Child-centred risk reduction and school safety: an evidence-based practice framework and roadmap

This paper was developed to stimulate discussion across the broad global community of practice engaged in child-centred risk reduction and school safety, in discussion, co-development and action-planning. The purpose of the research was to develop a framework and roadmap to answer the questions of how to best design, develop, evaluate, and implement child-centred risk reduction (CCRR) and school safety (SS) policies and practices with documented outcomes and impacts, sustainably and at scale?

A mixed methods design included 1) a researcher-practitioner survey 2) bibliometric and stakeholder network analysis 3) face-to-face consultations with more than 250 members of the wider researcher-practitioner community in eight locations around the globe, with the aim of identifying research and practice links, gaps and priorities.

Collective impact theory was used to build a guiding framework and to elaborate a strategic roadmap for organisations and individuals to move to a new way of working collaboratively and programmatically.

Recommendations are elaborated in five areas

1. Promote research-practice collaboration: adopt a common agenda and focus and identify partnerships.

2. Advocate for organisational and sector culture change to support a shift to evidence-based, programmatic agenda and work.

3. Promote evidence-based practice, practice-based evidence and research utilisation.

4. Build capacity, through communities of practice, competency framework, and professional development to ensure best practice in day-to-day work.

5. Future research questions: related to the draft roadmap, a set of logically linked research questions for consideration and discussion by the CCRR/SS community.