New Digital Prevention Platform
London (UK), October 2014 - Saffron Interactive, innovators in the learning-technologies sector, working alongside AVA (Against Violence and Abuse) in a Comic Relief-funded project, has created a Digital Prevention Platform and eLearning course to help practitioners take the correct steps to safeguard children who disclose instances of abuse and implement a whole school approach to prevent violence against women and girls.
"Before this project, there was no one place where students and practitioners could access information relating to all types of abuse. This desperately needed to change", says Karim Ladak, Chief Operating Officer at Saffron. "This prevention platform has united tools and resources for the first time. We aim to get people talking and change the taboo culture around reporting cases of abuse. We want all those involved in safeguarding children to know what to do and how to do it by just going to one place where they can not only find information, but also be able to contribute their experiences so that others can also learn from their practical experience."
The thirty-minute eLearning course explains different types of abuse and how to deal with disclosures of abuse in an engaging and sensitive way - ultimately motivating learners to take action. The prevention platform is the UK’s first comprehensive resource hub and toolkit on the topic. Practitioners will also be able to contribute case studies and information others might find helpful. The eLearning and website underpin AVA’s highly successful face-to-face programmes.
"What I love most about working with AVA is our dedication to innovation and sharing resources to make things better", says Joanna Sharpen, children and young people's project coordinator at AVA. “This tool will help students and practitioners alike to feel comfortable talking about abuse and taking the correct steps to prevent it”.
This eLearning approach employs storytelling techniques, a safe-space feature, and innovative HTML5 coding and also signposts learners to further resources. Built-in diagnostics demonstrate that, having completed the course, the number of people who felt empowered to take action on abuse jumped from 13% to 43%, whilst those who felt comfortable defining abuse jumped from 19% to 47%.
"This platform and course demonstrate how eLearning can change behaviour in a meaningful and impactful way," says Noorie Sazen, CEO at Saffron. "We hope that this course will help millions of vulnerable abuse victims across the country".
