Prepared for the Accident Compensation Corporation by the Institute of Public Policy

This report presents the findings of a project which aimed to establish best practice criteria to evaluate school-based violence prevention programmes. The methodology involved establishment of a reference group of key informants in the field, conducting a search of school-based prevention programme literature internationally, and, by utilising a pre-existing matrix and five relevant US-based digests, selecting 14 programmes for examination. Programmes considered ranged from early childhood and primary to secondary school level. Programmes ranged in focus from modelling healthy relationships in the classroom and playground, to preventing children from inflicting or suffering bullying, dating violence, family maltreatment, child sexual abuse, sexual violation or rape, and equipping them to avoid inflicting or suffering intimate partner abuse or child maltreatment as adults. The authors conclude that best practice criteria for the evaluation of school-based violence prevention programmes should include: an understanding of the nation or community's political economy and of where empowerment for change towards less violence are to be found; plans for wider community involvement, including those at the margins of community involvement; plans to achieve willing engagement of students' families; and a commitment to a life course strategy. Supporting appendices are attached, including descriptions and evaluations of programmes examined.

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