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Sustaining the Utilization and High Quality Implementation of Tested and Effective Prevention Programs Using the Communities That Care Prevention System

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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

This paper describes the extent to which communities implementing the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system adopt, replicate with fidelity, and sustain programs shown to be effective in reducing adolescent drug use, delinquency, and other problem behaviors. Data were collected from directors of community-based agencies and coalitions, school principals, service providers, and teachers, all of whom participated in a randomized, controlled evaluation of CTC in 24 communities. The results indicated significantly increased use and sustainability of tested, effective prevention programs in the 12 CTC intervention communities compared to the 12 control communities, during the active phase of the research project when training, technical assistance, and funding were provided to intervention sites, and 2 years following provision of such resources. At both time points, intervention communities also delivered prevention services to a significantly greater number of children and parents. The quality of implementation was high in both conditions, with only one significant difference: CTC sites were significantly more likely than control sites to monitor the quality of implementation during the sustainability phase of the project.

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Notes

  1. While agency and coalition interviews occurred in the fall of 2006 and 2009 and teacher surveys occurred in the spring of 2007 and 2010, we refer to the two data collection time points as 2007 and 2010.

  2. A list of the programs included on the CRD surveys is available upon request from Blair Brook-Weiss (bbrooke@u.washington.edu) at the Social Development Research Group.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01 DA015183-03) with co-funding from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The content of this paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies. The authors gratefully acknowledge the on-going participation in the study and data collection efforts of the residents of the 24 communities described in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Abigail A. Fagan

  2. Social Development Research Group, University of Washington School of Social Work, 9725 3rd Ave. NE, Suite 401, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA

    Koren Hanson, John S. Briney & J. David Hawkins

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  1. Abigail A. Fagan
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  2. Koren Hanson
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  3. John S. Briney
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  4. J. David Hawkins
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Correspondence to Abigail A. Fagan.

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Fagan, A.A., Hanson, K., Briney, J.S. et al. Sustaining the Utilization and High Quality Implementation of Tested and Effective Prevention Programs Using the Communities That Care Prevention System. Am J Community Psychol 49, 365–377 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-011-9463-9

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