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Publication - Research and analysis

What works to prevent youth violence: key findings

Published
11 February 2021
From
Chief Social Researcher
Directorate
Safer Communities Directorate, +1 more … Justice Directorate
Topic
Law and order, Public safety and emergencies
ISBN
9781800046382

Summarises the findings from the What Works to Prevent Youth Violence report.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Information about interventions

Effective Evidence that the intervention is associated with a positive impact on preventing violence, based on a moderate or strong evidence base.
Type of Intervention Evidence of effectiveness in preventing violence Moderating factors[1] (where available)
Bullying prevention programmes Effective: A number of evaluations have found that school-based bullying prevention programmes are effective in reducing both bullying perpetration and victimisation (e.g. Olweus & KiVa) Potential facilitators:
  • Well-planned
  • Intensive/longer duration
  • Based on theories of bullying perpetration and victimisation as well as bystander behaviour
  • Whole school approach (involving staff, students, parents, and the community)
  • Multiple delivery modes
  • Trained facilitators
  • Culturally sensitive
  • Age-tailored
Potential barriers:
  • Resistance/ scepticism on the part of administrator and staff around theproblem of bullying
  • Lack of readiness of school staff to implement and sustain a comprehensive effort
  • Implementation fidelity
  • Unexpected changes that burden the school staff
Social, emotional, and life skills development Effective: There is evidence to suggest that programmes that seek to develop young people's social, emotional and life skills can have a positive impact on a range of violence related outcomes (e.g. PATHS) Potential facilitators:
  • Implementation fidelity[2]
  • Incorporates the teaching of cognitive, affective, and behavioural skills
  • Competence enhancement and empowerment approaches
  • Interactive teaching methods
  • Well-defined goals
  • Provision of clear teacher guidelines
Promising Findings were positive but not to the extent that they constituted evidence that an intervention was 'effective'.
Dating violence prevention programmes Promising: There is promising evidence that school-based programmes which seek to prevent violence in dating and intimate partner relationships[3] (through developing life skills, improving knowledge of abuse, and challenging social norms and gender stereotypes that increase the risk of violence) are effective. Potential facilitators:
  • Content underpinned by evidence-based theory and appropriately tailored to the target audience
  • Multiple sessions over time, that aim to change attitudes and norms rather than simply provide information
  • Should be incorporated into school policies
  • For men, programmes delivered in mixed male and female groups are more effective than those presented in all-male groups
Pre-school academic enrichment Promising: There is promising evidence that programmes that set out to provide good quality early education are effective. Potential facilitators:
  • Parental interventions integral part of the programmes
  • Administered to at-risk children and families (although care should be taken to avoid stigmatization of such groups)
  • Combining group and individual work
Parenting training/education Promising: There is promising evidence that interventions, which aim to develop parenting skills and strengthen the relationship between parent and child may have positive effects on perpetration of youth violence. Potential facilitators:
  • Opportunities for parents to practice new skills
  • Teaching principles of positive parenting, rather than specific prescribed techniques
  • Teaching strategies to handle child's behaviour in a positive and age appropriate way
  • Accounting for potential difficulties in relationships between adults in the family
Mentoring Promising: There is promising evidence that Universal and Targeted[4] mentoring programmes are effective Potential facilitators:
  • Emotional support as part of provision
  • Meet at least once a week
  • Mentoring takes place over a prolonged period
  • Part of wider suite of interventions
  • Programme well-run with effective training and support for mentors and careful monitoring of contact
Potential barriers:
  • Unstructured mentoring
  • Unmotivated or otherwise unsuitable mentors
Community coalitions Promising: There is promising evidence that community coalitions which use local data to understand problems, inform preventative action, and encourage community partnerships are effective. There is currently insufficient evidence to form reliable conclusions on facilitators and barriers relevant to community coalitions.
Mixed Studies with contrasting results and/or body of evidence
Early childhood visitation Mixed: There is mixed evidence that home visitation programmes are effective. Research is lacking within a UK setting. The literature does not yet highlight any potential moderators for this intervention.
Out-of-school activities Mixed: There is mixed evidence that out-of-school activities such as after school provision and activities that are provided separately from education are effective. Evaluation of programmes taking this approach is limited. Potential facilitators: Not clear whether particular activities are more effective than others but whatever the specific activities, programmes should be:
  • Comprehensive
  • Age/development appropriate
  • Long term
  • Should attract, retain, and build good relationships with young people who are at risk
Potential barriers:
  • Unstructured activities
  • Peer contagion[5]
  • Programme costs
  • Lack of reach and awareness within communities at particular risk of violence can reduce the participation of young people who more likely to become involved in violence
Ineffective and potentially harmful effects Evidence that the intervention is associated with worse violence outcomes
Deterrence and fear-based approaches Ineffective and potentially harmful effects: Programmes using fear-based approaches are not effective, and may be associated with an increased risk of offending. Their implementation should be avoided.  
Inconclusive Insufficient evidence to make a judgement on impact.
Programmes that seek to reduce gang involvement Inconclusive:Due to a limited body of research it is not yet possible to draw reliable conclusions on the effectiveness of these interventions.

This evidence summary was undertaken by Dr Kirsten Russell of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. Access to the full What Works to Prevent Youth Violence: A Summary of the Evidence report here.

Contact: Kirsten.Russell@scotland.pnn.police.uk

Contact

Email: frances.warren@gov.scot

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