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Opportunities and Challenges in Community-based Violence Prevention. Begun Center for Violence Prevention, Research and Education February 12, 2014. Begun Center Focus. Applied community-based work that seeks to bridge the gap between science and practice.
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Opportunities and Challenges in Community-based Violence Prevention Begun Center for Violence Prevention, Research and Education February 12, 2014
Begun Center Focus Applied community-based work that seeks to bridge the gap between science and practice. Working with partners to demonstrate the impact of research through: • significant behavioral outcomes • improved systems • effective policy We do these things through……
Begun Center Core Activities • Evaluating program outcomes • Promoting evidence-based best practices • Changing policy based on research • Consultation and technical assistance • Quality data management & analysis • Mentoring of young scholars • Training practitioners and researchers • Dissemination of findings
Begun Center areas of Research • Justice system involved youth and adults • Diversion to treatment, reentry, drug courts • Children exposed to violence/ Defending Childhood Initiative • Mental health and substance use • Treatment outcomes • Systems of Care • School-based violence prevention • Safe schools/Healthy Students • School-based mental health services, safety, bullying • Law enforcement initiatives • STANCE/ PSN/ Police Assisted Referral • Fugitive Safe Surrender • Community based initiatives • MyCom youth development • Stokes youth violence prevention consortium
Challenges of Effective Evaluation of Interventions • Fragmentation of the Field (research vs. providing services) • Urgency of Service Delivery Precludes Planning and Experimental Control • Vague Definition of Models of Intervention • Measures Often Come From Administrative Records rather than Direct Assessments or Observation • Limited Resources
Before you get started • Be at the table from the beginning • Who developed the model? • Why recreate the wheel? • Don’t do everything all at once • Think about sustainability up front • Know your audience • Informed consent • Translate data into everyday practice
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS? • WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CHANGE? • WHAT DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE? • WHY? What is a problem for us locally?
DOING THE EVALUATION • 1. CLEAR PROGRAM GOALS, OBJECTIVES • 2.DETERMINE HOW IT WORKS • 3. SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION • Resources matter • • Multi--trait, multi-method • 4. DECIDE ON RESEARCH DESIGN • 5.IMPLEMENT THE EVALUATION • 6. ANALYZE THE DATA • Who is the audience? • • Go back to your goals and objectives • 7. DISSEMINATE THE FINDINGS
Challenges to Implementation • Science and practice have differing orientations and training. • Funding priorities differ by source, length • Resource constraints (back to research vs. service delivery) • System level barriers (sharing information, target populations) • Lack of community readiness • Who is the one seeking out the funding? • Who is the one responsible for writing/submitting the proposal? Morrissey, 1997; Macdonald 1999; Blueprints, 2001
System Challenges • Accuracy of administrative records vs. direct assessments or observation • Not implementing program as intended • Not used to collaborating with researchers, service providers, planners • Initiatives are more complicated, multi-layered, multi-system for federal funding • Identifying best practices vs. local needs • Sustainability when grant money is gone • Resources(Again)
Every day challenges • Competing goals and interests • Research vs. Reality • Gaining access= TRUST • Communication and scheduling • Information sharing (HIPAA) • Staff with skill sets to be successful
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) “ Security and privacy standards can promote higher quality care by assuring customers that their personal health information will be protected from inappropriate uses and disclosures” • Increased attention to requirements for active consent and full disclosure regarding access and sharing
More Ongoing Challenges • Adequate Control • Sample Attrition • Null or negative Findings • Agency staff and capacity • Community capacity, willingness • Contracts • Increased culture of being audited • Effectiveness viewed as cost-benefit vs. improved behavior outcomes
Playing politics • Control of resources • Control of data and information • Who gets the credit, who takes the blame? • What if the data aren’t positive? • Who are you and why do we have to do this anyway? • Whose fault will it be when it’s over? • It’s always about the money
Opportunities • Changing practice based on evidence • MST, ICT, high fidelity wraparound • Changing the evidence (or the questions we ask) based on practice • Increased accountability and evaluation • Changing policy • (juvenile justice, gun violence, EBPs) • Get funding for what works • (BHJJ, drug courts) • Long-term system change