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These protocols summarise plans for a pilot randomised controlled trial of WeMatter, a digital, group-based support service for children and young people (CYP) aged between 8 and 17 years who are victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
This evaluation is part of the Domestic Abuse Evaluation Accelerator Fund, which seeks to build the evidence base around what works to tackle domestic abuse. A portion of the funding for these programmes was provided via the Evaluation Accelerator Fund run by the Evaluation Task Force, a joint Cabinet Office-HM Treasury unit providing specialist support to ensure evidence and evaluation sits at the heart of spending decisions. The findings from these evaluations will lay the foundations for the REACH Plan (Researching Effective Approaches for Children), a landmark five-year plan to find out what works to prevent domestic abuse and support child victims.
Developed by Victim Support, the WeMatter service provides digital group support based on trauma-informed cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques, utilising the Rock Pool CYP Domestic Abuse Recovery Tooolkit. The services lasts 10 weeks in total, and consists of eight weekly sessions plus two one-to-one sessions at the beginning and at the end of the service.
We have commissioned Verian to conduct a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the intervention, consisting of an impact evaluation of the effects of WeMatter on improving CYP mental wellbeing, an implementation and process evaluation, and an analysis of the service’s costs.
Whilst some studies have explored the efficacy of in-person support, the impact and effectiveness of delivering support online to CYP remains mostly unknown and unevaluated. This study aims to address this gap by evaluating the effectiveness of digital, group delivery methods and assessing their suitability for providing support to CYP affected by domestic abuse. If found to be successful and scalable, the programme could be expanded, tackling the current support disparity experienced by many CYP across England.
The pilot impact evaluation aims to assess the viability of a full-scale RCT, and recommend an evaluation design. It also aims to provide preliminary evidence of whether the WeMatter service improves outcomes for CYP.
The research questions that the impact evaluation seeks to answer are:
Verian will also conduct:
