Strengthening Families Programme (SFP 12-16): year 3 evaluation report (original) (raw)

YEAR THREE-2010 EVALUATION REPORT I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW The Ballymun Local Drugs Task Force in Ballymun, Dublin, Ireland has implemented an evidence-based program as part of a locally based strategy aimed at the prevention of substance abuse and juvenile delinquency in youth and to improve the parenting skills of parents of high-risk adolescents. Based on assessed community needs and risk factors for substance abuse, the evidence-based program chosen to be implemented was the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) for families with high-risk adolescent ages 12 to 16 years old. The Strengthening Families Programme in Ballymun is funded and managed by Ballymun Local Drugs Task Force and is supported and delivered by local statutory, community and voluntary agencies. The Ballymun Local Drugs Task Force is funded through the Irish government. Staffing: Ballymun SFP is facilitated and supported by a number of local agencies who work together on an interagency basis to deliver and implement the programme. The Programme Manager (BLDTF) and SFP Management Committee oversees the implementation and delivery through ongoing review, monitoring and evaluation. Agency representatives engage in SFP through the roles of: management committee, programme manager, site coordinator, facilitator/ assistant facilitator/floater and referral agent. Professional Group Leader Training: Individuals are trained and certified as SFP group leaders by Dr. Karol Kumpfer, the program developer, and Dr. Henry Whiteside of LutraGroup, the SFP International Training Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. A number of trainings have taken place in Ballymun since its implementation in March 2008 with 84 agency representatives trained to date. Most recently, a two-day training for SFP group leaders occurred in Ballymun, Ireland on January 20 th and 21 st 2011 where 28 professionals were trained as group leaders, 12 of which represented Ballymun.