None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Given the prevalence of sexual violence and its harmful impacts, there is a critical need for effective primary prevention interventions targeting school settings in Australia. Currently, there is limited evidence of effective primary prevention interventions aimed at stopping sexual violence before it occurs (Our Watch, 2020). Secondary schools represent a promising setting for such efforts, as interventions can reach young people at a pivotal developmental stage—before perpetration may have begun and when norms and values are still being shaped (De Gue et al., 2014; Porat et al., 2024). Consent and healthy relationships education has the potential to prevent sexual violence by equipping students with key skills and attitudes before harmful behaviours emerge. To evaluate the impact of consent and healthy relationships education on sexual violence prevention, this study will employ a cluster-randomised controlled trial (cRCT) involving 12 secondary schools in Tasmania, Australia. Schools will be randomly allocated to either the intervention group (n=6), which will receive the three-session Schools Education Program (SEP), or a waitlist control group (n=6), which will not receive the program during the trial period. For ethical reasons, the control group will be offered the intervention in 2026 after study completion. The primary objective of this cRCT is to assess whether SEP improves Year 9 (ages 13–15) students’ knowledge of sexual violence, including gender equality, consent, healthy relationships, and rape myths. Secondary objectives include evaluating whether SEP enhances students’ attitudes toward gender equality, reduces rape myth acceptance, and increases empathy, as well as behavioural intentions related to consent and bystander intervention. A comprehensive process evaluation and realist evaluation will be conducted alongside the cRCT.
Interventions
The Schools Education Program (SEP) educational intervention aims to educate students on healthy sexual relationships and prevent sexual violence by enhancing student knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions.
Year 9 students in the intervention arm will receive three in-person 90-minute sessions of SEP across a seven-week period. The sessions will be delivered by trained facilitators from Laurel House, in partnership with the Tasmanian Women’s Legal Service. The sessions will be deliver
The Schools Education Program (SEP) educational intervention aims to educate students on healthy sexual relationships and prevent sexual violence by enhancing student knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions. Year 9 students in the intervention arm will receive three in-person 90-minute sessions of SEP across a seven-week period. The sessions will be delivered by trained facilitators from Laurel House, in partnership with the Tasmanian Women’s Legal Service. The sessions will be delivered during class time with two-week intervals between sessions. Session One: In the first session, facilitators will use small-group activities and open discussion to explore the following topics: 1) healthy relationships, including communication, boundaries, mutual respect and consent, 2) defining sexual violence, common misconceptions about sexual violence, and recognising its impact on victim-survivors, 3) gender equality and harmful stereotypes, law changes over time that have affected women’s roles, gendered societal expectations, and how these influence perceptions of sexual violence. Session Two: This session delves into legal aspects of consent and emerging forms of sexual violence. With expert insights from a women’s legal service lawyer, the session will explore: 1) legal definitions of consent, 2) image-based abuse, 3) non-fatal strangulation (sexual choking), stealthing and the law, 4) and guidance on accessing legal support and counselling. Session Three: The final session for students will focus on navigating consent, digital safety, and active bystander strategies. Using discussion and small-group scenarios, facilitators will focus on 1) building skills for clear, respectful dialogue about boundaries and mutual agreement in relationships, 2) how pornography shapes perceptions of sex, relationships, and unrealistic expectations. 3) reinforcing the serious legal consequences of accessing, sharing, or producing Child Sexual Abuse Material, and its lifelong harms to victim-survivors. 4) early warning signs and strategies to address harmful sexual behaviours, and 5) practical bystander strategies to safely challenge harmful behaviours, support potential victims, and disrupt unsafe situations. In addition to educational sessions, there will be ‘School Student Champions’ (SSC) recruited at each school to help accelerate the diffusion of messages in the school population. Key points about the SSCs: - Expressions of interest will be invited from students at each school to become SSCs – up to 7 SSCs per school - Laurel House will consult with SSCs regarding any specific issues or concerns at the school -SSCs will be given leaflets and posters of support services to display in areas of the school -Laurel House will check-in with SSCs between sessions to gain feedback and a sense of how the sessions have been received. Additionally, members of the school staff and parents/caregivers will be invited to attend a 2-hour educational session on consent and healthy relationships prior to the commencement of the student sessions. The SEP intervention includes the use of available resources such as The Consent Continuum (Body Safety Australia), the Healthy Relationship Wheel (Reproductive Health National Training Center), Duluth Equality Wheel (Domestic Abuse Intervention Project), Commonwealth Consent Policy Framework (Department of Social Services), and resources adapted from The Line (Our Watch), eSafety Commissioner (Australian Government), and the It’s Time We Talked program designed by Maree Crabbe and David Corlett. Other resources and activities have been developed for SEP by Laurel House, including scenario cards, and a range of interactive, small-group activities focused on gender stereotypes, timeline of laws, identifying trusted people, and communication skills. Adherence to the intervention will be assessed using fidelity sheets completed by facilitators delivering the sessions. Year 9 students in the control arm will not receive the program and will instead receive their usual school curriculum.
Sponsors
La Trobe University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
13 Years to 15 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1) students attending public secondary schools in Northern Tasmania, Australia 2) students in Year 9-aged 13-15 in these schools who consent to participate in the study and 3) whose parents or caregivers of students in these schools' consent to their participation.
Exclusion criteria
1) students attending private schools 2) students who do not consent to participate, and 3) students whose parents do not consent to their participation 4) students outside Year 9.
Outcome results
None listed