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)
• NES - Early Intervention Framework - Home (nhs.scot)

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. An RCT of Passport was conducted in Montreal, Canada.

• Read more about the evaluation studies
• Download a summary of our evaluation studies of Zippy's Friends and Apple's Friends
• Download a summary of the evaluation findings on Passport
• Download a summary of the evaluation of Zippy's Friends for Pupil's with Special Needs
• Read about the Evidence Base for SPARK Resilience