The safety effect

The Safety Effect is an innovative programme for secondary schools, focusing on helping young people to understand and address risk-taking behaviour through a protective behaviours approach. It is part of the Oxfordshire 0-19 service and available to all secondary schools in Oxfordshire. 

It covers a wide variety of risk-taking attitudes and behaviours affecting young people’s lives, including:

• alcohol
• drugs
• consent
• internet safety
• gender empowerment

Our programme differs from others as it focuses on why people engage in behaviours, the influence of others and the life-skills needed to make positive choices rather than simply assuming that providing more information equals more chance that young people will make better life choices.

It helps young people to build life skills and effectively navigate and manage adolescence.

The programme is support by anonymous data collected in schools, which allows us to challenge and change young people’s perceptions of common risk behaviours such as drinking and smoking.