Supporting the applicability and transferability of the “Sortir Ensemble & Se Respecter” program in France

Abstract

The prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) among young people is a major challenge for public policies. Nevertheless, there are a few prevention programs that have proven effective in France. “Sortir Ensemble & Se Respecter” (SE&SR) is a Swiss adaptation of “Safe Dates,” an American intervention program that has reduced violent behavior by young perpetrators and victims of IPV alike. The aim of this article is to analyze the applicability and “potential transferability” of SE&SR in France. We described the SE&SR intervention by explaining the intervention theory, the key functions (i.e., the “ingredients” allowing the SE&SR program to work), and we commented on its applicability from a perspective of adapting and transferring it to the French context. We used the ASTAIRE tool and the FIC (key functions, implementation, context) approach. The intervention theory highlighted various factors, acting at the individual level (i.e., beliefs/representations, knowledge, life skills) and at the level of the living environment (i.e., facilities welcoming young people; families; public policies; networks of actors), that can prevent IPV among young people. Ten key functions have been identified, revealing the “skeleton” of the Swiss intervention. We drew on these results to comment on the intervention’s applicability, with a view to transferability, specifying the contextual elements to consider before implementing SE&SR in France. This study aims to make the process of evaluating applicability, with a view to transferring an evidence-based program to the French context, more accessible.