Schools and colleges have an essential role to play in protecting children and young people and keeping them safe.
The programme addresses a range of behaviours including gender-based violence, social media use, name-calling, sexting, bullying, coercive and controlling behaviour and harassment. Individuals are not looked on as potential victims or perpetrators but as empowered onlookers with the ability to support and challenge their peers whilst keeping themselves safe.
Exploring violence through a gendered lens, young people are aware of biases that exist within society and develop leadership skills for them to employ ‘active bystander’ theory. Young people explore the scope of violence and are motivated in challenging victim blaming.
The MVP programme aligns with the recommendations the Department if Education (DfE) “Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) for 2024“, for example, the attention to the complexities surrounding sexual violence and harassment online and offline and peer to peer abuse. Additionally, Personal Development is an explicit part of Ofsted`s inspection framework, therefore the programme helps to fulfil the responsibilities placed on schools.
The MVP Programme is self-sustaining as the `train the trainer` model is employed.