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 Many victims become anxious and withdrawn and may truant to avoid the bullying.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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