Child Protection Programmes: What Do Children Learn and Remember? "Keeping Ourselves Safe" - an Evaluation with Follow-Up

Abstract

Child sexual abuse prevention programmes, although widely implemented, have lacked empirical validation. The present study evaluated the prevention programme "Keeping Ourselves Safe" (KOS). A quasi-experimental untreated control group (n=55) design with pre-test, post-test and follow-up (Cook & Campbell, 1976) was used to determine children's learning and retention of prevention concepts after programme participation. Children (n=l37) from three schools participating in the programme were assessed using the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire (CKAQ) (Tutty, in press). In addition, vignettes determined if children could distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate situations. Their verbal and behavioural responses to these situations were also examined. A questionnaire for parents assessed whether children's gains in knowledge were affected by their family background, previous exposure to sex education or discussion about sexual abuse. Results indicated that all children involved in the programme showed significant increases in knowledge at posttest, and further increases at six week follow-up. When children with high pre-test scores were excluded from the analysis, it was found that older children (10-12 years) learned and retained more than younger children (5-6 years). Children who knew the least prior to programme participation learned and retained the most. Older children (7-12 years) in the control group also made significant gains in knowledge at post-test. This result suggests an effect of questioning and therefore these children cannot be considered a true control group. Individual item analyses however indicate that control children made gains only on a limited number of prevention concepts. Responses to the vignettes demonstrate that after participating in the programme more children would tell someone about inappropriate situations. Children's behavioural responses decreased. "Control" children did not show any significant changes in vignette responses. Correlations with the parents' responses demonstrate that children's previous exposure to sex education and discussion about sexual abuse affects children's learning and retention. The present study provides support for formal prevention education and for KOS. A prevention model should arguably also include prior sex education and parent education.