Collaborating For Youth believes in implementing programs that have been proven to work.  This means that researchers have studied the program and find that the same results are achieved whenever and wherever a program is implemented, as long as that program implemented in the same way (the way it was designed) each time.  For more information on implementation fidelity, visit http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/Fidelity.pdf

In times of great need and limited resources, doesn’t it make sense to implement programs that are going to give the best results and the best bang for the buck?

This doesn’t mean that other programs are necessarily bad programs but that they have no guarantees and may not produce the desired results.

Why is this important?  Problem behaviors can be prevented through reducing Risk Factors and building Protective Factors and Protective Processes.  The key is matching the right program to the Risk Factors that need to be reduced and the Protective Factors to be strengthened.

Not all programs have been researched to the same level.  For more information on the various types of programs and terms used by federal and private agencies, check out http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/matrixfiles/criteria.pdf.

Local proven programs currently being implemented through CFY Collaborative Partnerships include:

• Across Ages implemented by Adams Hanover Counseling at Gettysburg Middle School and Conewago Valley Intermediate School for 6^th – 8^th graders.
• Project Venture implemented at Upper Adams Middle School for 7^th & 8^th graders.
• Functional Family Therapy implemented across Adams County by Adams Hanover Counseling Services, Inc.
• Multisystemic Family Therapy implemented by Adelphia Village, Inc for youth and their families referred through Adams County Children and Youth Services or Adams County Juvenile Probation.
• Communities Mobilizing For Change on Alcohol implemented through several activities of Collaborating For Youth and Collaborative and community partners.

Want to implement a proven program?  Just because a program has research that proves the program can be effective, does not necessarily mean that program is the right program for every situation or community.  Many factors go into making a good match between a program and the local community. For instance, is the proven program one the community can rally around?  Does the program fill a gap in current services within the community, or is the program similar to existing programs that would be competing?  Is training and support available?  Are current resources available to support the program over the long haul?  For information on how to figure this out, check out the CTC feasibility worksheet.