Stand by her – training for male college students

• To tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the night-time economy (NTE), individuals who were on the cusp of frequenting NTE venues were taught the correct standards of behaviour and how to be allies to women, ultimately reducing misogyny.
• To effectively deliver a bespoke training package to male students at Northampton College.

To teach male students standards of behaviour when frequenting the NTE, equipping them with the skills to address poor etiquette towards women and informing them about how to report concerns.

Context

Focusing lesson plans on college age groups addresses the problem of misogyny by reducing it at earlier stages, before students can access the NTE. Funding was secured through Home Office Safer Streets Fund Round 4.

• Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (Northamptonshire OPFCC) secured £20,000 funding to complete this initiative.
• Northamptonshire OPFCC opted for the 'Train the Trainer' package delivered by Communities Inc. This cost approximately £12,000 including the pilot session.
• The remaining funding was to equip the college with the necessary materials to create and deliver the package. For example, filming costs, printing materials and staffing costs.

In conjunction with Northampton College and Communities Inc, Northamptonshire OPFCC arranged for the Stand by Her 'Train the Trainer' package to be delivered to 10 Northampton College teachers.

• Communities Inc are a training provider with a mission to build stronger communities and tackling inequalities. They created and delivered the Stand by Her package.

The initial plan was for Communities Inc to deliver the Stand by Her training directly to students. However, after conducting a pilot session it was decided that the college's teachers were best placed to create a bespoke package for the students as they would be able to create lessons relevant to their male students.

• The ‘Train the Trainer’ package consisted of three full days face-to-face training and two virtual follow-up sessions.
• The training package already existed and was offered and delivered by Communities Inc.
• The Communities Inc training to teachers covered misogyny, how to be effective allies to women and acceptable standards of behaviour.

After the ‘Train the Trainer’ session, Northampton College then created their own package using materials and skills obtained during the training.

• This package was then delivered gradually to all current male students, aged between 16 and 18 within the college.
• The creation of a bespoke package and delivery by Northampton College teachers means the package can continue to be delivered to new students and the content can be adapted where necessary.
• The package created by teachers and delivered to students is a one-hour face-to-face session involving PowerPoint, videos and group exercises.
• These sessions were delivered as part of the college timetable/curriculum.
• It also gave local context and the right teachers were then able to deliver to the right audiences, ensuring maximum engagement and cooperation.

As part of the Train the Trainer course, Communities Inc observed what was created by the teachers and provided feedback.

All current male students at Northampton College have received the training and are therefore more equipped with the skills to safely enter the NTE and be effective allies to women.

• It is too early to assess whether this training has had an effective impact on reducing VAWG offences in the NTE, as targeted students were under 18 and therefore would be imminently using NTE services.
• No follow up sessions with students who took part have been planned. However, VAWG-related crimes and incidents will be assessed as part of overall project success.
• Northampton College have provided positive feedback and are keen to continue the roll-out to new students.

The programme is not being evaluated but performance data, in terms of completion rates are being monitored. Communications with the college indicate that all current male students have received the package and new male students will also receive it.

The impact on learning is not measured currently. However, positive feedback from Northampton College states that the training was positively received by teachers and students. They intend to create another similar package, aimed at female students.

‘Train the Trainer’ packages were an important consideration within the initiative.

Initial plans were for Communities Inc to deliver the Stand by Her training directly to students. However, after a taster session, it was decided that the College would be best placed to deliver a bespoke package to their students so it could be tailored to a variety of audiences and needs. Therefore, it was decided that Communities Inc would deliver a 'Train the trainer' package to equip teachers with the necessary materials to go on and create their own package. This also offered better value for money as the College-created package gave longevity to the intervention.

Currently, the Crime Reduction Toolkit does not include any best-available evidence on the impact of bystander programmes on reducing crime.

Educational approaches such as bystander programmes aim to prevent sexual assault among young people by encouraging young people to intervene when witnessing incidents or warning signs of sexual assault. The programmes are usually delivered in an educational setting, with the format of a single training or education session (for example, as part of university induction). See the bystander programmes evidence briefing for further information.