Evaluation of the Foundations: 12 Dialogues Programme

This report presents an evaluation of the Foundations: 12 Dialogues programme, developed to enable a range of frontline professionals in education, youth work, social work and allied fields to be able to hold meaningful conversations with boys and young men around being a man, masculinity, personal safety and being safe to be around. The Foundations: 12 Dialogues programme is delivered by Michael Conroy the Founder/Director of Men at Work CIC. This training and resource package has been evolving around the country since 2018, training around 2000 participants to date.

Commissioned by Men at Work CIC and Worcestershire County Council, this programme evaluation of Foundations: 12 Dialogues was conducted between January 2026 and June 2026 by researchers from Criminology at the University of Worcester. Training participants from the past two years were contacted by the organisational gatekeeper with a link to an online survey. A mixed research method was used combining both quantitative and more in depth qualitative elements in line with the aims and focus of the evaluation.

This evaluation is particularly valuable given the government’s latest Violence Against Women and Girls strategy 2025-2030 (Home Office, 2025) and an emphasis on prevention. This strategy and political prioritisation accepts that society needs to address the root causes of abuse, including the cultural normalisations and misogynist attitudes that enable violence and abuse (ibid., 9). To this end, the government’s strategy is built on objectives, including the prevention and early intervention to address the root causes of abuse. Foundations: 12 Dialogues would appear to respond to this prioritisation well.