Evaluating harm-reduction initiatives in a night-time economy and music festival context

Abstract

Pubs, clubs, and music festivals are places characterised by increased alcohol consumption. Drinkaware, a UK alcohol awareness charity, delivered two crime-prevention initiatives designed to reduce alcohol-related harm among young adults: the "Drinkaware Crew" initiative implemented at night-time-economy (NTE) venues, and more recently, the Drinkaware "Festival Crew". This paper uses mixed methods to present (a) an outcome evaluation of the societal impact of the "Drinkaware Crew" initiative using routinely collected data; and (b) a process evaluation examining the transferability of the "Drinkaware Crew" initiative to a music festivalcontext. Findings indicate that the Drinkaware Crew occupy a unique gap in existing NTE and festival infrastructures, however, a number of improvements to the data available are recommended to ensure that such initiatives are thoroughly evidence-based.

Preventing Sexual Harm in Nightlife Settings: A Scoping Review

“…Patron intervention i. Graham et al ( 2014 ); Hill and Megson ( 2020 ); Powers and Leili ( 2018 ); Quigg et al ( 2021 ); Quigg et al ( 2022 ) ii. Graham et al ( 2014 ); Ham et al ( 2019 ); Ham et al ( 2022 ) Awareness-Raising Campaigns Exploring the effectiveness of educational/awareness campaigns which aim to reduce or prevent nightlife-related sexual harm Carline et al ( 2018 ); Gunby et al ( 2017 ); Wood and Shukla ( 2017 ) Implementation of Trained Care Worker Teams Exploring the effectiveness of groups who are trained to provide practical support to patrons at risk of sexual harm within venues Garius et al ( 2020 ) General Discussion Articles that contained a broad discussion of an intervention. Topics included awareness and safety advice campaigns a , bystander strategies b , education c , venue staff/security d , mutual partnerships e , environmental interventions f , policy g. and barriers and facilitators of prevention h Anitha et al ( 2021 ) bd ; Brooks ( 2011 ) ab ; Duncan et al ( 2022 ) g ; Fileborn ( 2016 ) bcg ; Forsyth ( 2009 ) f ; García-Carpintero et al ( 2022 ) bd ; Gómez et al ( 2022 ) b ; Green ( 2022 ) d ; Graham et al ( 2017 ) b ; Gunby et al ( 2020 ) b ; Hill et al ( 2020 ) a ; Hill and Megson ( 2020 ) h ; Kavanaugh and Anderson ( 2009 ) bd ; Leone et al ( 2022 ) b ; Levine ( …”

“…They also utilized a “male guardian” who could pretend to be their boyfriend to deter harassment from other males. Participants also reported getting venue security involved in incidents Garius et al ( 2020 ) England and Wales Quantitative Exploratory analysis of police recorded crime data Evaluation Implementation of Trained Care Worker Teams Sexual Crimes Evaluating the “Drinkaware Crew” (workers provide practical support to patrons at risk of sexual harm in venues). Compared incidents of violent/sexual crime before and after the intervention was implemented in test venues in 2 cities In City A results were inconclusive.…”

“…One study utilized police recorded crime data to evaluate the effectiveness of a care worker group in the UK who were trained to protect the welfare of nightlife patrons and provide practical support to potential victims of sexual harm (“Drinkaware Crew”; Garius et al, 2020 ). The intervention did not significantly reduce police-reported sexual crimes following its implementation.…”