Project Details
Sustainable Infrastructure in Support of Quality Field-Based Practice
Description
INTRODUCTION: A key aspect of building and maintaining infrastructure is ensuring that programs are implemented as intended, are sustainable, and that lessons learned can be applied to other projects. The identification of key program and quality management activities in established programs is an important strategy for ensuring both fidelity and sustainability and for developing evidence-based practices from the field.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: The overall goal of this two year project is to develop strategies that support, improve, and sustain best practice in local programs. For Family and School Support Teams (FASST), this translates into articulating elements of best practice for the purpose of clearly defining and improving fidelity to the FASST model. For the Children’s Board, this includes maximizing its infrastructure investment by developing strategies for building the evidence base around successful local practice. Objectives of this project are: 1) To validate and provide evidence to strengthen the current FASST program through the application of current evidence related to children’s mental health services and community-based interventions; 2) To develop, define, integrate, and utilize implementation best practices to improve practitioner skills and judgment in FASST program implementation; 3) To analyze FASST implementation in the context of the broader agency and system infrastructure; and 4) To document the process, outcomes, and lessons learned in creating program development guidelines and tools that will assist the Children’s Board in their efforts to develop research-grounded field-based practices within a framework that will maintain fidelity.
METHODS:The qualitative research design of this project will utilize a variety of data collection techniques, including concept mapping activities and semi-structured interviews with administrators, managers, direct service staff and families; direct observation; extensive document and literature review; and documented aggregate outcome data.
PARTICIPATION: The Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, the Family and School Support Teams (FASST) program, and its provider agencies (the Children’s Home, Northside Mental Health Center, Mental Health Care and the Hispanic Services Council) will participate in this research project. Participation of organizations, as well as individuals, will be entirely voluntary.
RESULTS AND BENEFITS: Capacity building and strengthening of FASST’s infrastructure will improve access, availability, and quality of FASST services for children and families in Hillsborough County. A broad group of stakeholders will benefit from the project. These stakeholders include the Children’s Board and its various programs, schools within Hillsborough County, the learning community as a whole, and the children and families these groups aim to serve. Some products to be developed throughout this project include an institutional library of FASST products, intervention and implementation fidelity measures, and toolkits for assessing and developing an evidence base for community practice.
PRODUCTS
SIP Concept Mapping Report 10-23-07
This document reports on a concept mapping process conducted with the FASST Oversight Committee in Hillsborough County, FL. Concept mapping is a mixed?method research technique that combines group brainstorming with individual responses to collect and analyze information from participants. Concept mapping was used to identify key features of FASST intervention that create or support positive change for children and families.
This concept mapping process was conducted as part of Phase I of the Sustainable Infrastructure Project (SIP). The purpose of this study is to develop strategies that support, improve and sustain best practice in local programs. SIP addresses community concern and a unique challenge for communities: many long?standing community?based programs and practices have not been formally established as evidence?based.
The goal of Phase I is to define the FASST model through the identification of core intervention components. Concept mapping provided the opportunity to explore FASST Oversight Committee understanding of FASST intervention strategies.
SIP Phase I Report 11-30-07
This document reports on Phase I of SIP. The purpose of Phase I was twofold: 1) to examine the community context and infrastructure in which FASST operates; and 2) to define the FASST community?based model through the identification of core intervention components. The goal of Phase I was to determine what core intervention components establish the FASST model and contribute to its success.