Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Safe at Home Program

The goals of the pilot RCT examining the potential effectiveness of the Safe at Home program in DRC are to: 1. Determine the potential effectiveness of Safe at Home program on improvements of family functioning and secondary outcomes of reductions in intimate partner violence and child maltreatment 2. Determine the potential effectiveness of the Safe at Home program on changes in pathway outcomes such as attitudes towards harsh discipline, gender attitudes, power-sharing, positive parenting practices, etc.

For the pilot RTC, quantitative data will be collected from up to 420 individuals participating in the Safe at Home program in the North Kivu, DRC. The 420 individuals comprising the study population will be 210 couples, of which both the male and female partners will be asked to participate in the study. After baseline data collection is completed, within each of the four sites where the program will occur in North Kivu, DRC, two groups of couples will be formed (n=8 groups total). Each group will be formed based on geographical proximity and will mirror real-life implementation of the program and ensure high fidelity to program design and limit contamination or spillover of Safe at Home to the control groups. Groups will then be randomized to receive Safe at Home in Cycle 1 or be waitlisted to receive Safe at Home in Cycle 2. After randomization is completed the Cycle 1 programming will commence. Following a waiting period of 3 months after the program ends, the endline survey will be administered. Subsequently Cycle 2 cohort will receive programming.