Q & A Session
AssessmentProfile population needs, resources, and readiness to
address needs and gapsEvaluationMonitor, evaluate, sustain, and
improve or replace those that failImplementationImplement
evidence-based prevention programs and activitiesPlanningDevelop a
Comprehensive Strategic PlanCapacityMobilize and/or build capacity
to address needsThe ProcessTrust the Process
ReviewAssessment Key conceptsHow does it inform other
stepsCapacity Key conceptsHow does it inform other steps
Step 1. Assessment
Module OverviewUnder the SPF, counties assess:
Population needs
Available resources
Community readiness
Assessing Population NeedsLooks at the patterns and effects of
substance abuse in particular populations.
Begins at the State level
Based on State-level EPI data
Assessing Population NeedsA State may identify one problem for
all communities to address.
Or, counties may choose from among several options. Either way,
counties need to collect additional data.
Assessing Population NeedsWhy is local assessment critical?
To change a problem locally, you must understand it. Only then
can you identify the best way to solve it.
Assessing Population NeedsConsequences
Describe the effects of misuseConsumption Patterns
Describe how people use or misuse substances
Assessing Population NeedsConsequences and Consumption : Up
Close and Personal
Who uses alcohol?Where is it happening?What kinds of problems
does underage drinking and binge drinking cause?
Assessing Population NeedsXXX
Assessing Population NeedsTypes of Data
Quantitative
Qualitative
Taking StockSee what the State has collectedLook for existing
survey dataCollect new data
Setting Priorities
Setting PrioritiesMagnitude
AlcoholOxycontin
Setting PrioritiesChangeability
AlcoholOxycontin
Setting PrioritiesImpact
OxycontinAlcohol
Setting PrioritiesConcentration
GirlsBoys
Setting PrioritiesTime Lapse
HeroinSmoking
Assessing Risk & Protective FactorsEach substance abuse
problem has its own set of risk and protective factors.
Factors driving a problem in one county may differ from factors
driving it in another county.
Assessing Risk & Protective FactorsEffective, prevention
strategies must address the underlying factors driving a
problem.
Assessing ResourcesWhat resources are available?
Where are the gaps?
Assessing ResourcesIdentified NeedsAvailable Resources
Assessing ResourcesResources include:
StaffFinancial supportSound organizational structure . . .
Assessing ResourcesResources also include:
County efforts to address prevention issuesCounty
awarenessPractical experienceKnowledge of local politics and
policies
Assessing Community ReadinessCommunity Readiness
Willingness to engage in and support prevention efforts
Cultural Competence and AssessmentInvolving representatives
across sectors
Collecting information in appropriate ways
Looking in your own backyard
Sustainability and AssessmentEngage key stakeholders
Track data sources
Share assessment findings
Step 2.Building Capacity
What is Capacity?Capacity refers to:
Types and levels of resources available to maintain a prevention
system
Readiness to commit resources to address prevention needs
What is Capacity?Capacity-building can include:
Forming partnerships
Strengthening county prevention systems
Increasing county awareness
Cultural Competency and CapacityBroad cultural representation is
key to sustaining prevention efforts in the long-term
Sustainability and CapacitySkills Required:Increase
participation and membership
Build leadership
Enhance cultural competence
Improve organizational management and development
Step 3.Planning
Planning TasksStart with the problem and data
Prioritize intervening variables
Select evidence-based approaches
Planning TasksIdentify measurable outcomes
Create an Action Plan and Logic Model
Consider cultural competency and sustainability
Prioritizing Intervening Variables
Change Intervening Variables
Change Substance Abuse Problems
Prioritizing Intervening Variables
Underage Drinking
Retail AvailabilitySocialAvailabilityLaw Enforcement
Prioritizing Intervening VariablesChangeabilityDo we have the
capacity to change this intervening variable?
ImportanceHow important is this intervening variable in reducing
the problem?
Selecting StrategiesFederal registries Research or experts in
the field (NIAAA, NIDA)Evidence-Based Practice Workgroup, a
subcommittee of the SPF SIG Advisory Council
What is a Logic Model?Ensures that no step along the way will be
overlookedExplains the work you are doingIt is the approachLets
others know:Where you are goingHow you are getting thereHow you are
measuring progressHow you will know when you arrived
Logic Model
Action PlanDescribes how the strategies will meet its objectives
along with the action steps Delineates responsibilities for
achieving the outcomes in your strategic planGives organization to
the processPromotes accountability
Cultural Competence and PlanningEngage various populations in
the planning processConsider cultural perspectives when selecting
evidence-based strategiesLook at cultural perspective on
intervening variableshow they may be viewed in different
cultures
Sustainability and PlanningProvides a Comprehensive PlanHelps
build a strong coalitionFocuses on population level changeAttracts
funders for future work
Step 4.Implementation
Overview of ImplementationAction Plan ReviewFidelity and
adaptationFactors that influence implementationCultural competence
and sustainability
Implementing Your Action Plan
Action PlanWhat you expect to accomplish Your approachAction
stepsPeople responsible for completing action stepsTimeline
Planting Seeds for EBP ImplementationIncrease county awareness
of problemExpandinternal andexternalpartnershipsneeded
forEBPIntroduce strategies to partners and key stakeholders
Fidelity refers to the degree to which a strategy is
implemented. Strategies that are implemented with fidelity are most
likely to achieve their expected outcomes. In other words, they are
most likely to be effective.Fidelity
AdaptationAdaptation - How much, and in what ways, a program is
changed to meet local circumstances
Guidelines for Adaptation
Consult the experts
Retain core components
Adhere to evidence-based principles
Select strategies with the best initial fit
Change capacity before changing strategy
Be consistent with evidence-based principles
Add, rather than subtractGuidelines for Adaptation
Barriers to ImplementationOngoing needs for training and
informationLack of feedbackMiscommunication
How can we break through?
Breaking Down the BarriersOffer training and supportGive
meaningful tasksKeep people informed Clear communicationRecognize
coalition/ Collaboration Council members
Cultural Competence and Implementation Effective cultural
adaptation is important to implementation
Sustainability and ImplementationGood implementation involves
the communityWhat about sustainability?
Environmental Strategy Overview
What Are Environmental Strategies?Environmental Strategies
reduce problems associated with the use of alcohol through changes
in the physical, social, legal, and economic environment
Why Are They Effective?Once in place, many environmental
strategies can have immediate effects on availability
Policy changes do not depend on a constant influx of dollars to
keep them going
Why Are They Effective?
Changes in the legal, economic and social structures that affect
substance use foster shifts in both individual attitudes and
community norms
Local people solve local problems best
People support what they help create
Holding young people solely responsible for underage drinking is
like holding fish responsible for dying in a polluted stream.
Additional InformationThe Evidence-Based Practices Workgroup
Identified environmental strategies
IDPH will fund the implementation of these strategies by SPF SIG
counties
The list of approved strategies will be provided to counties
during the regional training
Step 5.Evaluation
EvaluationMeasures the impact of the SPF and the implementation
of strategies, programs, policies and practices
Evaluation Helps CountiesDescribe what they plan to doMonitor
what they are doingImprove servicesDetermine which efforts to
sustain
Five Functions of
EvaluationImprovementCoordinationAccountabilityCelebrationSustainability
Measuring Population-Level ChangeIndividual-Level vs.
Population
Process and Outcome Process EvaluationDocumenting strategy
implementation
Outcome EvaluationDocumenting effects that you expect to achieve
after the strategy is implemented
*Process Evaluation
If-Then RelationshipsUnderlying a logic model is a series of
if-then relationships that express the programs theory of change IF
then IF then IF then IF then IF then IF thenSample: Watertown Talk
It Up, Lock It Up Media Campaign
*Outcome EvaluationOver the duration of the strategy, to what
extent has:
School attendance improved?
Community-wide prevention awareness activities changed adult
norms about substance use?
Youth substance use decreased?
Evaluation vs. Monitoring
Cultural Competency and EvaluationInvolve cultural groups in
choosing appropriate evaluation methodsKeep the county engaged
after data has been collected by involving them in interpretation
and dissemination of results
Sustainability and EvaluationMonitors progress and provides
regular feedbackHelps provide a system for continuous
improvementTracks county trendsProvides a way for counties to share
their stories and results with stakeholders
How successful was the county in selecting and implementing
appropriate strategies?Were these the right strategies?Were
stakeholders involved? Were new partners identified? What was the
quality of the data?Evaluate the Entire Planning Process
Features of a SPF EvaluationMeasures population changeMeasures
change across multiple strategies and settingsEvaluates the entire
planning processIs collaborative
***Welcome to Step 1: Assessment.
*To support prevention planning, the SPF asks communities to
assess three things:
Population needs, including levels of substance abuse and
related problems;Available resources to support prevention efforts;
and Community readiness to address identified prevention problems
or needs.
In this module, well discuss each of these items separately.
Well also look at the relationship of cultural competence and
sustainability to assessmenthow these principles can support
assessment efforts and how assessment contributes to cultural
competence and sustainability.
Well wait until the next module, which focuses on capacity
building, to discuss ways to mobilize and/or strengthen the
resources you have identified.*So, lets start with assessing
population needs. In the substance abuse prevention world,
population-level needs assessment looks at the patterns and effects
of substance abuse in particular populations.
Assessing population needs begins at the State level. Under the
SPF, each State is expected to identify one or more substance abuse
prevention problems that it wants to address. These priority
problems are selected following a careful review of epidemiological
data collected at the State level.
*In some cases, the State identifies one priority problem and
expects all communities to address it through their local efforts.
In other cases, communities may be asked to choose from among
several priority problems.
In either case, communities will need to collect additional
data, either to better understand the problem identified by the
State, or to help them decide which of several State-identified
problems they should tackle.
*But why is local assessment so important?
To change a problem locally, you need to understand what it
looks like in your community and the factors that drive it. A
comprehensive understanding of the problem will help you identify
the most effective strategies for addressing it.
*As we described in the introduction, problems can be thought
about in terms of consequences and consumption patterns.
Consequences describe the effects of misuse. Some examples of
consequences are alcohol poisoning, alcoholrelated traffic crashes,
and illness or confusion in older adults.
Consumption patterns describe how people within a specific group
use or misuse substances. For example, binge drinking among 18-25
year olds describes a consumption pattern. So does older people who
mix alcohol with their medications.
*It may be helpful to think about consumption patterns and
consequences in terms of underage drinking. This is a serious
problem in many communitiesbut what does it look like in your
community? Which subpopulations use alcohol? Pre-teens? High-school
dropouts? Where is it happening? On school property? At the beach?
In the woods? Has underage drinking led to high rates of
alcohol-related fatalities? Alcohol poisoning? School-related
alcohol problems?
Who and where describe consumption patterns. The effects are the
consequences.*Consider this example:
A State has high rates of motor vehicle crashes. But, according
to State data, these problems arent distributed evenly across the
State. Three towns in the northern region have rates four times
higher than the State average. If you look more closely at these
towns, you will also notice that alcohol consumption rates for
males 18-24 are much higher than for other groups. In addition,
binge drinking rates for this group of males is twice the State
rate. Based on these data, you may want to be targeting males ages
18-24 with your prevention programs.
Understanding whats going on at the local level is key to
developing an effective prevention plan. Looking at local-level
data will help you better define your problem and may reveal
consumption patterns. You will need this kind of information to
select an appropriate prevention approach.*Determining consumption
patterns and consequences requires data. There are two basic kinds
of dataquantitative and qualitative. Often, communities use a
combination of qualitative and quantitative data to get a good
handle on their local substance abuse problems.
Quantitative data are usually reported numerically. An example
of quantitative data is the percentage of car crashes caused by
teens who have been drinking.
Sources of quantitative data include counting, checklists,
surveys, and analysis of statistics.
Qualitative data are usually reported in words. Sources of
qualitative data include stories, case studies, testimonials, and
focus groups.*But, before you embark on a major data collection
undertaking, take stock of the information already available to
you. There may be more than you think.
First, see what kinds of data the State has collected on your
community. For example, it may have created a community profile for
your town, based on epidemiological data it has collected.
Next, look for existing survey data that might provide the local
information youre looking for. For example, information about teen
drinking patterns is collected on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey,
or YRBS. And many communities routinely administer this survey. Its
likely that yours does, too.
But what if your community doesnt administer the YRBS? Or, what
if youre looking for information that isnt collected on this
survey? If this is the case, then you may need to collect new
data.
To fill in holes, you may want to look at qualitative data,
collected through focus groups or key informant interviews. Or, you
may decide to develop a survey to collect quantitative data.
There are pros and cons to different data collection methods.
These are described in our online toolkit. But, as a general rule,
keep in mind that while not all data are of the same quality,
sometimes good enough is ok. And sometimes its all that you can
afford.
*Once you have collected and reviewed the consequence and
consumption data, you will need a process for setting priorities.
As nice as it would be to address all of your substance abuse
problems, chances are you only have the resources to tackle some of
them.
When setting priorities, communities find it helpful to analyze
their data according to four criteria. *The first is magnitude.
Magnitude describes the number of people affected by a problem. So,
for example, suppose that more youth in your community use alcohol
than Oxycontin. If magnitude were your only assessment criteria,
you might choose to focus your prevention efforts on alcohol use,
rather than Oxycontin use. *But magnitude isnt your only criteria.
You also want to look at changeability.
Changeability describes how easily a problem can be changed. In
assessing changeability, ask: Do you know that the problem has been
successfully changed in the past? Or if there any evidence-based
interventions available to address the problem?
Since there are many more evidence-based interventions that
address alcohol use than address oxycontin use, if changeability
were your main criteria, you might still focus your efforts on
alcohol use. *And then theres impact.
Impact describes the depth of a problem across a variety of
dimensions, such as health, economic or criminal. So, for example,
comparing alcohol and oxycontin use again, oxycontin has more legal
ramifications because users typically break the law to get it. In
this sense, oxycontin use has a greater impact than alcohol
use.
*Another criteria to consider when setting priorities is
concentration or, more specifically, how concentrated the problem
is in a specific population. This is important because it may be
easier to produce results if you target a specific population group
with your efforts.
For example, data may show that rates of underage drinking are
decreasing for teenage boysbut increasing for teenage girls. You
might decide, then, to target teenage girls. *Finally, you want to
look at the time lapse between consumption behavior and
consequence.
Time lapse describes the amount of time that elapses between
consumption and consequence. This can be very different depending
on the substance. For example, heroin overdose may be less frequent
than tobacco-related deaths, but the time lapse between consumption
of heroin and heroin-related death is much shorter than the time
between smoking and developing lung cancer.
And why is this important? Well if you want to show that you are
having an impact within a set timeframe, you want to select a
problem that you can realistically change within that time frame.
Trying to show a reduction in cancer rates within five years will
be much more difficult than showing a reduction in heroin use.*Once
youve selected your prevention priorities, you will need to assess
the factors driving the problem. Each substance abuse prevention
problem has its own set of risk and protective factors.
However, the factors driving a problem in one community may
differ from the factors driving it in another community. *One of
the most important lessons learned from prevention research is
that, in order to be effective, prevention strategies must address
the underlying factors driving a problem. It doesnt matter how
carefully you implement a program. If its not a good match for the
problem, its not going to work.
So, if your problem is underage drinking, and the underlying
factor contributing to this problem in your community is easy
access to alcohol, your may decide to develop an intervention that
addresses youth access. The best mentoring program in the world, on
its own, will not have an impact on your problem. *In addition to
assessing population needs, youll also need to assess available
resources. In other words, what resources are available to address
your priority problems? And where are the gaps?
Communities take a big step toward effective prevention when
they conduct a systematic resource assessment. It gives you a
chance to address any gaps, in advance. It also may alert you to
cultural resourcessuch as clubs, faith-based organizations, and
task forcesthat you will certainly want involved in future
planning.
*Assessing resources is a key step in making a realistic match
between identified needs and available resources.
Imagine that your local data show that enforcement of underage
drinking laws is a central factor in youth alcohol use and abuse.
You conduct a resource assessment. It reveals that, while your
coalitions relationship with parents and teachers is positive, your
relationship with the police force is tenuous, at best.
So . . . how far do you think your coalition will get trying to
advance an enforcement strategy without the support of the police?
Establishing a good working relationship with the police is the
first step in strengthening enforcement. It might not be so
important for a mentoring program, but its key to enforcement!
*When people hear the word resources, they often think of staff,
financial support, and sound organizational structure. And theyre
right.
*But substance abuse prevention resources also include:
community efforts to address prevention issues,community
awareness of those efforts,specialized knowledge about prevention
research, theory and practice,practical experience working with
particular populations,and knowledge of the ways local politics and
policies help or hinder prevention efforts.
Clearly, you cant assess every resource in town. So youll want
to focus your assessment by only looking at resources that are
relevant. In other words, resources that are related to your
priority problems. A well-planned and focused assessment will
produce far more valuable information than one that casts too wide
a net.
At the same time, remember that useful and accessible resources
may well be found beyond your coalitionand beyond your
community.
A range of tools can help. In our online guide, weve included
tools that will help you assess resources at the individual,
organizational, and group levels. There are also tools on finding
sources of resource information and on compiling community resource
information.
*In addition to assessing population needs and community
resources, you will also need to assess community readiness.
Community readiness describes the communitys willingness to engage
in and support prevention efforts.
Data may reveal what problems to addressbut is the community
ready to commit resources to address the problems? Readiness should
be a key factor in guiding the selection of prevention strategies.
To what extent does your community believe there is an underage
drinking problem? What are peoples perceptions of the problem? How
accurate are they? How do key leaders perceive the problem? How is
alcohol portrayed in local media?*Its critical that your assessment
represent and reflect all sectors of the community. To do this, you
will need to engage in a culturally competent assessment process.
This means involving representatives from across sectors in
assessment planning and data collection. It also means collecting
information, across sectors, in ways that are appropriate and
respectful. Finally, it means taking a close look at your own
coalition to ensure that the people around the table reflect the
diversity of your population.
Ultimately, your assessment should include information about the
cultural and ethnic make-up of your community, how substance abuse
problems are perceived among different sectors, who has been
engaged in prevention planning and implementation of prevention
interventions, and what barriers to participation in prevention
efforts exist.*Engaging key stakeholders in the assessment process
will contribute to the sustainability of your overall prevention
initiative. It will help to ensure their buy-in and lay the
foundation for ongoing participation and support. Consider the
example we presented earlier. Police who are actively involved in
assessment efforts are more likely to support prevention activities
that stem from the assessment. They are also more likely to sustain
these activities, over time.
Also, make sure to share your assessment findings with key
stakeholders and other community members. The better they
understanding baseline issues, the more theyll appreciateand want
to sustainall that your prevention efforts accomplish.In Step 1, we
talked about assessing capacity. In Step 2 we will focus on
building or mobilizing capacity.
*If you remember, from Assessment, capacity in an organization,
partnership, or community refers to two things.
It refers to the various types and levels of resources available
to maintain a prevention system that can respond to local
problems.And, it refers to the organization or communitys readiness
to commit resources to addressing identified prevention needs.
Its critical that your community have the capacity to address
the substance abuse problems its identified. More specifically, you
need to be able to support the prevention programs, policies, and
strategies you choose to address these problems. Why? Because
program, policies, and strategies that are well-supported are more
likely to succeed.
*In completing Step 2 of the SPF, youll need to consider three
kinds of capacity building:
Youll need to form partnerships.Youll need to strengthen your
collaborations.And youll need to increase community awareness.
In this module, well talk about each of these topics separately.
Well also look at how the principles of cultural competence and
sustainability can supportand benefit fromyour capacity-building
efforts.
But before going on, lets take a minute to review what we mean
by resources. We can divide resources into two main areas:
*Sustainability encompasses much more thandollars. Your
coalitions capacityits membership, relationships, leadershipand
organizational strengthis like a goose that lays golden eggs. You
haveto take care of the goose! Sadly, some coalitions fall into the
routine ofworking to maintain collaboration at the expense of
crucial components ofcapacity that led to their initial success. In
facing new decisions, think abouthow they affect your coalitions
ability to work collaboratively. Are therecreative opportunities
for growth? Does a particular strategy or decision limit your
capacity?
*In Step 1, we talked about assessing capacity. In Step 2 we
will focus on building or mobilizing capacity.
*Step 4 is where the rubber hits the roadwhere you do what youve
said youre gonna do. In this module, well address several important
issues related to implementation.
*First, well discuss the relationship of fidelity and adaptation
to implementation of evidence-based programs.
Next, well discuss factors that may influence
implementation.
Well talk about action plan development.
And finally, well discuss ways that cultural competence and
sustainability affect implementationand how implementation
contributes to cultural competence and sustainability.
*And finally, its important to consider you history implementing
prevention interventions in the past. Whats your track record? Do
you have past successes that you can point to proudly and build on?
According to one school-based prevention coordinator, The most
challenging part [of bringing in a new prevention program] is
convincing veteran teachers that it is not just another program to
place on the shelf.
*Adaptation refers to how much, and in what ways, a program,
policy, or practice is changed to meet local circumstances.
Balancing fidelity and adaptation can be tricky because any time
you change an intervention, you may be compromising outcomes.
Even so, implementing a program that requires some adaptation
may be more efficient, effective, and cost-effective than designing
a program from scratch.
Adaptations can be planned or un-planned.
Planned adaptations are made ahead-of-time, to meet identified
needs.
Unplanned adaptations can catch you by surprise. For example,
you might plan to conduct all ten sessions of a school-based
prevention program, but due to a snow storm and tight scheduling,
end up delivering only nine.
The $10,000 question is: Will this change compromise expected
outcomes, and if so, by how much?
*Weve developed a set of general guidelines for adaptation. We
mentioned the first guideline in Step 3: Select an approach that
best fits local needs and conditions. Here are some others.
Select programs that have a large effect size. Effect size
refers to the magnitude of the effects of an intervention. Policy
change interventions generally have larger effect sizes than
classroom-based interventions. The smaller an interventions effect
size, the more careful you want to be about changing
anythingbecause you dont want to inadvertently compromise any good
youre doing. In general, adaptations to programs with large effect
sizes are less likely to affect relevant outcomes. You will also
want to change capacity before program. It may seem easier to
change the program, but increasing local capacity to deliver the
program, as it was designed, is a safer choice.
Consult the experts, including the program developer, an
environmental strategies expert, or your evaluator. They may be
able to tell you how the intervention has been adapted in the past
and how well these adaptations have worked out. Retain core
components. Programs, policies, and strategies are more likely to
be effective when their core components are maintained. If youre
not sure which elements are core, consult the program developer, an
environmental strategies expert, or your evaluator. Adhere to
evidence-based principles. Programs, policies, and strategies that
adhere to evidence-based principles are more likely to be
effective, so make sure your adaptations are consistent with the
science. And finally, Add, rather than subtract. It is safer to add
to a program than to modify or to subtract from it.
*Multiple factors influence implementation. These include:
Staff or practitioner selection. Beyond academic qualifications
or experience factors, certain practitioner characteristics are
difficult to teach in training sessions, and so must be a part of
your selection criteria.
Pre- and in-service training is also important. Trainings are
efficient ways to communicate background information, theory,
philosophy, and values; and to introduce the components and
rationales for key practices. They also provide opportunities to
practice new skills and receive feedback in a safe environment.
Pre- and in-service training is also important. Trainings are
efficient ways to communicate background information, theory,
philosophy, and values; and to introduce the components and
rationales for key practices. They also provide opportunities to
practice new skills and receive feedback in a safe environment.
*But, while training is important, most skills are really
learned on the job, with the help of a consultant or coach.
Implementation of evidence-based practices and programs requires
behavior change at the practitioner, supervisor, and administrative
support levels. Training and coaching are the principle ways in
which behavior change is brought about.
Staff and program evaluation also influence implementation.
Assessments of practitioner performance and measures of fidelity
can provide useful feedback to managers and implementers on the
progress of implementation and the usefulness of training and
coaching.
Program evaluation can be used to ensure continued
implementation of core intervention elements, over time.
**Environmental strategies incorporate preventionefforts aimed
at changing or influencing communityconditions, standards,
institutions, structures,systems and policies. Coalitions should
selectstrategies that lead to long-term outcomes. Increasingfines
for underage drinking, moving tobaccoproducts behind the counter,
not sellingcold, single-serving containers of beer in
conveniencestores and increasing access to treatmentservices by
providing Spanish-speaking counselors. Analogy of stoplight
here.
*In Step 1, we talked about assessing capacity. In Step 2 we
will focus on building or mobilizing capacity.
**What obstacles were encountered during program
implementation?
**Has youth substance use decreased?
To learn more about how to develop evaluation questions, see the
tips sheet Examples of Evaluation Questions in your
toolkit.Evaluation essentially explains what happened (what kind of
change; how much; for whom). Monitoring explains how it was
operationalized (how did we create the conditions for the change;
what did we have to do for how many for that change).
**For example, you might ask questions like: How successful was
the community in selecting and implementing appropriate strategies?
Were these the right strategies, given the risk factors the
community identified? Were representatives from across the
community involved in program planning, selection, and
implementation? In what ways were they involved? Were you able to
identify potential new partners? What was the quality of the data
used in decision making?
*Another feature of SPF evaluation is that it isnt just about
outcomes. Under the SPF, communities are asked to evaluate their
entire, 5-step planning process. You will need to show how each
step of the SPF connects to the steps around it.
