First, a sober observation: we still do not know how effective 90 percent of what we do in the youth sector is. This also applies to social skills training for children and young people. That is not necessarily a problem, says Inge Bastiaanssen, project leader of the Effective Youth Interventions database. “As long as we keep learning together and, in any case, do the things we now know do work.”
Two recent studies provide new insights into the effectiveness of interventions aimed at strengthening social and emotional skills. One of these insights is that interventions with a specific objective are more effective than broad interventions. This is relevant, Bastiaanssen believes, as she sees an proliferation of social skills training programmes. “I see promises such as: after six one-hour sessions, your child will be more resilient, less anxious and withdrawn, and better able to deal with their feelings. That is simply not possible. So choose one specific objective, for example something that is a significant issue in a class. In this case, more really is not better.”
Three effective elements
The studies also show that there are certain effective elements. “When choosing an intervention, make sure that it includes those elements, at the very least.” Bastiaanssen names three. “First, psychoeducation: giving children insight into, for example, their behaviour and basic emotions.”
“A second effective element is practising the desired behaviour. For example, by asking one child to tell another child about a difficult event or an experience of bullying. How do you tell them about it? And how do you respond? The point is for children to experience it themselves and to be exposed to what they need to learn.”
The third effective element: an intervention must be fun. In general, this helps people learn more quickly. But children will not become more resilient simply because a training programme is fun. It is about the objective you want to achieve. “We know, for example, that interventions involving many physical exercises, such as relaxation exercises, do not work to make children more resilient. Nor do exercises intended to boost self-confidence, such as breaking a board in half. But children do enjoy them. If that is important to you, at least make sure it does not come at the expense of the things that do work to make children more socially skilled.”
Strengthening resilience
Many municipalities and schools are looking for interventions that strengthen the resilience of children and young people. Bastiaanssen emphasises that one intervention alone is not enough. “Together, we need to create an environment in which children can recover well. And we need a coherent and targeted approach for children who need more support. Effective interventions can be used as part of that.”
Effective or not?
How can a school or municipality know whether a social skills training programme is effective? A first step is to check whether the training is included in the Effective Interventions database. Often this is not the case, because of the aforementioned 90 percent. “Then it is important to ask what the intervention focuses on. What is the objective of the training? To create a superchild after six lessons? Or, better: sixteen one-hour sessions specifically focused on increasing resilience?”
“You can then ask: what are the effective elements? If the intervention mainly consists of relaxation exercises, alarm bells should start ringing.”
Bastiaanssen advises schools and municipalities to talk to training providers. “How do they know that their training really works? Do they gather feedback from children, young people and parents? What do they do to improve their intervention? You can really tell whether they have a convincing story.”
Keep the objective in mind
The most important thing is the objective that schools, municipalities and other partners have in mind together, says Bastiaanssen. “What do you want to achieve with children and young people? What is the problem at school, and which intervention is the best way to address it? If you genuinely want to achieve results, rather than merely tick a box to show that you have implemented an intervention, you will be able to work it out together.”