ACC’s school-based healthy
relationships pilot programme
November 2014
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Overview
• Mates & Dates is one of the first initiatives out of ACC’s new
sexual violence primary prevention programme
• ACC already plays a key role supporting people who have
experienced sexual abuse or assault…primary prevention is
a new area of focus in Injury Prevention
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Why we developed
Mates & Dates
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Why we developed Mates & Dates
• 15 – 24 year olds are most at risk from violence from current
and ex partners
• 1 in 5 female and 1 in 10 male secondary students
experience unwanted sexual contact /unwanted sexual acts
• Most (57%) tell no-one
• 50% of women will be re-victimised
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There is currently no:
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multi-year healthy relationships programme for all years 9-13
fully aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum
available to all secondary schools
aligned with best practice.
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ACC wanted to address those gaps
We also wanted to see a whole school approach integrated
into:
• curriculum, teaching and learning
• school policy, practices, culture and environment.
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What we wanted from the
programme
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We wanted a programme:
• informed by evidence on risk factors and protective factors
• focused on changing behaviour, not raising awareness
• centred on teaching negotiation, consent, respect and nonviolence skills.
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We wanted a programme:
• with quality content addressing antecedents to violence
• interactive and participatory teaching methods
• matching stages of change and developmental needs.
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We wanted a programme:
• to teach strengths-based skills to change attitudes and
behaviour
• to respond appropriately to disclosures
• with sufficient ‘dosage’ to produce change
• taught by well-trained and supported specialist facilitators.
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We wanted a programme:
• that was relevant, inclusive and culturally-sensitive
• informed by knowledge of target group and local contexts
• to help to prevent sexual and dating violence.
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We wanted to be able to
demonstrate:
• attitude and behaviour change over the long-term
• what young people are doing differently, rather than what they
know, as a result of attending Mates & Dates classes.
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If aligned with best practice, research shows
that working with young people is one of most
effective ways of preventing sexual and dating
violence
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Who’s been involved?
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Who’s been involved?
• Specialist programme developer Georgia Knowles led a
review of existing programmes and helped to develop
content
• We held focus groups with young people, parents, teachers
and other professionals who work with young people
• We consulted with education sector agencies
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We drew on evidence-based
programmes
• CASA House Sexual Assault Prevention Programme for
Secondary Schools (AU)
• The Sex & Ethics Program (NZ)
• Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower Trust NZ
• Gender, Sexism and Social Activism: A Youth Workshop
That’s not cool (USA)
• A Thin Line (USA)
• Cybersmart (AU)
• Who Are You? (NZ)
• This is Abuse (UK)
• Rape Crisis & Family Planning programmes
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What the focus groups
told us
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What young people told us
“I got most
of the info
from my
older
sisters.”
“It’s important
to talk about
pornography.”
“ACC gives it
credibility,
more likely my
parents will
consent.”
“They try
to tame it
down but
kids need
real info.”
“They just
showed a
creepy old
video.”
“We need
life skills,
how to
identify what
is good.”
“It’s like
immunisation. If
some kids don’t
get it, it fucks it
up for the rest of
us.”
“Someone we
can relate to.”
“It’s awkward to
go from sex-ed
to maths with
the same
teacher.”
“Communication
skills – things
are often
misinterpreted.”
“They try to
tame it down
but kids
need real
info.”
“What’s
consent?”
“They tried to
make it jokey but
then it was too
awkward to ask
questions.”
“It has to be
more than 1 or
2 sessions. It
should be in
every year”
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What parents told us
“Boys send dick
pix to girls, and
girls save them
to use as
blackmail.”
“How to
respond if they
see something
wrong…”
“To have the
confidence
not to
participate…”
“I just wish it
could be
compulsory.”
“Their
expectations
are set by
things that are
not real life.”
“Most teachers
are not good at
this. I would want
my son to say it
was awesome.”
“It needs to
be in their
language.
Teachers can
talk in that
way.”
“How to identify
when they are
being
manipulated.”
“Consequences
– they don’t
think things
through – like
snap chat.”
“Give them
context, show
them porn is not
real, that people
don’t actually
have sex like
that…”
“Kids have a
new normal
driven by
social
media.”
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What teachers and other professionals
told us
“Our kids are
“If you don’t have
curriculum
alignment
schools will find
it hard to fit in…”
seeing a lot of
dysfunctional
relationships…”
“(Include) how to
end a relationship.
Breakdown of
relationship seems
to trigger the worst
fall out and increase
suicide risk…”
“There are
such big gaps
that our kids
are learning
about sex from
porn…”
“Health
Curriculum is
not strong
enough to
give the skills
they need…”
“Boys and girls are
feeling pressured to do
the things they see (in
porn) and its never talked
about so they never
know it’s not real…”
“(Teach them) to
report things. There
is a view around here
that ‘I was pissed
and cant really
remember so it
doesn’t matter’ …”
“Kids are talking to
strangers online
because they are
lonely and sad…”
“We need access
to consistent
materials. It’s
important that the
teacher,
counsellor and
nurse are saying
the same things”
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We also worked alongside
an Advisory Group
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Introducing
- the
programme
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Mates & Dates will help to prevent sexual and
dating violence by teaching young people
healthy relationship skills and behaviours they
can carry on throughout their lives
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Whole School Approach
• Health and Physical Education learning area and NZ
Curriculum key competencies
• Learning objectives and assessment options
• ‘Whole school approach’ with policies, guidelines, checklists
and cultural safety specific to the school
• Includes information to support parents
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It teaches young people:
• how to have healthy relationships – from friendships to
whānau to dating
• what consent is – how to seek it and give it
• how to recognise pressure, coercion and inappropriate
behaviour
• how to get help, and how and when to safety intervene in
situations that could lead to harm.
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Mates & Dates is:
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multi-year across all years 9-13
developmentally and age appropriate
intended to build strengths-based skills year on year
five sessions over five weeks (best practice dosage)
a mix of interactive activities – not lectures
taught by specialist facilitators, trained by ACC, with teachers
present.
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Five content themes
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Healthy relationships
Skills and consent
Identity, gender and sexuality
When things go wrong
Keeping safe together
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The pilot
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The pilot
• Piloted in eight secondary schools around the country in
Term 3
• Mix of different school types, locations and demographics
• Now being evaluated by Lighthouse Consulting
• Results due in December
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How will we know if it worked?
• Process evaluation (interviews, observation, focus groups)
will show if the programme structure worked for young
people, facilitators, schools and parents
• Impact evaluation (pre and post programme survey) will
show if the programme changed attitudes and behavioural
intent
• Case studies will identify critical success factors
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Next steps
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It’s a challenging time for young people to be
growing into adulthood…we hope Mates &
Dates will give them the skills and tools they
need to make that transition safely and to
become happy, healthy individuals
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Questions?
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