Child Safety Matters: Randomized Control Trial of a School-Based, Child Victimization Prevention Curriculum

Abstract

Recognizing the potential of classrooms as a context for identifying and addressing child victimization, several U.S. states now mandate the inclusion of child abuse prevention in school curricula. There are, however, a limited number of evidence-based and developmentally appropriate curricula designed for elementary. This study utilized a randomized control trial (RCT) design to evaluate the knowledge acquisition of children who received the Monique Burr Foundation’s Child Safety Matters curriculum, a program designed to educate kindergarten to Grade 5 children about bullying, cyberbullying, four types of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect), and digital dangers. Participants included 1,176 students from 72 classrooms in 12 Florida schools across eight counties. Schools were matched in pairs and randomly assigned to receive the program or be in a wait-list control. Knowledge was assessed with a questionnaire administered prior to the curriculum (T1) as well as approximately 3 weeks (T2) and approximately 7 months (T3) after implementation. Analyses were conducted with class means examining grade, treatment condition, and time. The interaction of treatment and time was significant, F(2, 90) = 17.024, p < .000. Children who received the curriculum increased their knowledge about potentially risky situations, and this knowledge was sustained over 7 months to the follow-up assessment. Children in the control schools did not have similar gains. The current classroom-based child maltreatment prevention education is a promising strategy to address children’s vulnerability to abuse and its consequences.

School‐based abuse prevention programming: Implementation of child safety matters with minority youth

“…The study findings show small gains in knowledge from pre-to post-testing across all grades and both genders, though with ceiling effects in pre-test scores. These results are consistent with Bright et al (2020) and Jones and Ah Jung (2015) who also found gains in knowledge from pre-to post-testing with the CSM program but with different populations of students. However, both of those studies used researcher-created measures, while the assessment of child knowledge in the current study was part of the CSM curriculum.…”

“…In the only published randomised control trial (RCT) of the CSM program, Bright et al (2020) implemented the CSM program in the state of Florida with 1176 students from 72 classrooms. Schools were matched in pairs and randomly assigned to either receive the program or be in a wait‐list control.…”

Forças que interferem no enfrentamento da violência infantil pela escola

“…Divergindo das condutas e posturas assumidas pelos professores que participaram dessa pesquisa, estudos apontam a escola como cenário propício para implementar forças que impulsionam a proteção à criança em risco ou situação de violência (Bright, et al, 2020;Del Campo & Fávero, 2020;Cordeiro, et al, 2019), e os professores como atores sociais importantes para o adequado funcionamento da rede (Macedo, et al, 2019;Wilkinson, et al, 2019).…”

“…A literatura indica como estratégias capazes de promover a prevenção da violência contra a criança: implementar atividades educativas que abordem a temática (Bright, et al, 2020;Segura & González, 2020); assumir o papel na rede, especialmente considerando a relevância da escola como cenário para a identificação e notificação da violência, haja vista que, depois da família, ela torna-se o segundo espaço social em que a criança permanece maior parte de seu tempo (Ferreira, Côrtes & Gontijo, 2019;Elsen, et al, 2011); integrar-se à rede, tornando explícitas as relações com os órgãos de defesa das crianças (Elsen, et al, 2011); promover ambientes em que as crianças possam se expressar (World Health Organization, 2019; Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância, 2019); e envolver os pais e comunidade em atividades de prevenção da violência; treinamento para conhecerem os tipos mais comuns de violência, como identificar, fatores de risco e estratégias para seu enfrentamento, incluindo denúncia e acompanhamento dos casos junto a outras unidades de proteção (World Health Organization, 2019).…”

“…Vislumbrado a escola como cenário potencial para a prevenção da violência contra a criança (Bright, et al, 2020;Wilkinson, et al, 2019), essa pesquisa objetivou identificar forças que interferem no enfrentamento da violência infantil pela escola. Acredita-se que dar visibilidade aos fatores que restringem e impulsionam o enfrentamento da violência pode colaborar para estratégias capazes, efetivamente, de interromper o clico da violência contra a criança e tornar a escola protagonista nesse processo.…”