Evidence and Impact
Zippy’s Friends has been recognised as an effective programme by:
- World Health Organization
- Early Intervention Foundation
- European Portal for Investing in Children (EPIC)
- National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP)
- OECD Report 'Health at a Glance: Europe 2018'
- Canadian Best Practices Portal
- European Commission for Good Practices in Mental Health and Wellbeing
- The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Our programmes are based on scientific evidence which show that they work. Zippy’s Friends has been evaluated through a number of randomised control trials (RCTs) – the ‘gold standard’ of research – in a variety of cultures. Several reports of the results have been published as articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Results
The results from the evaluation studies have been remarkably consistent, and have shown:
- Increased coping skills
- Better social skills
- Increased emotional literacy
- Improved class climate
- Less bullying
Major studies
RCTs and quasi-experimental evaluations of Zippy’s Friends and Apple’s Friends have been carried out in Denmark, Lithuania, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, the UK and Czech Republic.
