BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY THROUGH TTA
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Marcus Bouligny
Tiffiany M. Aholou
Pam Johnson

Presentation Agenda
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! Overview: SPF-SIG in Georgia
! CITF Framework
! CITF Framework in SPF Context
! Learning Community Comments
! GA-SPF Nine Video Clip
! Closing
2

SPF SIG Cohort III
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State of Georgia
Training and Technical
Assistance
GA-SPF-SIG Coordinator - Pam Johnson
3

Lack of Coordinated State
Level Technical Assistance
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! In response to the SPF SIG RFA we cited
this area as a challenge for the State of
Georgia for several reasons:
– Size/Area of the State of Georgia
– Density of Metro populations
– Number of prevention funded service providers
needing technical assistance
4

Extending State Capacity
! Community Initiative Task Force
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(CITF)= a pool of consultants with
expertise in each area of the SPF
process
! Contract with Georgia State
University/School of Social Work
5

Prevention Provider’s
level of Knowledge
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! Prevention workforce lack of baseline
knowledge of core prevention strategies
and best practices
! Lack of sharing of knowledge - creating
disproportionate number of services in
more rural counties
6

Need for more “specialized” TA
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! Every County-Community-Provider is
different
! Varying skill levels in prevention core
competencies
! Lack of Culturally Competent Trainers/
Coaches
7

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CITF Framework
Team Lead CITF Coach – Marcus Bouligny
CITF Coach – Tiffiany Aholou
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Complexity
! SAMSHA's expansion of the SPF and the launch of
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the eight strategic initiatives have laid a very clear
direction for change.
! Although this shift has opened the door for exciting
new advances in community health and wellness it
has also revealed many gaps in understanding, skills
and adoption by those charged with implementing
programs.

Big Question
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How do we prepare the nine SPF-SIG
communities to learn, build skills and facilitate
adoption of the SPF framework as well as the
implementation of their Strategies?

Conceptual Framework
CITF Framework
SR Challenges CITF Outcomes
Solutions
! Communities
! Lack of are prepared
! Training
understanding to impact
! Technical
of new process selected
Assistance
(SPF 5 steps) priority areas
! Guidance
! Limited History
Documents
! Lack of skills
! Monthly
! Limited Human
Check-in
Resources
! Information
! Limited Peer
Transfer
Access/ Work
(web-based
Silos

At the Core
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ELEMENTS ATTRIBUTES
Research Collaboration
Support Adaptation
Access Interpersonal Skills

Roles & Responsibilities
The primary role of the CITF Coach is to:
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! Act as a conduit for T/TA and other state-
sponsored support services.
! Maintain consistent contact with the SRs to
stay abreast of their ongoing needs.
! Ensure that SRs receive timely and
appropriate support with the SPF process.

Training and Technical
Assistance
Training: To increase knowledge and skills of SPF
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using various state approved tools
Technical Assistance: Coach SRs to understand
and adopt the principles of SPF

Modalities
Face-to-
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Face
(F2F)
Conference
Conference
Screen
Calls
Share
(CC)
(CSS)

Technical Services
Technical Services: Aid in the development of core tools and guidance
documents as well as provide access to empirical literature that supports
SRs selection of evidenced-based interventions.
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WRITING
• Development of training curriculum
• Creation of SPF Tip Sheets
REVIEW
• Review of SR products
SEARCHES
• Empirical searches of evidenced based
practices, policies, and programs

e
Information Transfer
Information Transfer: To create an open exchange of information to the State
and SRs
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MONTHLY SHARE CALLS
• Create an outlet for SRs to share their progress on the
various steps of the SPF
• Provides a ‘learning community’ for SRs to learn from
their peers successes and challenges
WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
• To provide web-based access to updated tools,
documents, and other pertinent information regarding the
various SPF steps
• Acts as a portal to other web-based services offered to
the SRs (i.e. RTI , ECCO, and Empirical Search Request
ECCO ENTRIES
• To document SR progress
• Provides a vehicle to track and monitor TTA requests

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CITF FRAMEWORK
IN SPF CONTEXT
Team Lead CITF Coach – Marcus Bouligny
CITF Coach – Tiffiany Aholou
18

Assessment
Challenges! Tools!
Core-at-a-Glance
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Communities were Tool
unfamiliar with doing a Developed using
RTI Comprehensive Needs
SPF Needs Assessment Process and
Assessment. Guidance Binder
TA Objective! TA Modality
Help communities
understand how to F2F Training
capture, catalogue and Coaching & Debrief
prioritize intervening sessions after CAC
variables and meetings
contributing factors
2

Capacity
Challenges! Tools!
Communities needed
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to understand and • Stages of Readiness
build their internal • Suggested approaches
capacity. Based on the to build capacity
new data from the
Needs Assessment.
TA Objective! TA Modality
Help communities F2F Training/CAC
understand the Meetings
importance of Coaching & Debrief
community readiness sessions after CAC
meetings
scores.

Planning
Challenges! Tools!
Communities might say
“sounds" like a great NREPP website
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strategy or intervention;
however there is no Evidenced-based strategies
guidance document
evidence of outcomes.
TA Objective! TA Modality
Help communities
understand the Conference Call/
significance behind Screen Share
selecting evidenced- Coaching & Debrief
based strategies. sessions after initial
strategies that already training
have demonstrated
success.
2

Planning
Challenges! Tools!
Communities lack the Refer to Evidenced-based
capacity to find strategies guidance
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documentation that document
supports their evidence-
Empirical Request
based practice strategies
System
TA Objective! TA Modality
In consultation with
Website
communities, assist in Conference /Screen Share
accessing Coaching & Debrief
documentation empirical Sessions
literature related to a
community's selected
evidence-based strategy.
2

Planning
Challenges! Tools!
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Communities typically
intervene at the host
not the environment
TA Objective! TA Modality
Conference/Screen Share
Help communities
understand that real Coaching & Debrief
change occurs when sessions after initial
strategies are applied in training
a comprehensive
manner
2

Implementation
Challenges! Tools!
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When and how do
communities CLI /Action Plan
implement their
approved
strategies?
TA Objective! TA Modality
Help communities
Conference Call/
stay grounded and Screen Share
focused on their Coaching sessions
approved Action
Plan
2

Implementation
Challenges! Tools!
Different communities;
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similar but unique
challenges SPF Tip Sheets
implementing strategies
TA Objective! TA Modality
To create tips that
addresses some of Information Transfer
similar issues or Technical Services
challenges
experienced by the
SRs
2

Evaluation
Challenges! Tools!
Communities and local RTI Local Evaluation
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evaluators could Guidance Workbook
become burdened with
having to develop RTI Evaluation Portal
evaluation tools
TA objective! TA Modality
To develop uniformed
evaluation tools that
Conference Call/
can be used to assist
Screen Share
local evaluators across
Coaching sessions
GA-SPF sites
2

Cultural Competency
Challenges! Tools!
Communities have Characteristics of a
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different understandings Diverse CAC Worksheet
of how cultural
competency should be
infused in SPF process.
TA Objective! TA Modality
F2F Training
Communities will have a
CAC Coaching
common understanding
the significance of
cultural competency.
2

Sustainability
Challenges! Tools!
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Staff turnover presents
challenges in maintaining Topical
consistent SPF
community efforts
TA Objective! TA Modality
Help communities diffuse
SPF knowledge through Standing Ad hoc
their CAC Trainings as requested
2

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LEARNING COMMUNITY
Team Lead CITF Coach – Marcus Bouligny
CITF Coach – Tiffiany Aholou
30

Learning Community
Which SPF Step presented a notable
challenge in your community or
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system?
What was on your T/TA wish-list
around this particular challenge?
Team Lead CITF Coach – Marcus Bouligny
CITF Coach – Tiffiany Aholou
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In Their Words…

Special Thanks
Dr. Jim Wolk
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Dr. Amy Glass
Tiffiany Aholou
Shayla Bennett
Marcus Bouligny
Adriel Jones
Dr. Phillip Graham & RTI Team
Margie Irizarry-DelaCruz
SPF Nine Communities
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