Promising Practice Programs
Kinks and Bends: What's the go with relationships
| Agency/Agencies | NSW Violence Against Women Specialist Unit in partnership with Central Coast Uniting Care Burnside; Department of Education and Training; Central Coast Domestic Violence Committee; Wyong Local Council; NSW Attorney General's Dept; Central Coast Area Health Services - Sexual Assault Service; Health Promotions; Youth Health, and other youth services. |
| Website | N/A |
| Contact | Sue Jennings
Manager Central Coast Uniting Care Burnside PO Box 250 Wyong 2259 Phone (02) 4352 3222 / (02) 4324 2903 Email sjennings@burnside.org.au Chris Smith Regional Violence Prevention Specialist Central Coast NSW Violence Against Women specialist Unit Communities Division C/- Central Coast Health, Domestic Violence Unit PO Box 361 Gosford NSW 2250 Phone (02) 4320 2575 Fax (02) 4320 3179 Email Chris.smith@community.nsw.gov.au |
| Start date | 1999 |
| End date | Ongoing |
| Program type | prevention; group work; school based; community arts |
| Geographical area | Gosford and Wyong Area, New South Wales Central Coast |
| Target group | Service Providers Young people |
| Description |
Kinks and Bends is an educational program to prevent sexual violence in young peoples lives. The project commenced in response to concerns about young people's attitudes about violence against women. Local service providers were concerned about young women's acceptance of violence as part of intimate relationships and young men's belief that using violence against women is an acceptable way to behave. Funds were obtained from the Violence Against Women Specialist Unit and the NSW Casino Community Benefit Fund grants programmes. The project evolved in a number of phases. Workers involved with the project emphasised the need to be flexible and change plans to accommodate the needs of young people. Phase One - Involved working with young women on issues of date-rape and relationship violence using creative arts as a medium of expression and change. Ten workshops were conducted, in which a group of young women created an installation that depicts abuse and freedom from abuse. Phase Two - Included the development of a community education programme and video for young people aged 15-18, on issues specifically around forced sexual experiences in social situations (date-rape). The programme is designed for youth and community workers, teachers and other facilitators to pick up and select components to use with relevant groups of young people. The programme and video were piloted with school groups and youth groups throughout their development. Phase Three - Kinks and bends was independently evaluated following two years of implementation. (See publications section below). A play 'The party' has been developed for young people in years 10 and 11. Drama classes in those years perform the play to their peers and questions relating to the play are discussed following the performance. |
| Promising practice examples | The programme takes a feminist approach and uses a gendered analysis of sexual and relationship violence. This locates power and control at the centre of these forms of abuse. Sexual violence is not seen as an act of sex but of domination. Its gendered nature is evidenced by the overwhelming experience of women as victims and not as perpetrators of violence, however it is acknowledged that many young men also experience sexual violence. Safety, support and protection of human rights are part of this response. It ensures that responsibility for acts of abuse and violence is not placed with those who have been subjected to it. Gendered power relations are reflected in cultural beliefs, behaviour, and laws. Discourses that normalise male violence as inherently uncontrollable are not endorsed in this project. The project reflects the view that not all men rape and statistics indicate that there are more respectful interpersonal relationships than there are violent ones (Dr. M. Carmody and Prof K. Carrington "Preventing Sexual Violence: the limits and uses of social policy" National Social Policy Conference, UNSW Sydney, 1999). Most programme sessions of Kinks and Bends are held with mixed groups of young men and women. This allows for transparency in the discussion and for minimisation of collusion around gender-based myths around sexual violence. Young people reported that mixed groups allowed them to hear what each other thought about issues such as consent and relationships. Gendered language is only used in the context of presenting factual information, including information about sexual violence against homosexuals. The evaluation shows an outcome of the project is a significantly lower acceptance by young men that 'pressuring someone to have sex is acceptable'. It also showed that saying 'No' to sex became meaningful when put into young peoples' hands to argue the case. This does not place responsibility for preventing sexual violence with young women. The focus is on negotiating sexual activity, and that if someone is choosing not to have sex - including the many ways of saying no - that the responsibility of the other partner is to listen and not to act. The message is that when 'No' is ignored, sexual activity becomes sexual violence. The evaluation indicates that young people preferred combined male/female facilitation. The programme has introductory information for facilitators about what is required of them. This includes a well-articulated understanding of sexual violence, supported by evidence. Ethics and safety in facilitating groups are a key part of the programme. Emphasis is placed on the programmes as educational rather than therapeutic. Personal disclosure in the group setting is not encouraged, as this can be unsafe. Discussions about group rules reinforce this. Resource information, debriefing, and support opportunities that young people may access after the programme are offered. The programme uses sound educational practice to ensure young people are active participants in their own learning. It uses interactive and exploratory questions to facilitate young people forming their own ideas based on discussion and evidence. When the programme is presented in school settings, young people say they prefer to have external facilitators who are experienced in working with young people. The date rape cube has proved to be an appealing discussion tool. In line with knowledge that anti crime programmes work best when they do not stand alone Kinks and Bends resources were designed in consultation with the NSW Department of Education. They fit within the curriculum content and take into consideration that the type and timing of materials is relevant and age appropriate. Input from young people and from those who work with them has been essential to the development of the resources. They provide a number of tools which correspond with different ways that people learn and take on new information, written, interactive, visual and hands on. The Kinks and Bends evaluation report reinforces locating an anti violence programme within a wider curriculum. Learning about consent and sexual violence is part of a developmental teaching approach that ensures that prior learning about positive relationships and sexuality has taken place. Some young people commented, 'they've heard this all before'. This is seen as a positive as hearing varying information over time and from different sources supports attitude change. Lessons Learned
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| Based on existing program | no |
| Funding | NSW Violence Against Women Specialist Unit; Central Coast Health; National Crime Prevention Grant; Mingara Recreation Club; NSW Casino Community Benefit Fund; National Crime Prevention Award 2004. |
| Philosophical framework | feminist; social learning; empowerment |
| Research informing program | For a number of years there has been concern on the Central Coast (NSW) about the incidence of date-rape and the effects of violence in relationships on young women. Youth workers and counsellors report that many of the young men and women they work with have attitudes which reflect an acceptance of the inevitability of violence. Teachers, counsellors and young people acknowledge sexual assault and rape as not uncommon occurrences at parties and other places where young people gather. As a result the Central Coast DV Committee has made domestic violence in young womens' lives a priority for action.
A literature review indicates that young people who are victims are reluctant to report rape to police or to seek help from sexual assault services. Partnerships Against Domestic Violence research 'Youth Attitudes to Sexual Assault' shows an increase in acceptance of sexual violence among young people. Both genders need help to understand the dynamics of sexual violence and to know that consent not freely given is sexual violence. It is important that young people have ways to support each other in saying sexual violence is unacceptable. Further help is needed for young people to be able to identify where to get help if violence occurs, and how to help friends who have experienced violence. The ABS 1996 Women's Safety Survey found that more than one third of teenage girls have experienced a violent dating relationship with males who used physical coercion to obtain sex. Young people aged 15-19 years are the highest risk group. Further research (Russo, L., 2000 'Date Rape: A Hidden Crime' in Trends and Issues No 157 Australian Institute of Criminology) shows a strong correlation between use of alcohol and sexual assault. Reducing violence involves decreasing tolerance of the use of violence in relationships, changes in beliefs about the acceptability of violence against women and increasing responsibility and accountability of the perpetration of violence. Working with young people on issues of sexual violence is one aspect of an approach to prevent violence against women. International and national research indicates that a range of preventative approaches at different entry points and at different points in the life span is the most effective way of preventing crime. The programme draws on work of the NSW Attorney General's Department Crime Prevention Division, The Sixth and Seventh United Nations Congresses on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (1980 and 1985), and the UK Home Office publication Reducing Offending: an assessment of research evidence on ways of dealing with offending behaviour (1998). |
| Publications | C. Smith, J Huxley, K. McKeran (2004) "Kinks, cubes and cyberspace - working with young people to prevent sexual violence", Conference Paper presented at Home Truths: stop sexual assault and domestic violence - a national conference, Melbourne 2004. Smith, Chris (2001) 'Kinks and bends: what's the go with relationships?', in 'Seeking solutions: Australia's inaugural domestic violence and sexual assault conference', 5-7 September, 2001, Parkroyal Hotel, Gold Coast, Queensland, 2001. Sheeley, Christine and Tipper, Deb (2001) Kinks and bends : what's the go with relationships? : an educational package exploring sexual violence in young people's social lives. Video produced by Alan Coleman, [Gosford, NSW]: Central Coast Domestic Violence Committee, 2001.
T Issues Consultancy (2004), 'Evaluation Report Kinks and Bends what's the go with relationships? Preventing sexual violence: an educational program exploring sexual violence in young people's social lives'. Sydney, NSW: Violence Against Women Specialist Unit, NSW Attorney General's Department. |
| Evaluation | An external evaluation was completed. For details of the report see reference above under publications (T-Issues Consultancy). The evaluation plan was based on an outcomes hierarchy model. Multi source data collection were used, with qualitative and quantitative data collected from students and facilitators. A focus group was held with teachers from the schools involved in the programme. The report indicates that despite some caveats about its design and delivery Kinks and Bends achieved significant results, especially in attitudes towards sexual violence. Male students demonstrated statistically significant increases in those who said that pressuring someone to have sex is unacceptable (up to 93% after the programme). Increases were also observed in the number of boys who said that using physical force and emotional pressure was not OK. The situation with girls was different as before the programme over 90% said that sexual violence was wrong under any circumstances. There were statistically significant increases in the ways that girls would say 'no' to sexual violence and that indicated increased strength and capacity as a result of the programme. The evaluation recommended that
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