Name: Risk-Avert
Provider: The Training Effect and Essex County Council
Risk-Avert has one key aim - to provide the right child with the right intervention at the right time.
The initiative, co-developed by specialist trainers The Training Effect and Essex County Council, is an innovative schools-based programme that identifies children in years 7 and 8 who are vulnerable to multiple risk-taking. Launched as a pilot scheme in May 2013, Risk-Avert supports teachers to both identify emerging risky behaviours and tackle them through targeted interventions.
At the beginning of the programme, which is fully funded by Essex County Council, consenting pupils are asked to complete an online survey, created by The Training Effect, which is designed to tease out those taking part in risky behaviours such as drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.
The Training Effect then analyses the responses and feeds back the results to teachers, who will deliver targeted, age-appropriate interventions to pupils displaying worrying behaviours.
Mark Bowles, director of The Training Effect, says the programme was borne out of "shared frustrations" with the traditional approach to teaching children about the risks of certain behaviours, which tends to focus on awareness-raising.
"I was a drug and alcohol worker for many years and it became quite apparent that many children and young people know the risks," he says. "It was also clear that a lot of what we were doing wasn't as effective as we thought it was, so we were keen to think about how we can change our delivery."
Bowles says that Risk-Avert has so far proved to be very effective and an evaluation of the scheme shows a range of benefits for both children and teachers, with 94 per cent of young people reporting to feel more confident about managing risk after taking part in the programme.
He says the scheme is also helping teachers to feel confident in dealing with issues around risk-taking.
The growth of Risk-Avert is perhaps the most obvious display of its success. Initially piloted in eight schools, the programme is now being delivered in 25 schools across Essex, and other local authorities, including Medway Council, have expressed interest in delivering it.
Bowles says its success is a result of the philosophy underpinning it. "Risk-Avert is about looking beyond the behaviour and thinking about what the risk means for the young person and what other risks they might be taking," he says. "It isn't just about what you see on the surface. We're interested in the family, school and community domain."
He offers smoking as an example - something that, according to The Training Effect's online surveys, 2.4 per cent of children involved in the programme claim to have tried. "It's very tempting to think about that as a health issue, but at 12 years old, that's actually about the risks that child is facing in their community and their family," he says.
"Where are they getting their cigarettes from? Once we look at that we should be worrying about other risks that child might be taking."
In addition to identifying and tackling risky behaviours, Risk-Avert supports teachers to encourage pupils to think about how they make decisions and why they might prioritise things differently to adults.
"Sexting is a great example," says Bowles. "Young people know they shouldn't send that message, but they will rationalise it if their relationship, or a prospective one, is their priority.
"It's about moving away from 'don't do it' to understanding why they might. It's quite a subtle but important difference."
Bowles says that once young people understand the difference, they will be able to better deal with peer pressure.
He says that working with Essex County Council has proved to be an "incredibly positive" experience for both parties. The next phase of the project will extend the programme to all secondary school pupils, with it being piloted with other year groups next year.
"It is really a reflection of the changing face of the public sector," he says. "It has enabled Essex County Council to work with us in a very cost-effective way to develop a large scale programme that would have taken longer and cost more."
