TY - JOUR
T1 - Technical assistance in prevention programs
T2 - Correlates of perceived need in communities that care
AU - Feinberg, Mark E.
AU - Greenberg, Mark T.
AU - Osgood, D. Wayne
N1 - Funding Information:
This research is supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). However, findings and recommendations herein are those of the authors and not official statements of PCCD. We want to acknowledge the enthusiastic support of Clay R. Yeager, Mary Ann Rhodes, Beverly D. MacKereth, and Henry Sontheimer at PCCD in supporting the vision of this project. We also acknowledge the initial project conceptualization and start-up activities of Devon Corneal.
Copyright:
Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2004/8
Y1 - 2004/8
N2 - Technical assistance is an important component of the design of prevention programs that aim to widely disseminate an empirically-supported model to diverse local sites while maintaining fidelity. In the context of an evaluation of Communities That Care (CTC) in Pennsylvania, this study examines issues important for the delivery and allocation of technical assistance resources. Questions examined include whether local program implementers are reliable guides as to, which sites require higher levels of technical assistance (TA), and whether local participants are able to accurately specify which areas of technical assistance would be most useful for their project. Correlational and mixed-model (HLM) analyses were conducted utilizing measures of project functioning in 21 CTC sites from participant (n=203) and the research staff's perspectives. Local participants' perceived level of overall TA need was related to coalition members' perceived effectiveness of the local CTC organizations. Further, participants' ratings of specific areas of TA need were associated with hypothesized domains of CTC (e.g. community readiness, coalition members' attitudes/knowledge regarding prevention, internal coalition functioning, perceived effectiveness). However, our conclusions regarding the ability of local participants to identify TA needs are qualified by two aspects of the results: The magnitude of the hypothesized specific domain associations were moderate, and participants' ratings of overall technical assistance need were not linked to technical assistant providers' ratings of overall site functioning. Results are discussed in the context of the importance of ongoing technical assistance for community-based prevention models.
AB - Technical assistance is an important component of the design of prevention programs that aim to widely disseminate an empirically-supported model to diverse local sites while maintaining fidelity. In the context of an evaluation of Communities That Care (CTC) in Pennsylvania, this study examines issues important for the delivery and allocation of technical assistance resources. Questions examined include whether local program implementers are reliable guides as to, which sites require higher levels of technical assistance (TA), and whether local participants are able to accurately specify which areas of technical assistance would be most useful for their project. Correlational and mixed-model (HLM) analyses were conducted utilizing measures of project functioning in 21 CTC sites from participant (n=203) and the research staff's perspectives. Local participants' perceived level of overall TA need was related to coalition members' perceived effectiveness of the local CTC organizations. Further, participants' ratings of specific areas of TA need were associated with hypothesized domains of CTC (e.g. community readiness, coalition members' attitudes/knowledge regarding prevention, internal coalition functioning, perceived effectiveness). However, our conclusions regarding the ability of local participants to identify TA needs are qualified by two aspects of the results: The magnitude of the hypothesized specific domain associations were moderate, and participants' ratings of overall technical assistance need were not linked to technical assistant providers' ratings of overall site functioning. Results are discussed in the context of the importance of ongoing technical assistance for community-based prevention models.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=4444284672&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=4444284672&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2004.04.001
DO - 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2004.04.001
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:4444284672
SN - 0149-7189
VL - 27
SP - 263
EP - 274
JO - Evaluation and Program Planning
JF - Evaluation and Program Planning
IS - 3
ER -
