Title: What young people experiencing family violence have to say about Burstingthebubble'com
1What young people experiencing family violence
have to say about Burstingthebubble.com
2Acknowledgments
(1 of 2)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
The design, implementation and evaluation of
Burstingthebubble.com was made possible through
the generous support of the Victorian Government
through the Community Support Fund.
3Acknowledgments
(2 of 2)
The Bursting the Bubble website was developed by
the Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre
(DVIRC). The evaluation of Burstingthebubble.com
was undertaken by the Centre for Program
Evaluation, of The University of Melbourne.
4Key Findings
(1 of 3)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
It gave me space and time to work through my
issues. It asked questions Id been denying
needed to be answered.
5Key Findings of the Online Survey
(2 of 3)
Key Findings from the Online Survey
- Respondents have indicated that
Burstingthebubble.com is an effective, helpful
and well designed website - Almost all respondents found the information they
had accessed on Burstingthebubble.com to be
useful - Over half of the survey participants said that
they would use information on the website in
relation to abuse happening to them. One in five
said that they would use the information in
relation to abuse happening to someone at home - Whereas two thirds of respondents knew a little
or nothing about support services before
visiting Burstingthebubble.com, 75 stated that
they had learnt a lot or a fair amount about
these services from visiting Burstingthebubble.com
- Almost all respondents said that they would
recommend the site to someone they thought it
might help.
Survey feedback reveals high levels of
satisfaction with Burstingthebubble.com
6Key Findings of the Online Survey
(3 of 3)
Key Findings from the Online Survey
- Respondents particularly noted that the website
had provided - an environment that allowed teenagers to feel
welcome and understood - real life stories that had made participants
feel less alone - useful quizzes that tell you what is wrong in
your family - practical information on how to deal with a
situation of abuse. - Participants suggested Burstingthebubble.com
would benefit from - more information on a range of topics including
coping with past sexual abuse leaving home
local support services and personal rights when
dealing with support services - the availability of online support.
Participants felt that Burstingthebubble.com
provides an environment in which young
people are welcome and understood
7About Burstingthebubble.com
(1 of 3)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
Burstingthebubble.com is a website for teenagers
who live in homes where there is domestic
violence, or where they are subjected to
physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
8About Burstingthebubble.com
(2 of 3)
National research shows that almost a quarter of
young people in Australia have experienced or
witnessed an incident of physical domestic
violence against a member of their family
(Indermaur 2001). Research also shows that
exposure to domestic violence can have
devastating social and psychological consequences
for teenagers, and can significantly impair
school performance (Mullender et al
2002). Burstingthebubble.com assists young
people to identify whether abuse is occurring in
their homes, provides them with ideas on how to
increase their safety, and offers information
about how services can help young people. The
target audience for Burstingthebubble.com is
young Australians aged 13 to 18. The website
receives on average 100,000 hits per month (1,500
visits per month).
9About Burstingthebubble.com
(3 of 3)
To engage and communicate effectively with young
people Burstingthebubble.com takes an innovative
and interactive approach to health and safety
promotion. Avoiding a didactic design, young
people access information on the website by
completing quizzes, reading authentic stories,
using checklists and establishing action
plans. Burstingthebubble.com was developed by the
Domestic Violence and Incest Resource Centre
(DVIRC) in consultation with counsellors,
teachers, child protection professionals, and
teenagers in schools and youth refuges. The DVIRC
is a statewide resource centre for information
about domestic violence and sexual assault. For
information about the DVIRC visit
http//www.dvirc.org.au/ . The Centre is funded
by the Department of Human Services Victoria,
Australia. Burstingthebubble.com was launched by
the Minister of Victorian Communities, John
Thwaites, in October 2003.
10Evaluation Design
(1 of 4)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
The report draws on a purposive sample of 87
young people who completed an online survey and
identified themselves as experiencing family
violence, or seeking to help a family member or
friend experiencing domestic violence.
11Evaluation Design
(2 of 4)
- The evaluation of Burstingthebubble.com was
carried out collaboratively by the Centre for
Program Evaluation (CPE), of The University of
Melbourne, and the DVIRC. The CPE is a major
evaluation and teaching unit which undertakes
commissioned program evaluations on a consultancy
basis across a wide range of policy, program and
product areas. The evaluation took place between
June 2003 and December 2004. - Following extensive consultations between the
DVIRC and CPE three key objectives were
identified for the Burstingthebubble.com
evaluation. These were to - Learn what young people who experience family
violence think about the Burstingthebubble.com
website. This component of the evaluation was to
incorporate a specific focus on the effectiveness
of the website content in meeting the needs of
young people living with family violence - Discover if young people found Burstingthebubble.c
om to be a user friendly and engaging website.
This aspect of the evaluation was to focus on the
design of the website including ease of
navigation appropriateness of graphics
readability of information usability of quizzes
and checklists suggestions for improvement - Clarify if young people feel that websites are a
useful medium for communicating information on
issues of health, safety and wellbeing. With this
final component of the evaluation the DVIRC and
Victorian Government sought to explore
assumptions regarding the efficacy of using
websites to provide information to young people.
12Evaluation Design
(3 of 4)
- Online Survey Component of the Evaluation
- This visual report provides feedback from an
online questionnaire designed to gather data for
the first of these three key evaluation
objectives. The data displayed in the report is
drawn from a purposive sample of 87 young people
who completed the online survey and identified
themselves as experiencing family violence at
home or as seeking to help a friend or family
member experiencing family violence. - The Burstingthebubble.com survey included 21
questions, of which 15 were close ended. Survey
questions focused on such matters as - Things liked or disliked about the website
- The degree to which the information on the
website was useful - The ways in which young people found the
information useful - Suggestions regarding information that was needed
but not provided on the website - The extent to which the website had improved the
young persons knowledge of support - services
- The extent to which the website motivated young
people to contact support services.
13Evaluation Design
(4 of 4)
The Burstingthebubble.com online survey was
developed by the CPE and DVIRC and piloted online
in mid 2003. Data was collected over a 12 month
period between October 2003 and October 2004. A
link provided on the Burstingthebubble website
and a popup box were used to invite users to
complete the survey. To view the online survey
click the following URL http//www.burstingthebub
ble.com/feedback.shtml. The evaluators
acknowledge that there are a number of
limitations associated with the use of online
surveys including (but not limited to) population
representativeness and difficulties ensuring
targeted respondents are those who actually
complete surveys (Granello and Wheaton 2003).
Nevertheless, for the purposes of this evaluation
the Burstingthebubble online survey has proved to
be an invaluable and highly successful way of
gaining feedback from an isolated and hard to
reach group. Focus Group Research
Component Readers are advised that the results
from twelve focus groups undertaken in Victorian
Government secondary schools for evaluation
objectives (2) and (3) are reported in the
booklet Young peoples views on designing
effective websites Learnings from
Burstingthebubble.com. To obtain a copy of the
booklet contact the DVIRC on 03 9486 9866.
14What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(1 of 9)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
It was very informative. Told me what I needed
to know.
I liked the fact that the quizzes analyze a
situation.
15What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(2 of 9)
- The clear message from the online survey has been
that respondents believe Burstingthebubble.com is
a valuable, engaging, and well designed website.
The key themes in participant responses were
regarding -
- The quality and usefulness of the information
on the website - The appropriateness of using quizzes, checklists
and stories - The sensitive and effective targeting of young
people - The supportive and counselling nature of the
website - The attractive and user-friendly website design.
- This section of the report also presents results
on how young people rated navigating the website
and the extent to which young people would
recommend Burstingthebubble.com to someone else.
Comments such as Its a great site are typical
of the responses provided by surveyparticipants
16What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(3 of 9)
Theme 1 The quality and usefulness of the
information on the website.
I liked everything really. Ive never been on a
site before which can really help me out.
It gives the options that a person has when it
comes to them leaving home.
The information seemed to be up-to-date and it
provided good links to other websites.
There is lots of info about what abuse is, who
it happens to and how you can get help.
Its got great resources for abused kids.
It was very informative. Told me what I needed
to know.
17What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(4 of 9)
Theme 2 The appropriateness of using quizzes,
checklists and stories.
The SOS quiz and the checklists are good because
they tell you what is wrong in your family.
Using true stories help this issue become more
realistic to teens.
The true stories help you to understand what
people went through and how they felt.
I liked the fact that the quizzes analyze a
situation.
18What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(5 of 9)
Theme 3 The sensitive and effective targeting
of young people.
The language used is at a level we can
understand. So it makes it an easy read while
still being very informative.
It relates to teenagers really well, making them
feel understood and welcome.
Gets things across in a way teenagers
understand.
Appropriate for teens. I dunno it just feels
comfortable.
19What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(6 of 9)
Theme 4 The supportive and counselling
nature of the website.
It helped me a lot mentally. And it made me
realize that some things that have gone on, are
not right. It helped me to understand things that
Ive always been afraid to mention or say to
friends and family. Thank you.
It gave me space and time to work through my
issues in my way. It asked the questions I'd been
denying needed to be answered.
Its useful how they have the stories about
other kids getting abused by there parents and
watching there mothers get pushed around. I
relate to some of the things they are saying and
now I know Im not the only one.
20What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(7 of 9)
Theme 5 The attractive and user-friendly
website design.
The coloring is great.
This website is very simple to use and it was
easy to find the information I needed.
Nice design. Young and fresh.
I like the cartoon characters and bubbles. Its
got great headings and I like the background.
21What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(8 of 9)
Ease of navigating Burstingthebubble.com
68 of survey respondents reported that
navigating Burstingthebubble.com was very easy
22What Young People Like About Burstingthebubble.com
(9 of 9)
Would survey participants recommend
Burstingthebubble.com to others?
98.5 of respondents indicated they would
recommend the site to someone that theythought
it might help
23How and Why Young People Use Burstingthebubble.com
(1 of 6)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
24How and Why Young People Use Burstingthebubble.com
(2 of 6)
Types of information survey participants were
looking for
Just under half the survey participants indicated
they were looking for information regarding
things happening at home (48.7)
25How and Why Young People Use Burstingthebubble.com
(3 of 6)
Other types of information survey participants
were looking for included
Information for a school pamphlet on how people
are affected (by abuse) and what organization to
contact.
Someone to talk to about my problem.
Getting out of home. Information about
alternative housing for under 17s.
I just wanted to have a look around in case I
need it in the years ahead.
Being sexually abused as a young child by a
family member who has since died.
Information about dealing with teen groups.
26How and Why Young People Use Burstingthebubble.com
(4 of 6)
The degree to which respondents found the
information they were looking for
61.6 of participants felt they had found all
or most of the information they were looking
for
27How and Why Young People Use Burstingthebubble.com
(5 of 6)
The degree to which the information on the
website was useful
81.3 of respondents found all or most of the
information they had accessed on
Burstingthebubble.com useful
28How and Why Young People Use Burstingthebubble.com
(6 of 6)
How participants plan to use the information
52 of survey respondents indicated that they
would use information on the website in
relation to abuse happening to them. 20 said
they would use the information in relation
to abuse happening to someone at home
29What People Dislike About Burstingthebubble.com
(1 of 2)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What users dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
I would like to know more about how the law can
protect victims of domestic violence.
Nothing! The Website was really cool.
30What People Dislike About Burstingthebubble.com
(2 of 2)
- There wasnt anything I didnt like! or similar
statements were offered by most respondents in
reply to an open survey question asking what
users didn't like about Burstingthebubble.com.
Of the small number of participants who indicated
dislikes the key themes were regarding - Providing more information on the website
- Problems with alert icons associated with the
SOS quiz (http//www.burstingthebubble.com/sos/sht
ml) - The desire to have access to an online
counsellor.
A clear majority of respondents indicated that
they didnt not like anything about the website
31What Young People Learn About Support Services
(1 of 4)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
32What Young People Learn About Support Services
(2 of 4)
Knowledge of support services before visiting the
website
65 of survey respondents indicated that they
knew a little or nothing about support
services before visiting Burstingthebubble.com
33What Young People Learn About Support Services
(3 of 4)
Knowledge of support services after visiting the
website
75 of participants felt that they knew a lot
or a fair amount about support services
after visiting Burstingthebubble.com
34What Young People Learn About Support Services
(4 of 4)
Likelihood that the respondent will now contact a
support service
37 of participants indicated they would
certainly or most likely contact a support
service. An equal number indicated they were
unsure but might contact a service
35Suggestions of how the Website can be Improved
(1 of 3)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
There should be online support. A person you can
talk to.
Maybe more cultures should be represented.
36Suggestions of how the Website can be Improved
(2 of 3)
Survey participants want more information about
Financial assistance How to get a youth
allowance through Centrelink.
Information on legal matters I want to know more
about how the law can protect victims of domestic
violence.
Contact details relating to sexual abuse Any
incest contacts. Rape related contacts.
Living away from home Ive been told to leave
home. I need to know what my choices are or any
further steps I can take when I do end up
leaving.
Support for children Id like to know is there
any helplines for kids aged 9-15 years?
Support groups and counsellors Support groups
and anonymous ones. Women's centres near where
I live. How counsellors work.
37Suggestions of how the Website can be Improved
(3 of 3)
Other suggestions offered by respondents include
Cultural representation Maybe also show people
from different cultures and backgrounds so we all
can have someone to relate to.
Online support I think it would help to have
online support. Not all the time but a person to
talk to and get advice from would help.
More pictures Its really good but maybe make it
stand out more with more pictures.
More stories I would like to hear more stories.
Maybe some that dont work out totally.
Define the sites purpose Say if this is just a
site or a place where teenage victims can
actually go.
Allow young people to contribute to the site How
do I give my experiences and stories so I can
help others?
38About the Survey Respondents
(1 of 7)
Contents
INTRODUCTION Acknowledgments Key findings of the
online survey About Burstingthebubble.com Evaluat
ion design FINDINGS What young people like about
Burstingthebubble.com How and why young people
use the website What young people dislike about
Burstingthebubble.com What young people learn
about support services Suggestions of how the
website can be improved About the survey
respondents
39About the Survey Respondents
(2 of 7)
Where young people were when they accessed the
website
Most survey respondents accessed the website from
home (45) or school (36)
40About the Survey Respondents
(3 of 7)
How survey participants found out about
Burstingthebubble.com
Just over half the respondents (52) discovered
Burstingthebubble.com by using an Internet
search engine
41About the Survey Respondents
(4 of 7)
Age of survey participants
Most participants were 13-17 years of age. This
is also the core group targeted by
Burstingthebubble.com
42About the Survey Respondents
(5 of 7)
Current activities undertaken by survey
participants
Six in ten people who completed the survey were
studying at secondary school (60)
43About the Survey Respondents
(6 of 7)
Gender of respondents
Survey participants were almost exclusively
female (93)
44About the Survey Respondents
(7 of 7)
Locality of the survey participants
38.7 of participants were from Victoria and 21
were from Queensland. Smaller but significant
numbers of respondents were from outside of
Australia (16)
45References
Granell, D. and Wheaton, J. 2003. Using the
Web-Based Surveys to Conduct Couselling Research,
Cybercounselling and Cyberlearning An Encore,
(ERIC). Indermaur, D. 2001. Young Australians and
Domestic Violence. Australian Institute of
Criminology Series Trends Issues 195.
Mullender, A., Hague, G., Imam, U., Kelly, L,
Malos, E., Regan, L. 2002. Children's
Perspectives on Domestic Violence. London Sage.