An Evaluation of the VIP Program (2007-2008 - BC Society of ...

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social, emotional, physical and cognitive 7 . By providing the necessary supports and addressing the negative impact of domestic violence children have a greater likelihood of experiencing success in their academic pursuits (Pepler, Catallo & Moore, 2000). We can build children and youth up in several areas of their lives by examining and effectively addressing the culture of violence in which some of our most vulnerable society members must live. Maximizing Expertise Schools are feeling increasing pressure to address the social side of learning, some of which falls out of the realm of educator expertise (e.g., child abuse, mental health issues and domestic violence). The complexity of these areas leads teachers to avoid certain topics due their limited knowledge and fear that they may cause more harm than help. To effectively address issues impacting the mental health of children, Tobler (2000) found that individuals who are in the mental health field are better at implementing such primary prevention programs than school-based staff. In the case of violence, appropriately trained counselors understand the complexity that violence has in the lives of children and youth. Although in B.C. schools we have counselors with a range of expertise, children’s needs are unable to be adequately addressed by these professionals due to their limited time and large caseloads. By partnering with experts in the field, schools can address both the existing problems that some of their students face in regards to domestic violence and work toward providing a foundation of support in order that prevention work can be embedded in the curriculum for all students. Such school-community partnerships are increasingly becoming a powerful resource in that these “new relationships” link unconnected areas of the community and this shared response allows needs to be met for children and youth (Education Foundation, 2001). The V.I.P. Project: Design Overview The V.I.P. program is a comprehensive provincial strategy for connecting schools to the CWWA programs across B.C. BCYSTH offers central coordination of the VIP initiative including: Resource development Development and delivery of VIP training for CWWA counsellors On-going support and guidance to CWWA counsellors and their member agencies Province-wide awareness-raising, sustainability planning and advocacy Support for Aboriginal, multicultural and other identified communities Community development strategies and supports 7 In B.C., the Ministry of Education acknowledges the importance of the whole child with the inclusion of the Social Responsibility requirements that schools must implement to support child and youth development. To learn more, visit: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/perf_stands/social_resp.htm An Evaluation of the VIP Project 12
For the purposes of this evaluation, the impact of three key activity areas were considered: 1. Awareness Presentations: The aim of these presentations is to educate educators, parents and other adults (e.g., foster parents, public health nurses, child care providers, and others who have a stake in the healthy development of our children) about children’s exposure to domestic violence. 2. Violence Prevention Presentations: These presentations are designed for classrooms (Kindergarten to grade twelve) so that children and youth can learn about domestic violence. In addition to learning about domestic violence, these presentations also include topics such as unhealthy vs. healthy relationships, communication skills, and self-esteem. 3. Group Interventions: For children and youth who have been exposed to domestic violence, multi-week psycho-educational groups are held for students in the school setting so that they may have the support needed to cope with the impact that domestic violence has had on their lives. In early 2007, prior to the commencement of the V.I.P program, CWWA counselors from each of 20 communities attended a four-day training session to be trained in the V.I.P school-based model. It is important to note that prior to the V.I.P. training session, all the counselors had a significant amount of experience working directly with children who had been exposed to domestic violence. The focus of this training was to provide the support and tools to forge relationships with schools in each the communities. Participants received a V.I.P. binder and three DVDs to assist them with this endeavor. All of the twenty communities that participated in this project agreed to do ten presentations (awareness and/or violence prevention) or one group intervention during the 2007-2008 school year. The Violence Is Preventable (2 nd Edition) Binder Contents Section 1: The role of schools in the prevention of domestic violence Section 2: Building effective partnerships between CWWA programs and schools Section 3: Protocols for school use (e.g., handling disclosures) Section 4: Relevant legislation and policies when working with schools Section 5: Awareness presentations and workshops (preparation, agenda) Section 6: Guidelines for effective school-based violence prevention education Section 7: Implementation of effective CWWA school-based groups for children Section 8: Understanding and supporting Aboriginal students and communities Section 9: Using culturally sensitive approaches in delivering VIP in schools. Section 10: Evaluation of the VIP program Section 11: Additional handouts (e.g., fact sheet on domestic violence) Section 12: Resource List (e.g., educational contacts, story books, games) **Three videos (with written guides) which can be used in presentations also Intended accompany Outcomes the binder. Two are designed for students (one for elementary and one for high school) and one for educators. An Evaluation of the VIP Project 13
Page 1 and 2: An Evaluation of the “Violence is
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Executive Summary
Page 5 and 6: Executive Summary The “Violence I
Page 7 and 8: needs of some of the children. A hi
Page 9 and 10: What are the “Children Who Witnes
Page 11: children and youth as possible in o
Page 15 and 16: 4. Create a system that can be used
Page 17 and 18: Evaluation Questions The questions
Page 19 and 20: In order for the new evaluator to e
Page 21 and 22: Who Were the Children and Youth Who
Page 23 and 24: Sources of Data 1 = Agency intervie
Page 25 and 26: program, impact that the VIP progra
Page 27 and 28: Findings Introduction In order to a
Page 29 and 30: Other 2007-2008 Funding Non-profit
Page 31 and 32: Capacity Building: Key Findings Par
Page 33 and 34: The different behaviors that are co
Page 35 and 36: Services for Students Direct servic
Page 37 and 38: Each statement was rated on a 5 poi
Page 39 and 40: Very Important People: Elementary s
Page 41 and 42: What was the most useful part of th
Page 43 and 44: What was the one thing that you lea
Page 45 and 46: What can be added to the presentati
Page 47 and 48: Services for Students: Key Findings
Page 49 and 50: Second, uncertain funding does not
Page 51 and 52: The group surveys need some discuss
Page 53 and 54: The Future Needs of VIP Each agency
Page 55 and 56: Lessons Learned Through the course
Page 57 and 58: In a year end interview with agenci
Page 59 and 60: Conclusions The VIP program has tou
Page 61 and 62: References Bar-On, R., Maree, K., M
Page 63 and 64:
Appendices A. VIP Logic Model (June
Page 65 and 66:
Program activities and outputs Type
Page 67 and 68:
Appendix C: VIP School Staff Presen
Page 69 and 70:
4. Able to resolve conflicts withou
Page 71 and 72:
4. Able to resolve conflicts withou
Page 73 and 74:
5. I am able to ask for help when n
Page 75 and 76:
5. I am able to ask for help when n
Page 77 and 78:
Appendix F: VIP Educator Program Fe
Page 79 and 80:
Please circle the answer that best
Page 81 and 82:
Appendix H: VIP Impact on Agency Co
Page 83 and 84:
Appendix J: School Representative I
Page 85 and 86:
Partner School #3: Name of School:
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