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Identifying facilitators and barriers to implementing the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System in Miami-Dade County, USA: a qualitative study
  1. Esther Lee1,
  2. Briana A Scott2,
  3. Hsing-Fang Hsieh2,
  4. Marc Zimmerman3,
  5. Amy Rusch1,
  6. Justin Heinze1
  1. 1Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
  2. 2Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
  3. 3Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
  1. Correspondence to Esther Lee; esylee{at}umich.edu

Abstract

Background Multiple anonymous reporting systems (ARS) have been implemented to prevent school violence and improve school climate. This study examines the facilitators and barriers to implementation and the role and usability of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (SS-ARS).

Methods 10 qualitative interviews with key staff and administrators from intervention schools in the Miami-Dade County School District were conducted between July and December 2020. Using a thematic framework analysis of interview transcripts, we identified major themes related to the SS-ARS.

Results Students used the SS-ARS to report issues related to violence, mental health and substance use. The SS-ARS provided training and safe reporting channels, enabling prompt responses from administrators. Successful anonymous reporting system implementation requires ongoing training for students and personnel, a multidisciplinary response team and integration into a comprehensive school safety effort.

Conclusion Our study highlights key facilitators and barriers to implementing ARS in schools, offering three takeaways for practitioners: (1) include ongoing training for students and personnel, (2) establish a multidisciplinary team to respond to reports and integrate ARS into a comprehensive safety effort and (3) encourage reporting on a range of concerns. Interviews were conducted with school personnel, with findings primarily reflecting their perspectives, thereby limiting the ability to generalise the findings to students. Although conducted in schools within Miami-Dade County, an urban US county, the findings may be relevant for practitioners implementing ARS or similar initiatives in educational settings globally, given the ubiquity of violence and mental health issues among adolescents.

  • Violence
  • Adolescent
  • Qualitative research
  • Education
  • Interventions

Data availability statement

Data are available on reasonable request. Data are available on request.

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Data availability statement

Data are available on reasonable request. Data are available on request.

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Footnotes

  • Contributors All authors contributed to the manuscript. EL and BAS conducted the qualitative data analysis and drafted the initial manuscript. All authors (EL, BAS, H-FH, MZ, AR and JH) interpreted the results and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted. EL is responsible for the overall content as guarantor. Grammarly was used for text editing, including clarity and grammar.

  • Funding This work was supported by the National Institute of Justice, grant number 2017-CK-BX-0002.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.