ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we introduce the KiVa anti-bullying programme (www.kivaprogram.net) which was developed at the University of Turku, Finland in 2006 with funding from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture (at that time, Ministry of Education) and then widely implemented in elementary and middle schools across the country. We first provide an overview of the historical situation in which the programme development was initiated, along with the theoretical underpinnings and empirical research the programme was based on. The key elements of the KiVa programme – universal actions, indicated actions, and monitoring – are introduced and evaluation findings from randomized controlled trials are summarized. Finally, we focus on the large-scale implementation of the programme in Finnish schools, and especially on the challenge of sustainability.
