Assignments:
1. 15%. Present to the class one of the Blueprints for Violence Prevention organizing your summary using the logic model framework and the following program categories:
a) Brief descriptive overview of the program that includes a few summary sentences and identifies the target population.
b) Analysis of needs and assets for the program including data that supports this description of the problem.
c) Description of the program (see Program Scoring Criteria). This should include the theory of change (Kettner et al. describes this as the program hypothesis-p. 32-33 & 123-129).
d) How the program has been evaluated.
As part of an ongoing assignment, you will be asked to develop a Program Plan. While each part of the plan will be due at different points during the quarter, each section will not be formally graded until the end, giving ample time for revisions based on the feedback that is provided. Tentative point totals will be provided at each submission due date.
20%. Develop a PROBLEM STATEMENT (i.e. need statement) that assesses problems and strengths in a program area that interests you, incorporating the systemic/relational approach characteristic of MFT. Components of a problem statement customarily include:
• Brief introduction.
• Incidence and prevalence of the problem.
• Analysis of Needs/Assets associated with the problem.
• A literature review that helps us understand the underlying factors affecting the problem or the population. For example, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) states that programs must affect risk and protective factors with targeted youth. CSAP also asks programmers to specify which of six "domains" of influence the program is designed to affect (this is similar to the socio-ecological approach described by McKenzie et al. on p.166ff):
1) Individual
2) Peer
3) Family
4) School
5) Community
6) Society
• Review of program literature that informs us of how other programs have attempted to impact the problem and how effective they have been.
• Since some problems do not fit the CSAP analytical structure, you may also use a more general framework modified from the items listed by Kettner, Moroney, & Martin (2013, pp. 50 56).
The nature of the situation or condition
o Definition of key terms, including how the terms will be operationalized
o Characteristics of those experiencing the condition and the geographical area(s) (neighborhoods) of concern
o The extensiveness of the problem-breadth and depth
o Social values threatened by the existence of the problem/condition
o How widely the condition is recognized
o Who supports and opposes this condition as a problem
o The etiology of the problem
o Factors that help maintain the problem
o Multicultural issues affecting the problem (e.g. gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.)
3. 5%. Provide a statement of purpose for your program.
4. 20%. Write a program description identifying all components of the program and the activities you will use to reach your objectives. (If you are proposing a program or treatment approach for a clinical population, describe how you will apply your program theory of change for this problem/ population/setting. In so doing you may want to include contextual issues such as ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc. as they affect suitability and/or capacity to implement the program as planned.)
Describe how you will implement the project, including participant eligibility, how you will monitor for program fidelity as it relates to your identified theory of change, and criteria for successful completion by program participants. If you have multiple program components, your description should include how services will flow from one component to another.
• Describe the logic model for your program including your rationale for each program element. It is in this section that your program activities are tied to your outcomes (see SAMHSA's Achieving outcomes: A practitioner 's guide to effective prevention, pp. xi-27 also the Kellogg Foundation's Logic model development guide).
Describe your project management plan, including time-lines for tasks, activities, and key processes
5. 15%. Specify goals, objectives, and outcomes for the program. Goals are broad-based statements about the ultimate result of the program or clinical treatment approach. Objectives are measurable and time-specific. This section is often referred to as the Statement of Work, and includes:
Process objectives (quantifiable, time-delineated statements of all activities that will be performed as part of your program). You may wish to organize the types of objectives according to intended program accomplishments, for example a) coverage, b) equity, c) process, d) output, e) cost-efficiency, f) cost-effectiveness, and g) impact (Kettner, Moroney, & Martin, 2013).
• Outcome objectives (measurable benefits or changes you expect for the program participants or target population).
6. 15%. Write an EVALUATION PLAN. The evaluation plan should detail the information you will document. Some of the items to consider include: how you will determine the effectiveness of the program (i.e. your outcomes), how you will monitor the program's activity to ensure that you will meet the goals and objectives you've established, and what information you will gather to improve the quality of the program over time.
7. 5%. Write an EXECUTIVE SUMMARY that highlights your program's activities and the logic of your systemic/relational approach.
8. 15%. Critique your program and the programs of your colleagues.
Each section of your Program Plan should be of a length to accomplish the assignment. Because you will discover new information as you develop the program, you are encouraged to make revisions to sections you have completed in order to strengthen them. Feel free to use computer project management and graphic software to show your systemic analysis, service flow, and implementation time-lines.
Description of Components for Program Proposals
1) PROBLEM STATEMENT that includes the following sections:
a) Introduction
b) The incidence and prevalence of the problem
c) Needs/assets analysis of the problem
d) A brief literature review of programs and research that have attempted to ameliorate the problem.
2) STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
This is an explicit statement explaining why you are undertaking this project. It ought to include a rationale noting the significance it will have for the field and/or the benefits for program participants/clients.
3) PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
This is a description of your program in which you identify all your components and provide the rationale for each. In this section you should present a logic model for your program that includes your theory of change. Your theory of change will depend on your program hypothesis.
If you are proposing a treatment approach for a clinical population, describe how you will apply your program theory of change to this problem/population/setting.
4) GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
a) Process objectives (measurable effort-based statements of work to be accomplished)
b) Outcome objectives (measurable benefits or changes you expect for the program participants or target population)
You may also organize your objectives according to the intended program accomplishments as described in Kettner at al. on pages 124-139.
5) EVALUATION PLAN that lists and describes
a) The data you will collect,
b) The instruments you will use,
c) The procedures you will use,