Scottish Government

SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE CENTRAL RESEARCH UNIT

Crime and Criminal Justice Research Findings No. 59

Evaluation of the Zero Tolerance "Respect" Pilot Project

Sheila Henderson, Reid-Howie Associates

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Main Findings

• There is a clear need for primary prevention work in Scotland to address violence against women. All members of the Steering Group, all staff and almost all of the young people believed that there was a need for this work, a view supported by other evidence. Over 90% of respondents of all types believed that this should continue.
• Overall, almost all of those involved believed that this was a successful pilot project, and the findings suggested that it generated discussion of issues which had not been examined systematically with young people in the past.
• There was a high level of enthusiasm for the project prior to implementation, with around 90% of young people (in all settings) looking forward to it.
• The general views of the training provided to staff were positive. 97% of the staff believed that the training was "good" or "OK".
• The project also seemed to be largely enjoyable, and 91% of older participants interviewed and 69% of those responding to the self-completion questionnaires enjoyed taking part, as did 91% of primary pupils. The highest proportion of young people found the project to be better than they expected and only 19% were able to identify any sessions which they did not enjoy.
• The majority of children and young people believed that they had learned more about respect, communication, equality, power and violence and abuse. The materials were seen to have helped to promote skills for healthy relationships based on equality and respect, to support equality and to challenge gender stereotypes, provide information about violence and abuse and to promote social responsibility.
• The experiences of implementation suggested that the project developed materials which, with some amendments, were considered usable and appropriate in schools and youth work settings in Scotland.

Introduction

A study by the Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust, published in 1998, explored the views of over 2000 young people aged 14-21 in Glasgow, Manchester and Fife in relation to their attitudes towards violence against women, sex and relationships, and pointed to the "widespread acceptance of forced sex and physical violence".

In the light of these findings, the study stressed the importance of carrying out specific preventive work with young people and providing them with the opportunity to discuss such issues.

At the end of the summer in 2000, funding was provided by the Scottish Executive to develop a "Respect" pilot project. During the early part of 2001, two secondary schools, two primary schools and seven youth groups in Edinburgh and Glasgow carried out primary prevention work with children and young people relating to violence against women. The main content of the package comprised teaching materials for 7-8 sessions in each setting, but the project also included the use of a CD Rom, bus sides, posters and a screensaver, all of which promoted the messages of equality and respect.

Methodology

An evaluation was carried out during, and immediately following implementation of the project. This involved consideration of the overall impact of the project and the implementation process.

The aims of the evaluation were to explore the objectives of the package, to consider views of its implementation and to consider the effectiveness of the package in relation to the broad aim of raising awareness of all aspects of male violence against women and girls.

The evaluation used a range of methods, including the examination of the materials; observation; interviews with those involved before and after the project; session reports; the completion of a written questionnaire before and after the project by all of the young people involved and a number of group discussions.

The need for preventive work

The evaluation identified a high level of commitment to, and enthusiasm for this work. A total of 95% of older participants and 90% of younger participants stated that the project was a good idea, and all members of the Steering Group, all staff and almost all of the young people believed that there was a need for this work. This was borne out by research findings of previous studies.

The views expressed by some young people prior to participation also demonstrated the need for the work. In primary schools, for example, almost a third of the children believed that it was OK to "treat other people badly if they treat you badly first", and there was also evidence of gender stereotyping. More than 1 in 7 boys thought that it was fun to "make fun of people."

Amongst older participants, there was also evidence of gender stereotyping, as well as evidence of inappropriate views of violence against women. Three quarters (74%) agreed, or sometimes agreed, that "girls can provoke violence and abuse because of how they dress or behave", around a third (37%) did not always agree that "men are violent to women much more than women are violent to men" and over half did not always agree that "there is never an excuse for men to be violent to women". Only 56% agreed that "when young women say no to sex, it always means no".

Training

The staff who delivered the initiative received training from Zero Tolerance, and the general views of the training provided to staff were positive. Positive aspects of the training were identified as the opportunity to discuss the issues prior to the project and to consider how they might deal with the provision of information and issues arising for young people. The training helped to clarify the objectives of the project and highlighted areas of difficulty.

It was found, however, that relatively high proportions of staff did not believe that the training had improved their understanding of the concepts of respect (46%), discrimination (59%), gender issues (49%) and power (51%), and they often felt that they already understood these issues. Concerns were also highlighted in terms of the number of staff who felt that the training had not explained the materials, the number who felt that it had not explained the anticipated outcomes and the number who felt that they had not had the opportunity to identify concerns and ways of overcoming these.

Some staff attitudes of concern were also identified. 19%, for example, expressed the view that the project was "anti-male" (indicating a fundamental lack of understanding of the approach). Some of the staff views of violence and abuse were also of concern, and more than a fifth (22%) believed, at least sometimes, that "girls and women can provoke violence and abuse because of how they dress or behave". Two thirds believed that (at least sometimes), alcohol or stress can "make men violent" and around one in six disagreed (at least sometimes) that "when women say no to sex it always means no". Whether these views had an impact upon delivery is impossible to measure, but they pointed clearly to problems with staff attitudes to some of the issues.

Overall views

The majority of views of implementation of the project were positive, with a view that the materials were of a high quality and generally worked well, achieving their objectives.

The majority of young people suggested that the project had increased their knowledge of sources of help, and there was an overall perception of improved understanding. The posters and bus sides were seen to be a powerful way of raising awareness and the CD was a useful supplement to the other materials (although it could not, unfortunately, be used in Roman Catholic schools). All of the Steering Group members and 94% of the staff were happy with the materials, although it was noted that there were some problems in schools in gathering additional materials required for sessions.

Materials/Sessions

The material comprised practical sessions and discussions and the practical sessions worked particularly well. One session which involved poster making with materials of varying quality ("It's Not Fair") was very successful, as was the use of a graffiti wall with older participants and co-operative jigsaws with younger pupils. Variations were used by a number of staff and generally worked well, demonstrating the flexibility of the project. There were more mixed views of the use of brainstorming and role play, but the sessions were described as having generated substantial discussion of a wide range of issues relating to equality and power. A small number of problems with individual sessions were highlighted and suggestions made.

It was considered appropriate that this project was delivered by experienced guidance staff, youth workers and primary school teachers, given the nature of the subject matter, although there were also positive experiences of involving others (e.g. students and an Education Resource Worker). All of the staff were happy with those who had delivered the project in their own organisation, and 96% of the primary pupils and all of the young people in the secondary schools and youth groups were happy to talk with the member of staff who took their group.

Practical issues

The pilot also allowed the identification of practical issues, such as the effectiveness of group composition and venues. The project worked with groups of friends and other groups, and 93% of young people overall were happy with the combination in their group whether or not it was a friendship group. It was found that mixed groups were successful, with some problems identified with male-only groups. The primary material was found to be suitable for P6 and P7, and the material for older pupils was suitable for both S3 and S4 (and older) although there were some concerns in relation to its use with younger people. The material also worked with groups of varying sizes and larger groups often split into smaller groups for specific sessions. There were some concerns with the length of some of the sessions, with staff often running out of time to deliver them, and with the timing of the project in the school year (as it coincided with exams and career choices). There were also some issues with the venue, but the staff worked with the resources available to them, and there were no settings in which the material was considered inappropriate.

The project raised personal issues for some pupils and staff, and support was provided through the mechanisms which existed in the various settings. Staff provided support to each other, as well as to young people, but it was found that only the youth groups made arrangements for regular discussion amongst the staff. A total of 38% of staff stated that they would have appreciated additional support during the implementation of the project.

Impact

Participants believed that the project had an impact on those involved, including both staff and young people, and identified a range of benefits of participating. 85% of staff believed that this was a successful project and the benefits identified for the staff included increasing their skills, providing them with additional knowledge and providing the opportunity to consider these issues. Young people identified the benefits to them as including raising awareness of the issues, encouraging them to treat each other properly and beginning to work to prevent violence and abuse. Both staff and young people believed that there had been changes in many of the young people as a result of the work (even though these may not always be measurable). 78% of primary school pupils and almost half of the older participants believed that they had changed personally as a result of their participation in the project.

A high proportion of staff and young people believed that the project had achieved each of the original aims which were identified and a number of additional learning outcomes were identified. More than 80% of young people believed that they had learned more about respect for each other. Around three quarters overall believed that they had learned more about communication, and more than three quarters that they had learned more about equality and about power. Around 80% of all of the older participants believed that they had learned more about violence and abuse.

Despite these positive views of the outcomes, however, the exploration of the views of young people after the project indicated that there were still some issues for which there remained a continuing need for work, particularly in areas such as gender stereotyping, some forms of harassment and perceptions of violence against women. The limitations of an eight week project indicated the need for this work to continue. A large majority of all types of participants believed that the project should form part of an overall strategy to address violence against women in Scotland.

Conclusion

The overall conclusion of the evaluation was the need for primary prevention work to continue, within a consistent national framework. The recommendations reflect these findings, with the main recommendation that this should be undertaken with young people across Scotland as part of the approach to tackling violence against women. The material produced by Zero Tolerance has clearly been useful and usable, and participants reported positive experiences of its implementation. Staff have made a number of suggestions about the further development of the material, as well as about issues relating to the practical implementation of the sessions. The views of young people and staff have also identified areas upon which there should be a particular focus. These findings will help to develop the project further, but the basis of a feasible resource for use with young people appears to have been developed.