice, and Indigenous and immigrant community services. However, the
educational and professional experience of cultural facilitators was not part of the screening criteria
and thus not documented. A co-facilitation model of a professionally trained facilitator with a cultural
facilitator is recommended for future culturally diverse target group projects. Facilitator induction,
debriefing, and delivery team mentoring was included in the project. However, it was reported that
there was inconsistency between the skills base of facilitators. The project reported that some skill
sets were felt to be deficient and more extensive training would have been desirable. A greater focus
on the facilitation and delivery of skills training, including behavioural management, is recommended.
108
Round 1 and 2 Evaluation – Final Report
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Table 4 Summary of Round 2 projects
Project
Location
Setting
AFL: Respect &
Responsibility
Australia wide
Community
sport settings
Akeyulerre:
Respectful
Relationships
Arrernte
community, Alice
Springs
Community
Australian Red
Cross: Kwinana
Kwinana, Perth,
WA
Organisational
settings, school
holiday project
BCS: Respectful
Relationships
Project
≤Eight schools in
each of the selected
LGAs in NSW.
Kurbingui:
Healthy
Relationships
North Brisbane,
QLD
Total
Participants
Age(s)
Gender
Participant Characteristics
3222
16-21
Male only
Participants involved in national State League/Community
Club Football across Australia
179
16-27
Male (formal
participants)
Indigenous—
Mixed
(participants in
project related
social activities)
Men evenings: 53 young men and 32 senior men.
Family evenings: 29 young men and 9 senior men.
Bush activities: 19 young men, 18 senior men, 14 senior women,
5 young boys.
79
12-24
Assume mixes –
not otherwise
stated
At-risk Indigenous youth
High schools
5120
12-16
mixed
Year 9 students situated in areas of high economic and social
disadvantage. (SEFIA rated). High proportion of ATSI and
CALD.
2 primary schools
230
12-24
Mixed and male
and female only
Year 6-8 students in area with relatively high Indigenous
community
1 secondary
school
ATSI young people
Residential
camps; at
Kurbingui.
Young parent: ATSI Mothers
Relationships
Australia: LOVE
BiTES
Murrumbidgee &
Murray Region,
NSW
High schools
802
15-17
Mixed
No information provided
SARC: Respectful
Relationships
Education
WA wide
High schools
11498
13-18
Mixed
Four high schools in ACT including bi-national FrenchAustralian school, a vocational college and an Independent
Anglican boy’s school and a state school.
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Project
Location
Setting
Total
Participants
Swinburne:
Respectful
Relationships
Melbourne, Vic
High schools/
Certificate
training project
134
UCW: Respectful
Relationships
Project
Adelaide, SA
Disadvantaged
high schools and
alternative
learning streams
Age(s)
Gender
Participant Characteristics
15-25
Male
Indigenous and Maori youth (in mainstream schooling and
disengaged and at-risk).
875
Not stated
Mixed
Schools recruited from low SES neighbourhoods in Northern
Adelaide. Some disengaged from mainstream schooling.
Youth in detention
19
12-16
Male only and
female only
Youth in detention. Histories of violence perpetration and
victimisation.
Disadvantaged
youth
39
Not stated
Female only
Disadvantaged; homeless or at-risk of homelessness; young
mothers.
ASTI Inc:
Wandiliya
Lambton, NSW
Schools,
community and
government
organisations
566
10-15
Assume mixed –
not otherwise
stated
Indigenous and non-Indigenous (no breakdown of
population is given)
Youth & Family
Focus: The
Mersey Respectful
Relationship
Project
Mersey Region,
TAS
School Grade 7
4314
12-14
Mixed
Mostly Caucasian from low SES background – no specific data
reported
Youth & Family
Service Logan:
Respectful
Relationship
Project
Logan City, QLD
Alternative
Education
12-19
17-25
Community
School, TAFE,
Other
Organisational
settings
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245
12-24
Mixed
Male only
Female only
Page 110
Female only: Indigenous
Young men at-risk for, or previously used violence
Cultural & Language Diverse groups: Samoan, Maori, Afghani,
Burundi and Sudanese students.
Grade 9 group: no info provided
Round 1 and 2 Evaluation – Final Report
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Table 5 Round 2 project characteristics and performance against the NASASV
AFL:
Respect &
Responsibili
ty
Approach
Theoretica
l approach
Ethnic
compositio
n
Gender
compositio
n
Location
Akeyulerre:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
Australia
n Red
Cross:
Kwinana
BS:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
Kurbingui:
Healthy
Relationshi
ps
Relationships
Australia
: LOVE
BiTES
SARC:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
Education
UCW:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
ASTI
Inc:
Wandiliy
a
Youth &
Family
Focus: The
Mersey
Respectful
Relationshi
p Project
Youth &
Family
Service
Logan:
Respectful
Relationshi
p Project
Preventing
negative
behaviours/
attitudes
Fostering
positive
behaviours/
attitudes
Feminist

Ecological

Cultural
Strengths based



Other
Indigenous


Diverse

Incidental/Nontargeted
All female







All male




Mixed
Urban














Swinburne:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
























Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR)/CONROD






























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






Round 1 and 2 Evaluation – Final Report
AFL:
Respect &
Responsibili
ty
Culturally
specific
Scope of
interventio
n
NASASV
Standards
P11007
Akeyulerre:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
Australia
n Red
Cross:
Kwinana
Kurbingui:
Healthy
Relationshi
ps
Relationships
Australia
: LOVE
BiTES
SARC:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
Education

Rural

Remote



Culturally
specific
Whole of
community



Whole of
school
Coherent
conceptual
approaches to
project design
Demonstrated
the use of
theory of
change
Inclusive,
relevant, and
culturally
sensitive
practice
Comprehensive
project
development
and delivery
Effective
evaluation
strategies
Supported
thorough
training and
BS:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps


—



























 —






—
—






























—
—




—
—
—

—
—
—
—
—
—
—



—
—


—


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Youth &
Family
Service
Logan:
Respectful
Relationshi
p Project




Youth &
Family
Focus: The
Mersey
Respectful
Relationshi
p Project




ASTI
Inc:
Wandiliy
a




UCW:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps



Swinburne:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
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
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Round 1 and 2 Evaluation – Final Report
Delivery
schedule
professional
development
Duration/Sessio
ns
Frequency
Intensity
P11007
AFL:
Respect &
Responsibili
ty
Akeyulerre:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
1
Once
12
months
Sporadic
40
weeks
1/week
90 mins
Variable
3 hours
Australia
n Red
Cross:
Kwinana
BS:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
Kurbingui:
Healthy
Relationshi
ps
SARC:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
Education
Swinburne:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
UCW:
Respectful
Relationshi
ps
ASTI
Inc:
Wandiliy
a
Youth &
Family
Focus: The
Mersey
Respectful
Relationshi
p Project
Youth &
Family
Service
Logan:
Respectful
Relationshi
p Project
1 to 6
Variable
1 day
1
Variable
Variable
1 year
6 weeks
10
Once to
weekly
Variable
Once
Once
Variable
Variable
Weekly
*
Variable
1 day
60 mins
variable
variable
10
session
s
*
60 mins 1 day
1 hour
1 hour
Relationships
Australia
: LOVE
BiTES
* No information available at time of reporting.
—Review indicated project did not meet NASASV Standard.
If blank, review indicated inadequate evidence to determine performance against NASAV Standard.
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8 Non-evaluative Project Summaries
The following sections provide a detailed summary of three projects that were not considered
appropriate for evaluation against the NASASV Standards. Findings presented in the individual
project summaries for NAPCAN and SHine SA are based on a review of project documents and
telephone interviews with project representatives. The project summary for KPMG was based on a
review of project documentation only. Non evaluative project summaries have been provided in the
following
8
NON-EVALUATIVE PROJECT SUMMARIES ............................................................................... 114
8.1
KEEPING SAFE CHILD PROTECTION CURRICULUM – EVALUATION ............................ 115
8.2
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
(NAPCAN): LOVE BITES ............................................................................................... 117
8.3
SEXUAL HEALTH INFORMATION NETWORKING & EDUCATION SA: RESPECTFUL
RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION PROJECT .............................................................................. 120
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8.1 Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum – Evaluation
In 2010, the South Australian Department of Education and Community Services (DECS) engaged
independent consultants KPMG to conduct an evaluation of the Keeping Safe: Child Protection
Curriculum (KSCPC). The evaluation was financed in Round One of FaHCSIA’s Respectful
Relationships initiative; however as it was not a violence prevention through education project it was
not eligible to be evaluated against the NASASV Standards and was not formally assessed in this
evaluation. The methodology and outcomes of the evaluation are summarised below to ensure the
inclusion of all Round One funded projects and the completeness of this report. The information
summarised was provided in the project’s evaluation reports and planning documents.
Purpose of the evaluation
The KSCPC was introduced in South Australian state schools in 2006. It targeted all year levels and
focused on building teachers’ capacity to teach students to recognise abuse and respond to unsafe
situations. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of the KSCPC and to advise
FaHCISA on its transferability to other jurisdictions. In particular, the evaluation aimed to gauge the
effectiveness of teaching materials, the impact of the curriculum on teacher delivery and student
behaviour, and the opportunities to strengthen the project.
Evaluation methodology
DECS engaged independent consultants KPMG to conduct the evaluation and worked collaboratively
with them on all stages of the project. According to the final evaluation report, this collaborative
approach and DECS involvement enhanced the level of understanding of the education system and
ensured stakeholders’ engagement.
The evaluation was underpinned by a Participatory Performance Story Reporting (PPRS)
methodology, which includes stakeholders and experts in gathering data, validating findings and
formulating recommendations. The evaluation included five phases:
1. Scoping – to develop the evaluation approach and framework with key stakeholders. Included
development of an evaluation brief which was used to engage the independent evaluator
(KPMG);
2. Data trawling – to understand how the curriculum was being implemented in schools. Data
trawling involved implementation of a Site Implementation Rubric (SIR), a self-assessment of
the embeddedness of the KSCPC against a criteria-based rating system (a sample of SIRs
was moderated and validated);
3. Social inquiry – included stakeholder interviews (35) with school staff and association
representatives, and focus groups (16) with school staff, association representatives, parents
and students;
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4. Data analysis and integration – data was analysed and synthesised and presented in a
“results chart” which informed the outcomes panel and summit workshop and is presented in
the final report; and
5. Outcomes Panel and Summit Workshop – to engage stakeholders in the validation and
refining of evaluation findings, and in identifying implications and developing
recommendations.
Evaluation outcomes
The evaluation produced a 132-page final report describing the KSCPC initiative, the evaluation
methodology, 23 key findings and seven recommendations. Overall, the findings suggested that the
KSCPC was having a positive impact, was highly regarded by educators and could be transferred to
other jurisdictions. Some issues were also identified including the impact of ongoing training
requirements on schools, lack of clarity about the project among some schools and a lack of
accountability and monitoring frameworks.
Recommendations arising from the evaluation focused on embedding accountability, monitoring and
performance management processes and improving the availability of training and support resources.
The evaluation also highlighted the need to update the South Australian Department of Education,
Training and Employment (DETE) Child Protection Policy to clarify requirements regarding child
protection and mandated delivery of the KSCPC. Finally, the evaluation recommended advocating the
KSCPC nationally as best practice child protection education.
While the KPMG evaluation was not eligible for assessment against the NASASV Standards and
therefore was not formally assessed by the research team, it was deemed to be a comprehensive
evaluation that provided useful insight into the implementation of the curriculum and how it could be
improved. Its strengths included employing a highly consultative approach in which key stakeholders
and experts were involved in research design, gathering evidence, validating research findings and
formulating recommendations. The evaluation focused on assessing process-related facets of the
curriculum’s implementation and provided recommendations for enhancing curriculum delivery based
on these. The evaluation provided assessed some student outcomes based on post-program focus
groups with students, and data collection with teachers, parents and other school personnel. While
acknowledging the challenges outlined by the evaluation team regarding the measurement of student
outcomes (which included the fact that the evaluation was commissioned after the curriculum was
implemented, the lack of pre-implementation baseline data, and the presence of other school-based
programs with similar goals to the KSCPC), the evaluation may have been enhanced by a quantitative
assessment of student outcomes.
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8.2 National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and
Neglect (NAPCAN): LOVE BiTES
NAPCAN’s LOVE BiTES has been operational since 2004 and has since accessed over 35
communities in NSW, as well as initiating projects in Tasmania, Queensland and the Northern
Territory. A review of the LOVE BiTES program was undertaken due to their extensive experience in
project development and adaptation with the aim to identify key considerations that may inform best
practice for other projects in the field. The subsequent information has been collected during a semistructured interview with a nominated project representative and a review of project documentation.
The LOVE BiTES program is based on best practice standards for education programs as
recommended by the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearing House. LOVE BiTES was
developed to educate young people about respectful relationships and reduce the incidence of
relationship violence in the community.
NAPCAN has a strong focus on developing sustainable partnership projects with an emphasis on
community and client involvement. The model builds on the engagement of experts who have
knowledge around sexual violence and agree to come into schools and run the project within the
school environment. In addition, knowledgeable experts are approached for projects outside the
educational setting to reach at-risk populations that are currently not engaged in school. NAPCAN
also emphasises the importance of appropriate evaluation designs to monitor and ensure project
effectiveness and the implementation and funding of best practice models.
Although LOVE BiTES is a developed, ready-to-deliver project, it is also adaptive to ensure relevance
for the particular community and target group. NAPCAN identified the key considerations for
adaptation including accommodation for low literacy levels (the content and language of the project
may need to be adapted to avoid alienating any young people with limited literacy), and the use of
multiple sessions instead of a one full-day session. Content is also adapted to begin with discussion
about respectful relationships in general rather than delving straight into topics of abuse. NAPCAN is
currently working on a specific trauma framework for use in communities with high rates of family
violence.
In delivering the LOVE BiTES program, communities need to consider whether the project will be
delivered to mixed gender groups or separated gender groups. It is NAPCAN’s preference to present
to mixed-gender groups when this is culturally appropriate as it gives young men and women the
opportunity to have conversations about this topic in a safe and monitored environment that is unlikely
to happen otherwise.
In Indigenous communities it is likely to be more culturally appropriate to have Indigenous facilitators.
In addition, NAPCAN encourages schools to consider the gender of facilitators, e.g. when delivering
the project to mixed gender groups it can be beneficial to have both male and female facilitators
involved. Group size has been identified as an important factor and while NAPCAN proposes larger
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groups to allow for a more inclusive mixture of students the groups need to remain manageable. In
the example of school settings, NAPCAN recommends limiting the group size to 50 students per day
and dividing them into two groups of 25. Each group should have a teacher and two facilitators
available to deliver the project.
NAPCAN builds on training individual members of the community from a range of different
backgrounds to become project facilitators rather than bringing NAPCAN staff into the community to
deliver the project. This is seen as respectful of the community’s space and place and creates a
sense of ownership over the project within the community. There is also an emphasis on the project
being adaptive to ensure its relevance to the particular community setting and needs. For example,
NAPCAN works with communities to identify the prevalence of particular or pertinent myths around
family violence to ensure the project incorporates a community-specific approach to debunking such
myths.
A range of eclectic workers are recruited for the training from backgrounds such as women’s refuge
workers, sexual assault councillors, community health workers, Indigenous health workers, teaching
staff, police. NAPCAN reports that having a range of trained workers enhances the facilitation of the
program and makes it sustainable within a community as opposed to having just one service provider
trained, whose staff might move on and take their knowledge/experience with them. NAPCAN also
promotes partnership approaches within a community that involve sexual assault counsellors, youth
workers, rape crisis councillors, women’s refuge workers and culturally specific community
representatives. As such, the project is designed to be a community partnership approach. While one
service provider might drive the project, it is owned by the community as a whole. This not only
facilitates project and service delivery but further also strengthens ties between services and
facilitates collaboration across services and sectors. Some of these services may not have had much
involvement with each other prior to LOVE BiTES but are now in a position to develop effective and
sustainable working relationships through their mutual involvement in LOVE BiTES.
A major consideration is to ensure that the facilitators are facilitating the project in a respectful way
(i.e., modelling respectful relationships) and encourage free discussion. Participants need to feel as
though they can discuss topics and issues in a free and open way and that they will not be judged and
‘shut down’ for voicing particular views and opinions. The approach of facilitators needs to be one of
a curious observer approach to foster reflection and honest disclosure of views for self-examination.
NAPCAN presents the project in an informal environment. The facilitators are on a first name basis
and the students are not in school uniform; the students are treated like young adults rather than
children.
NAPCAN incorporate best practice standards and the theories of behaviour change into the training of
facilitators. They use a combination of the NASASV Standards and Michael Flood’s Victorian Health
Indicators to guide best practice. The theories of change they utilise centre on the theory of
community responsibility and an ecological framework. Due to some resistance to theoretical
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discussion by service providers, owing to feelings of irrelevance, presentation of this has been
adapted to be practical. The LOVE BiTES program has been developed through the consultation
process with young people during the development stage. Focus groups and free exchange of
feedback were used to assess young people’s perceptions around the project. For example, in focus
groups students were asked if they would like to have the project delivered by teachers and were very
clear that they did not want this information coming from teachers. Respondents preferred having
external people come in and deliver the project. The content of the project was also developed based
on indications from young people about what they would like to see included in such a project.
The importance of providing ongoing support and mentoring to facilitators for successful project
implementation and self-sustainment was identified. NAPCAN representatives quoted that if on-going
mentoring/support is not provided, success rates are approximately 5%, while ongoing mentoring and
support can lead to an estimated success rate of 95%. NAPCAN is currently developing advanced
training for facilitators who have completed the initial training and had some experience running the
project. In addition, a trainers’ website is being promoted where trainers can access info and support
and exchange information with each other. These are all methods to increase the longevity of the
project in communities and are recommended for the implementation of future education projects that
address respectful relationships, sexual violence and abuse.
NAPCAN have conducted an evaluation of the LOVE BiTES program content and relevance to the
target age group. In addition to using questionnaires, focus groups were conducted with project
participants to understand their perceptions of the program and how effective it had been for them. In
addition, NAPCAN has met with a range of community service providers about how comfortable they
felt about delivering the program content and how effective they expected the project to be in their
community. This further highlights the strong emphasis placed on a collaborative and inclusive
approach to educational projects that involves both consultation of service providers and project
participants to ensure the project content is perceived as useful and appropriate.
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8.3 Sexual Health Information Networking & Education SA:
Respectful Relationships education project
Sexual Health Information Networking SHine SA received funding to undertake a consultation process
and to develop a Respectful Relationships (RR) education project for three communities in the
Kimberley Region of Western Australia, namely Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Oombulgurri
communities. As a result of the community consultation process, a project was developed. The SHine
SA RR project was intended to target young Indigenous people, aged 13-16 years. The project plan
incorporated a focus on the particularly vulnerable group of young men in the relevant communities.
The project was developed to be implemented in schools, with the support of community groups,
teachers, Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers (AIEO’s), and parents. The project included a
strong focus on developing positive relationships between community Elders and young people and
was developed through direct community consultation.
The project content comprised pre-project training of teachers, AIEO’s, and other community leaders,
and post-project support for schools and community groups. The SHine project was designed as a
20-hour project, divided into ten sessions, of two hours each. The project included a student
workbook, specifically designed to aid in literacy, with supplementary materials, and an art project.
The proposal, consultation, development of project, and reporting of the project was conducted
between May-October, 2009. Consultation visits with the Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and
Oombulgurri communities were conducted, each spanning at least 1-2 days. Prior to community visits,
relationship building consultation and activities, (mainly via telecommunications) took place, as
culturally appropriate.
The Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Oombulgurri communities are diverse and complex community
settlements. The three communities are home to a separate 18 community-groups, and include 11
different languages. There are varying degrees of access to basic services and facilities, and varying
degrees of accessibility in and out of the community. All communities are very remote, have a high
Indigenous population, lack employment opportunities, have severe housing shortages, and are under
alcohol bans or restrictions. The communities have also all been subjected to a high level of media
attention and government inquiry, because of the high rates of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse,
domestic violence and child abuse. These characteristics of the communities, and their experience of
‘top-down’ inquiry and survey saturation, guided SHine SA in deciding to undertake a sensitive,
culturally appropriate and respectful consultation process to develop the RR project, within the
resources available to them.
The consultations were based on contact with the community schools. Face-to-face consultation took
place with school principals, teaching staff, AIEO’s, parents, students, and community agencies. The
consultations were structured around a series of trigger questions that were formulated on a
strengths-based approach. Each consultation was adapted as appropriate for the consultation group.
SHine SA found that all communities were acutely aware of a need for a RR project, however, it was
strongly expressed by community members that the RR project would have limited effect until the
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social determinants of health (particularly housing standards, overcrowding, poverty, employment and
hunger) were effectively addressed. At the end of the consultation period, the following
recommendations for the RR project were reported:
The Respectful Relationships project:
1. Is delivered in partnership with community;
2. Is adapted by each community to reflect local culture and beliefs;
3. Develops relationships between Aboriginal Elders and young people;
4. Is linked to literacy to meet Department of Education and Training requirements;
5. Supports culture and local ways but also is founded in ethical and protective behaviours;
6. Builds the capacity of AIEO’s or other community workers and teaching staff to deliver and
support a respectful relationships project; and
7. Includes a community capacity-building project to address issues of violence within the
community.
The consultation by SHine SA was perceived as highly successful, because people in the
communities were listened to, and a focus and respect for culture and relationships between the
community and providers was maintained. Participants in the consultation process expressed they felt
the consultation had been conducted in a way culturally appropriate for them. They felt that previous
projects, using a ‘top down’ approach, were not effective as they were reportedly perceived by
communities as a patriarchal approach that suppressed Indigenous voices and ignored cultural
knowledge.
Consultations with the communities facilitated the identification of barriers and challenges to
successful intervention implementation. Some of these barriers could be easily overcome, though, it
was cited as being important that communities were given the time and respect to express their needs
and were listened to, and to allow challenges and barriers to be identified prior to project
implementation. For example, language barriers were identified in the consultation process. As a
result of identifying this barrier, the project material was published in 11 different languages. After
extensive consultation, the project was fully developed for implementation in WA and key potential
leaders in each community were identified.
From the materials provided, the SHine SA RR project proposal appears to be consistent with the
NASASV Standards, particularly on Standards 3, 4, 5 and 6. The project was described as having
been developed in a sustainable way, to allow for long-term and structural level change in the
participating communities. Implementation of projects like the RR intervention/education project in
vulnerable communities requires culturally sensitive and appropriate consultation, development and
delivery to ensure the practices involved in the intervention are respectful. However, this approach,
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whilst most effective, requires substantial resource support, and cannot be conducted on a short-term
basis.
Given the emphasis of the NASASV Standards on culturally appropriate, sensitive practice, and
effective evaluation, including follow-ups, it is recommended that in future consultation projects,
resources are built into proposals and granted to allow for follow-up visits to the consulted
communities.
Statistics reported in the Final Report and interview on suicide rates, infant deaths, domestic violence
and child abuse prevalent in the consulted communities provide strong evidence for the
implementation of a sustainable, long-term, culturally appropriate, and community driven respectful
relationships projects that are able to address these issues and support some of Australia’s most
vulnerable young people and communities.
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9 References
Barger, E., Wacker, J. Macy R, & Parish, S. (2009). Sexual assault prevention for women with
intellectual disabilities: A critical review of the literature Intellectual and developmental
disabilities 47(4), 249-262
Berkowitz, A. (2001). Critical Elements of Sexual Assault Prevention and Risk Reduction Programs.
Chapter 3 in C. Kilmartin: Sexual Assault in Context: Teaching College Men About Gender.
Holmes Beach, FL: Learning Publications.
Carmody, M. (2003). ‘Sexual Ethics and the Erotics of Consent’, in Making Sense of Sexual Consent,
eds. Reynolds, P., Cowling, P. Ashgate: Aldershot, UK, pp 45-56.
Carmody, M., Evans, S., Krogh, C., Flood, M., Heenan, M., & Ovenden, G. (2009). Framing Best
Practice: National Standards for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Assault Through
Education, National Sexual Assault Prevention Education Project for NASASV. University of
Western Sydney, Australia.
Chalk, R., & King, P. A. (1998). Violence in Families: Assessing Prevention and Treatment Projects.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Cornelius, T., & Resseguie, N. (2007). Primary and secondary prevention projects for dating violence:
A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12, 364-375.
Ferrante, A., Morgan, F., Indermaur; D. & Harding, R. (1996). Measuring the Extent of Domestic
Violence. Hawkins Press: Sydney, Australia.
Flood, M. (2004). Changing Men: Best practice in violence prevention work with men. Home Truths
Conference: Stop sexual assault and domestic violence: A national challenge, Melbourne, 1517 September
Flood, M. (2008). Measures for the assessment of dimensions of violence against women: A
compendium. Accessed online http://www.svri.org/measures.pdf.
Grech K, & Burgess M. (2011). Trends and patterns in domestic violence assaults: 2001 to 2010.
Sydney: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Hollomotz, A. (2009). Beyond ’vulnerability’: An ecological model approach to conceptualizing risk of
sexual violence against people with learning difficulties. The British Journal of Social Work,
39(1), 99-112.
Hollomotz, A. (2011). Learning difficulties and sexual vulnerability: A social approach. London.
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Kingsley, J., & Hughes, C. (2008). The Social Norms Analysis Project: Results, Insights and Future
Priorities. Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies, Briefing Paper No. 7
(September).
Lamont, A. (2009). Evaluating Child Abuse and Neglect Intervention Projects. Australian Institute of
Family Studies. ISSN 1448-9112
Miller, P. (2010). Theories of Developmental Psychology. Worth Publishers.
Morrison, S., Hardison, J., Mathew, A., & O’Neil, J. (2004). An Evidence-Based Review of Sexual
Assault Preventive Intervention Programs. Washington D.C: National Institute Justice. U.S
Department of Justice.
Perry, B. (2006). Empowerment Evaluation, Getting to Outcomes, and Primary Sexual Violence
Prevention Programs. Moving Upstream: Virginia's Newsletter for the Primary Prevention of
Sexual Violence, 2(2).
Reiss, A.J., Roth, J.A., & Miczek, K.A. (1994). Understanding and Preventing Violence: Social
Influences. National Academies Press: Washington, D.C.
Roth, L. (2011). Indigenous disadvantage: can strengthening cultural attachment help to close the
gap? Closing the gap Culture Language Land Traditional: NSW Parliamentary Library
Research Service e-brief 13/2011.
Shakespeare, T (2006). Disability Rights and Wrongs. Abingdon: Routledge.
Sobsey, D. (1994). Violence and Abuse in the Lives of People with Disabilities: The End of Silent
Acceptance? Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Tutty, L., Bradshaw, C., Thurston, W. E., Barlow, A., Marshall, P., Tunstall, L., Dewar, M.E., ToyPries, D., Thomlinson, D., Este, D., Meadows, L., Josephson, W., Dobko, S., Proulx, J.,
Perrault, S., McDonald, M., &. Nixon, K. (2005). School Based Violence Prevention
Programs: Preventing Violence Against Children and Youth (Revised Ed.). Calgary: Resolve
Alberta.
UN Women, (2011). Good Practices in National Action Plans on Violence Against Women—
reference
sitehttp://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/egm/nap2010/MF_FINAL_FINAL_23_May.pdf
Vic health (2009). National Survey on Community Attitudes to Violence Against Women Survey 2009.
Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
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VicHealth. (2007). Preventing Violence Before It Occurs: A Framework and Background Paper to
Guide the Primary Prevention of Violence against Women in Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian
Health Promotion Foundation.
VicHealth. (2009). Respectful Relationships Education: Violence Prevention and Respectful
Relationships Education in Victorian Secondary Schools Department of Education and Early
Childhood Development.
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Appendix A: National Standards for Prevention of Sexual
Assault through Education
A.1
Introduction
A major component of the process evaluation is the comparison of guidelines outlined in the NASASV
Standards for Sexual Assault Prevention through Education with the aims and objectives of each
project funded under the Respectful Relationships scheme. These standards were informed by
research funded by the Federal Government in 2009 to develop national standards for sexual assault
prevention education projects. The resultant document – Framing Best Practice: National Standards
for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Assault through Education (Carmody et al, 2009) provided six
standards which are designed to be read and applied when developing projects, or when selected
projects for funding. The six NASASV Standards for Sexual Assault Prevention through Education
are:
1. Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design;
2. Demonstrating the use of a theory of change;
3. Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice;
4. Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery;
5. Using effective evaluation strategies; and
6. Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators.
A.2 Applying the NASASV Standards for Sexual Assault
Prevention
The following section details how each of the standards can be applied to projects funded under the
Respectful Relationships project and describe characteristics that are indicators of quality project.
1. Using coherent conceptual approaches to project design: the articulation of the theoretical
approach upon which the project is based, demonstrating a clear rationale and research evidence
relevant to the target population. Indicators of these approaches include:

A quality project would include a coherent articulation of one or more recognised
theoretical concepts relevant to the purposes of sexual, domestic and family violence
prevention.

Theoretical approaches will include an understanding of the gendered nature of society
and the over representation of men among perpetrators of sexual violence.

Theoretical approaches should support achievement of positive behaviours in
relationships, as well as responsibility for behaviour.
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2. Demonstrating the use of a theory of change: maximising consistency between project aims and
the attitude change, skills development, or behaviour change strategies used in projects. Indicators
include:

An understanding of the social, cultural and individual factors that may result in sexual,
domestic and family violence occurring.

Articulation of the project’s role in working towards primary prevention.

Articulation of the behaviour change theory models influencing the project and the
logical relationship with addressing the factors identified with the occurrence of sexual,
domestic and family violence.

Understanding of the differences between attitude change, skill and behaviour change
and their impact on achieving primary prevention.
3. Undertaking inclusive, relevant and culturally sensitive practice: ensuring the specific needs of
different and significant population groups are central to building primary prevention models and
projects. Indicators of these practices include:

Explicit discussion and description about the assumptions within a project which are
inherent at both surface and deep structure levels.

Development of an initial profile of the target group.

Consultation with mentors, community leaders or representatives from the population
group leading to a consideration of the specific content needs that are relevant to the
population group. This may lead to surface and/or deep structure changes.

Ensuring the specific needs of population groups are embedded in the theoretical
approach, theory of change, content and delivery, evaluation, and the training and
development of prevention projects and educators.

Development of distinct educational projects for ‘selective interventions’ with at-risk
groups.

Ensure evaluation methods specifically support collection of data about the degree to
which the specific project design met the needs of the target population group.
4. Undertaking comprehensive project development and delivery: developing projects based on best
practice research evidence from international and local literature, and practice knowledge. Indicators
of comprehensive project development and delivery include:

Education activities are linked to theory of change and key concepts.

Project activities are sufficiently diverse and engaging to achieve educational outcomes.

Decisions regarding duration and intensity of projects to be made explicit.
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
Decisions regarding target populations of projects are made explicit.

Rationale provided for decisions regarding settings of projects.

Mechanisms for addressing the needs of survivors of sexual, domestic and family
violence are provided in the project.

Rationale for decisions regarding gender of participants and facilitators is provided.

Discussion of how diversity is addressed by the project is provided.

Rationale for decisions regarding staffing of project (in addition to gender of facilitators)
is provided.

Understanding of context and engaging key people in the setting where a project will be
conducted, including building partnerships and consultation on local needs, is
demonstrated.

Rationale provided for the context of the project and how this may affect the project’s
delivery and effectiveness.

Perceived benefits or impacts of project adaptation are demonstrated.
5. Using effective evaluation strategies: the collection of adequate data that indicates the
effectiveness of a project in achieving its stated objectives, leads to recommendations for refinement
and/or future rollout, and gauges its impact on participants and contribution to primary prevention.
This is indicated by:

Articulation of clear and realistic processes and intended project outcomes to be
evaluated.

Demonstration of how evaluation is built into project design.

Discussion of evaluation approaches to be used and rationale for use is evident.

Ideally, both quantitative and qualitative methods should be used.

Provision of a strategy for long term evaluation follow-up, or which identifies barriers to
such a strategy, is documented.

Consideration of contextual matters that may influence evaluation outcome is
documented.

Identification of methods to be used to disseminate findings beyond reporting to funding
bodies is documented.
6. Supporting thorough training and professional development of educators: ensuring that sexual,
domestic and family violence prevention through education projects are delivered by well prepared
and supported professionals or peer educators. Indicators include:
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Projects need to identify how educators will be resourced with knowledge of sexual,
domestic and family violence including a gender analysis, knowledge and skills to
address survivors of sexual, domestic and family violence and how to access support
services, and knowledge of prevention education theories and practices.

Projects need to demonstrate how educators will access skills based training to prepare
educators to deliver prevention projects, where the facilitators do not already have these
skills.

Training provided to educators needs to include both education skills and moral/ethical
stance to work.

Projects using peer educators need to provide a rationale for their use, adequate
training and methods for ongoing support.

Projects need to demonstrate their rationale for choice of facilitator and the facilitator’s
qualifications and experience relevant to project delivery.

Projects delivered by teachers need to address their specific needs and articulate
methods to work in partnership with community-based violence prevention workers.

Projects need to demonstrate ongoing supervision of workers and attention to their
safety.

Projects need to encourage networking with other educators doing similar work or with
mentors.
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Appendix B: Catalogue of Documents Reviewed
Table 6 Catalogue of documents reviewed
ROUND 1
CASA House & Canberra Rape Crisis
Centre
CASA progress report
Summary of evaluation of CASA house
No means no show
CASA progress report 1- devel and planning
CASA house implementation plan
CASA house proposal
CASA funding agreement 300
Consent cover
24 month report
Final report
Appendix 1 project activity
Appendix 2 overall project evaluation
PR 2- report CASA house June 2010
PR 3- 18mnth report- SAPPSS Dec 2010
La Trobe University
Final funding agreement
Final report
Progress report 1
Progress report Dec 2010
Proposal
Progress report 2
Respectful Relationships project plan
Project manual
Overview of project
Consent cover
Evaluation report
Northern Territory Department of
Consent cover
Education & Training
Final letter of funding
Govt January 10 report
Govt August 09 progress report
Govt- FINAL Report June 2011
NT RR Proposal
NT Keeping Safe Update
Progress Report 2
Respectful Relationships proposal
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Variation of agreement
Trainer evaluation forms
Briefing proposal – DRAFT
Evaluation of DET’s
SA Government: Keeping Safe
Final funding agreement
Final report
Outcomes summit pdf
Progress report
Project plan
Proposal
SHine SA
Final report
Implementation and funding proposal
Consent
Letter of offer
Proposal
Variation of agreement
Evaluation contacts
University of NSW and NRL
Consent cover
Lumby RR report 08
NRL RR proposal
Final report
Final funding agreement
University of Western Sydney
Consent cover
Front page
Progress report 15 June
Progress report 30 Aug
Final report
Proposal
Letter of variation 2009
Funding agreement
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ROUND 2
AFL: Respect & Responsibility
Activity sites
Activity work plan 17.11.10
Activity work plan
Progress report 2011
Progress report 2010
Original application
Funding agreement
Consent
Progress report 10.12.11
Pocket brochure
Final report
Akeyulerre
Consent cover
Final report
Funding agreement
Original application
Risk tool
Performance report
Australian Red Cross
ARCS_FA_executed
Progress report Dec 2 2010
Activity work plan
Implementation plan
Control strategies
Australian Red Cross Society WA
Consent
Original application
Swinburne University: Respectful
Activity work plan July 2010
Relationships
Consent cover
Evaluation design layout
Final report
Funding agreement
Original application
Progress report Jan 2011
Variation
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Uniting Care Wesley: Respectful
Consent cover
Relationships Project
Final report
Funding agreement
Original application
Progress report dec 10
Variation letter
Wandiliya
Consent cover
Final report June 2011-09-20
Funding agreement
Risk tool
Performance report 1.12.10
Youth & Family Focus
Funding agreement
Progress report 10.12.10
Activity work plan
Original application
Consent cover
Final project report
Youth & Family Service Logan
Attachment C Facilitators guide
Consent cover
Original application
Evaluation report
Final report
Progress report 2010
Attachment D Student Information Book
Correspondence with FaHCSIA
Marden facilitators guide
Progress report 31 May
Memorandums of understanding
Session 1 to 10 (9 documents in total)
Group session plan session 1
Letter to facilitators (4 pages doc)
Youth and family service Logan city xls
Control strategies
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Appendix C: Consent form for interview
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Appendix D: Semi-structured questionnaire
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Appendix D: Semi-structured questionnaire
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