School of Social and Political Science

Description

What is the Speak Out, Stay Safe Programme?

How does society support children who may be experiencing abuse or neglect to ask for help? This is the challenge the NSPCC is seeking to address through going into primary schools and educating children about different forms of harm.

Issues are discussed such as bullying, physical and sexual abuse, domestic abuse and neglect, and children are helped to develop the confidence and skills to ask a trusted adult for help.

To date the NSPCC work with 8,000 schools across the UK to deliver the Speak Out, Stay Safe programme.

Evaluation of Speak out, Stay Safe

Researchers in the School of Social and Political Science are part of the UK-wide evaluation of Speak Out, Stay Safe.

The study involves:

• an analysis of the way the programme is delivered to children
• an evaluation of whether children’s knowledge about different forms of child harm increases as a result of the programme
• an assessment of the likely increase in helping seeking behaviour by children
• an economic evaluation of the costs and benefits of the programme

The study involves comparing children’s knowledge and behaviour in schools that use Stay Out, Stay Safe, with children in similar schools that do not receive the Speak Out, Stay Safe input.

The study is currently gathering data from more than 4,000 children in 90 primary schools across the UK, and the initial results were expected in late 2020.

Dates

2018 - ongoing