Evaluation and future implementation of Loves Me Not programme

A summary of the evaluation of Loves Me Not, the healthy relationships / dating violence prevention programme developed by the Sophie Elliot Foundation, the Ministry of Social Development's It's Not OK Campaign and New Zealand Police, has been published.

The programme was trialled in nine New Zealand secondary schools in May and June 2013. It was delivered to year 12 students in one day by three facilitators: a teacher, a police officer and a representative of a non-governmental organisation.

The evaluation was carried out by Dr Liz Gordon of Pukeko Research. It included asking students how much they learnt; asking facilitators about the training and delivery of the programme and its content, relevance and effectiveness; and asking schools about the programme and any issues raised.

Students were also asked about the impact of the programme in a survey 7–13 weeks later. The evaluation reports on the number of students who had talked with someone about the programme; been an active bystander as a result of the programme; said they would be more careful in relationships now; and would advise a close friend to attend the programme.

The Sophie Elliot Foundation's website states, "In late October the Police Executive signed off the future implementation of the programme for a roll-out in 2014. District Commanders have been invited to implement Loves-Me-Not as part of the police prevention first strategy. Now that the Executive has signed off on the project its future use is assured."

Lesley Elliott started the Sophie Elliot Foundation after her daughter Sophie was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Clayton Weatherston in 2008. In the Foundation's 2013 annual report, Lesley Elliot writes, "I am so appreciative that the executive of the New Zealand Police saw fit to support this programme as a strategy worthy of nationwide implementation. I truly believe that if Sophie had access to this programme when she was in her last year or two of college she would have recognised when things began to go wrong. I have a feeling of deep satisfaction knowing that young men and women will now have a programme on which they can base reasoned decisions."

Further information is available on the Sophie Elliot Foundation website and a previous NZFVC news story.

Loves Me Not was also discussed in a recent review commissioned by the Families Commission, Effectiveness of Relationship Education Programmes in Schools for Years 7-13.

Image: Teens sharing a song by SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic