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ZAP - key findings 3 years on
ZAP - Kidscape’s tailor-made assertiveness training course - was
set up in 1999 to help children aged 7 to 16 who have been or are being
bullied.
A Kidscape survey “Long-term effects of Bullying 1995-1997”
had shown that the stress caused to children by bullying could continue
into adulthood. In the short-term it leads to feelings of low self-esteem
and low self-confidence. Many victims become anxious and withdrawn and
may truant to avoid the bullying. At worst, some children may attempt
to harm themselves.
Kidscape decided to monitor the effects of the course to assess how successful
it was. The hypothesis put forward was:
The type of intervention offered by ZAP can successfully break the negative
cycle caused by bullying.
To assess the course benefits, Kidscape decided to carry out a “before
and after” comparative analysis. Questionnaires were sent to all
ZAP participants before their sessions. These were designed to provide
key basic information about the child, the nature of the bullying and
details of any special needs. Then about 3 - 6 months after the session,
follow-up questionnaires were sent out. These established whether the
child was still being bullied, how he or she was coping and generally
how things had been since the ZAP session.
In addition to the questionnaires, on the day of the session Kidscape
staff noted the children’s behaviour and attitude as they arrived,
during the day, and as they left the course. How confident were they?
How did they interact with other children, with parents and with the Kidscape
staff? The children were also asked to complete a course evaluation form
at the end of the session.
The following is a summary of the findings taken from our Year
3 ZAP report.
- 79% of the participants were no longer bullied after ZAP.
- Of those still bullied, 80% were bullied less and 90% felt more able
to deal with it.
- 100% of the children found the session very useful or useful. 94%
said they could stand up for themselves better. 85% felt more confident
and 83% reported an improvement in self-esteem.
- 87% said they’d used the skills learnt during ZAP, and encouragingly
44% went on to develop anti-bullying strategies of their own.
- Truanting was reduced significantly. Only 2% stayed away from school
after ZAP compared with 50% before.
- The number of children who reported feeling depressed reduced from
92% to 35%.
Conclusions
The analysis of the questionnaires received during Year 3 of ZAP show
that the children benefited from the sessions. This was also consistent
with the findings gathered from the first two years of the ZAP project.
The feedback from parents and carers was also very positive. Many telephoned
or wrote to Kidscape soon after the sessions to highlight the ways in
which their children benefited. The following are typical of the comments
received:
"Coupled with the school change and the ZAP course, she is becoming
a different child. We have started to hear her laugh, she is getting so
much more confident, and she is getting that mischievous glint back in
her eye too."
"Our daughter was really 'buzzing' when she left your offices that
day. She felt lighter with her worries, reassured by the fact that other
children were in the same situation as herself, felt positive with how
to cope with bullies, and her self-esteem was boosted. I also felt that
there is light at the end of the tunnel"
The children's reactions remain the most powerful evidence of the benefits
of the ZAP course. When the children first arrive on a ZAP day they are
generally anxious and withdrawn. By lunchtime the majority have become
relaxed and excited. At the end of the session, they greet their parents
very positively, with a visible need to discuss the skills which they
have learned.
In conclusion, the findings from all 3 years of the ZAP sessions support
our original hypothesis:
The type of intervention offered by ZAP can successfully break the negative
cycle caused by bullying.
Want to know more?
- Read the full ZAP
Year 3 report
- Please contact Linda Frost on 020 7730 3300
or email her at linda@kidscape.org.uk
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