Program Goals

The goals of MBF Teen Safety Matters® are:

• Students will have increased knowledge about various types of abuse and victimization.
• Students will recognize and respond appropriately to Red Flags and unsafe situations.
• Students will demonstrate an increase in skilled response to unsafe situations using 5 Safety Rules.
• Students will identify Safe Adults and demonstrate good communication skills with Safe Adults.
• Students will demonstrate increased communication with parents/guardians regarding their safety.
• Personnel at the school students attend will have increased capacity to educate and protect children and create a culture of safety, particularly where bullying is concerned.
• Parents will have increased capacity to educate and protect children and provide for their safety.

Logic Model

View the Logic Model for MBF Teen Safety Matters®.

Essential Components

The essential components of MBF Teen Safety Matters® include:

• The foundation of the program is the 5 Safety Rules that are designed to apply to any unsafe situation.
• Materials for implementing programs in schools are available via grade level kits or school bundles.
• Lessons provided to students sequentially in individual classrooms (vs. groups or assemblies) using turnkey scripts and PowerPoint slides.
• MBF Teen Safety Matters addresses:
• General safety and prevention, including knowing general safety procedures, knowing their own and their family’s personal contact information, etc.
• 4 types of abuse including physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect
• Sexual abuse, including discussing healthy relationships, who perpetrators may be (adults, other children, family, or others known to the child or parents), safe vs. unsafe touching, private body parts, and boundaries
• Safe vs. unsafe strangers
• Safe Adults and Safety Friends
• Neglect, including witnessing domestic violence in the home
• All types of bullying
• Cyberbullying
• Digital abuse and other digital dangers
• Digital citizenship
• Relationship abuse
• Sexual assault
• Sexual exploitation/Sex trafficking
• Program materials include:
• Curriculum book with facilitator manual
• Facilitator flash drive with scripts and classroom PowerPoint slides as well as additional materials and resources
• Parent Opt-Out and Welcome Forms
• Parent Information and Activity Sheets
• Safe Adult Bookmarks
• Student reinforcement items (varies by grade)
• Classroom Posters
• 3-year online access to password-protected Facilitator Portal
• Safety Rules Banner
• Facilitator Tote Bag
• Digital-only option available
• Parents are encouraged to engage with students after each lesson:
• An Opt-Out/Welcome Form provided to parents prior to student participation in MBF Teen Safety Matters
• Parent Information and Activity Sheet provided after each lesson:
• Discusses what their child learned
• Gives tips on how to continue the conversation and student learning
• Provides an activity for the parent to do with their child to reinforce the topics and Safety Rules
• Access given to parents for a website and free mobile app with additional information and resources, including free online trainings about topics covered in program lessons
• Reinforcement materials for classrooms and students also provided at the end of each lesson to:
• Continue student learning
• Foster communication
• Reinforce the 5 Safety Rules
• Discounts are available for districts or states where multiple sites will use programs, allowing reproduction of materials which will result in substantial cost savings.

Program Delivery

Child/Adolescent Services

MBF Teen Safety Matters® directly provides services to children/adolescents and addresses the following:

• Youth in grades 6-12 who may be unaware of what constitutes abuse, neglect, and other types of victimization; of how to respond or how to talk to adults to help keep them safe

Parent/Caregiver Services

MBF Teen Safety Matters® directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Parent/guardian of a youth in grades 6-12 who may not be aware of how best to keep their child safe or talk to them about personal safety

Recommended Intensity:

Three 45-minute lessons (or six 25-minute lessons)

Recommended Duration:

Lessons should be presented anywhere from 1 to 6 weeks apart; however, they can be presented within any time frame appropriate for the classroom and allowed by teachers. The curriculum is intended to be presented every year with the content in grade-specific lessons increasing in complexity and reinforcing previously taught concepts as well.

Delivery Setting

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• School Setting (Including: Day Care, Day Treatment Programs, etc.)

Homework

MBF Teen Safety Matters® includes a homework component:

Students learn to identify Safe Adults, at a minimum, one in the home and one outside the home. Each student receives two Safe Adult Bookmarks to personalize and give to their Safe Adults to educate them regarding the 5 Safety Rules and how to protect the student if they come to them. Each student also receives a Parent Information Sheet after each lesson with information for parents and an activity that students and parents should do together.

Languages

MBF Teen Safety Matters® has materials available in languages other than English:

Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish

For information on which materials are available in these languages, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Facilitators will need a computer or laptop and a projector with speakers to present PowerPoints with embedded videos

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Facilitators typically have a 4-year degree in a human service or education field and at least one year of experience working with children, or a combination of education and experience.

The most important requirement is that a facilitator be comfortable discussing with students the sensitive topics contained in the program.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Program Manual(s)

Manual Details:

• Monique Burr Foundation for Children. (2016). Teen Safety Matters: Grades 6-8. Author. Link to manual acknowledgements page.
• Monique Burr Foundation for Children. (2019). Teen Safety Matters: Grades 9-12. Author. Link to manual acknowledgements page.

For more information on manuals, please contact the training contact below.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact:

• Julie Lemay, Outreach Manager
  julie@mbfpreventioneducation.org
  phone: (904) 642-0210

Training Type/Location:

Live, onsite training is available for schools or organizations partnering with schools to provide the program. Online training is available for anyone wishing to be trained to implement the program or learn more about it.

Number of days/hours:

3-4 hours

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for MBF Teen Safety Matters®.

Additional References

No reference materials are currently available for MBF Teen Safety Matters®.