What’s LOVES Got to Do with It? An Evaluation of a First-line Response Training for Mentors on Responding to Disclosures of Violence in PEPFAR Programs Open Access
Awide, Hezouwe Happy (Spring 2022)
Abstract
Background: Children and adolescents in mentor-based programs may feel safe disclosing their fear of or experience with physical, emotional, or sexual violence. However, oftentimes, program mentors and peer supporters are not equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to appropriately respond to voluntary disclosures of violence within the scope of their role and their capacity. The CDC’s Gender and Youth Team piloted a first-line response training called LOVES, to provide mentors and peer-supporters in The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs with the knowledge and skills to respond to disclosures of violence from Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW). The training also aimed to equip Implementing Partner (IP) staff with the tools to cascade the training in their organizations. This evaluation provides preliminary insights on the feasibility and acceptability of the LOVES training, and its ability to influence program outcomes, through the analysis of three pilot trainings conducted in 2021. The LOVES pilot trainings were implemented virtually through self-guided modules and live Zoom meetings.
Objective: The objectives of the evaluation are to 1) determine the feasibility and acceptability of the LOVES training program through assessment of training enrollment, completion, and satisfaction and 2) to assess the effect of the LOVES training on targeted outcomes including knowledge of first-line response and self-efficacy to cascade the LOVES training in their organizations.
Methods: The evaluation involved descriptive analysis of data collected during the LOVES pilot training with 114 mentors and IP staff from 10 PEPFAR countries. These data included enrollment and program completion data, pre-test/post-test scores on scales assessing knowledge of GBV response and self-efficacy to cascade the training in their organizations, satisfaction, and voluntary qualitative feedback from the participants.
Results: The overall average training completion rate was 66%. The course feedback indicated that more 80% of the participants were satisfied with the self-guided modules and the live Zoom sessions. There was a 10% increase on participants’ knowledge of GBV response from pre-test to post-test and a 12% increase in self-efficacy to cascade the training among the IP staff. Qualitative feedback was mostly positive on training content, format, and facilitation. Recommendations for improvement included longer training sessions, more time for interactive activities, accommodations for people with connectivity issues, in-person training options, more culturally relevant content, and the need for additional trainings.
Implications and Recommendations: The findings confirm the feasibility and acceptability of the LOVES training. Recommendations have been provided to refine the data collection tools and program implementation to better assess knowledge, and self-efficacy outcomes, and expand to include measures of attitudes and practices. These recommendations can be used to improve the LOVES training for future participants and reinforce their capacity to provide a first-line response for survivors of violence within PEPFAR programs.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
1.1. Introduction and Rationale 1
1.2. Statement of the Problem 3
1.3. Purpose 3
1.4. Significance 3
1.5. Definition of Terms 5
Chapter 2: Literature Review 6
2.1 Addressing the Impact of Violence on Survivors 8
2.2. Understanding the Disclosures of Violence in Children and Adolescents 9
2.3. Trauma-Informed Care for Survivors Of Violence 12
2.4. Conclusion 17
Chapter 3: Methods 19
3.1. Population and sample 19
3.2. Research Design and Procedures 20
3.3. Data Collection 20
3.4. Data Analysis 22
3.5. Ethical considerations 23
3.6. Limitations and delimitations 23
Chapter 4: Results 25
4.1. Assessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of the LOVES training 25
4.2. Assessing the effect of the training on targeted outcomes 34
4.3. Availability of Resources and Existing Needs of Participants 37
Chapter 5: Recommendations 40
5.1. Recommendation for LOVES' Training Implementation 40
5.2. Recommendations for future evaluations 42
5.3. Conclusion 42
References 44
Appendix 1: LIVES (Mentors) Training of Facilitators Assessment 48
Appendix 2: LOVES for Mentors 2021 Course Feedback 53
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