Enhancing Teen Pregnancy Prevention in Local Communities: Capacity Building Using the Interactive Systems Framework

Abstract

Getting To Outcomes (GTO), an innovative framework for planning, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining interventions has been shown to be effective in helping community-based organizations (CBOs) introduce science-based approaches into their prevention work. However, the Interactive Systems Framework (ISF) suggests that adopting innovations like GTO requires a significant amount of capacity building through training and technical assistance (T/TA). In this study, 11 CBOs and three schools in South Carolina entered into a 3 year program of intense and proactive T/TA based on the ISF to learn how to apply an adaptation of GTO (Promoting Science-Based Approaches-Getting To Outcomes, PSBA-GTO) to their teen pregnancy prevention programs. Using semi-structured interviews, the partnering organizations were assessed at three points in time, pre-T/TA, 12 months, and post T/TA (30 months) for their performance of the steps of GTO in their work. The seven organizations which participated in T/TA until the end of the project received an average of 76 h of TA and 112 h of training per organization. Interview results showed increased performance of all 10 steps of PSBA-GTO by these organizations when conducting their teen pregnancy programs. These results suggest targeted and proactive T/TA can successfully bridge the gap between research and practice by using a three part delivery system, as prescribed in the ISF, which relies on an intermediary prevention support system to ensure accurate and effective translation of research to the everyday work of community-based practitioners.

Toward an Evidence‐Based System for Innovation Support for Implementing Innovations with Quality: Tools, Training, Technical Assistance, and Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement

“…Other capacities include funds for travel (Salyers et al 2007), computer equipment and software for electronic communications (Cowley and Good 2010), and capacities for analyzing and using data (Cowley and Good 2010) Develop a plan (GTO step 6) TA planning addresses the ''who, what, where, when, and how'' of conducting TA. As an example of a promising approach to TA planning, the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy developed a Proactive TA Plan that includes action steps for TA, target end dates, individuals responsible for action steps, and indicators for determining the accomplishment of action steps (Duffy et al 2012) Implementation and process evaluation (GTO step 7) An important component of a TA plan is documentation of tasks and responsibilities for both TA providers and recipients (Feinberg et al 2004).…”

“…Unfortunately, TA plans are often developed and used in a climate of limited evidence about how TA plans should be structured and used. As an example of a promising approach to TA planning, the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy developed a Proactive TA Plan that includes action steps for TA, target end dates, individuals responsible for action steps, and indicators for determining the accomplishment of action steps (Duffy et al 2012) Implementation and process evaluation (GTO step 7)…”

What strategies are used to build practitioners’ capacity to implement community-based interventions and are they effective?: a systematic review

“…Opportunities for peer networking included bringing practitioners together to learn from each other via in-person trainings and TA sessions [ 28 , 30 – 32 ], interactive conference calls [ 33 ], and web-based discussion forums [ 34 ]. Many of the capacity-building interventions provided incentives to motivate practitioners to participate in the capacity-building intervention or to adopt and implement EBIs, such as scholarships to participate in trainings [ 31 ], mandating participation in training as a requirement for funding [ 35 ], or provision of free resources (e.g., sunscreen to pool staff) [ 24 ].…”

“…Authors provided almost no information on TA dosage in 15 studies. Authors did provide data on TA frequency (e.g., bi-weekly [ 29 ]) but not overall amount in three studies, overall amount of TA provided but not frequency (e.g., average of 76.2 h of TA per organization [ 31 ]) in five studies, and data on both the frequency and amount of TA provided in six studies. In some studies, authors provided overall exposure scores that combined dosage of training and TA with use of tools (e.g., Chinman et al, [ 20 ]).…”

Practical Implementation Science: Developing and Piloting the Quality Implementation Tool

“…Wandersman et al (2012) provide several tools that can be used for an assessment of training needs including: (1) an organizational analysis to collect information about the host setting (McGehee and Thayer 1961); (2) a task analysis to identify the specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are to be cultivated through training (Carnevale et al 1990); (3) a person analysis to identify the characteristics of training participants (Noe 2010), and; (4) a value analysis to ensure that the potential benefits of the training outweigh its costs (Bramley and Kitson 1994). In addition, the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has developed TA assessment tools (Duffy et al 2012).…”