NCJ Number
191710
Journal
Children's Legal Rights Journal Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2001 Pages: 11-16
Date Published
2001
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This case discusses the emerging trend toward using research to guide public policy and investment and presents a case study of a research-based program and how a Colorado organization has taken a collaborative and community-based approach to bringing it from research to practice.
Abstract
Policymakers are increasingly recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of different forms of research evidence. Improving the health and economic status of vulnerable children and families requires evaluating current programs and replicating those with the best evidence of effectiveness. The most reliable evidence for an intervention’s effectiveness comes from rigorous research trials. Invest in Kids is a Colorado-based child advocacy organization that has partnered with an outstanding program and its creator to expand the program throughout Colorado. Invest in Kids learned of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) (formerly the Nurse Home Visitation Program) at a meeting with the Carnegie Corporation. Nurses in the program work with women and their families from early in their first pregnancies until the children turn 2 years of age. Scientifically rigorous studies revealed that the program produced positive results and that the program itself proved sensible. Invest in Kids developed a strong partnership with a Denver agency involved in prevention research and established a formal application process for communities that wanted to implement the program. It also recognized the need for local flexibility in replicating the program. The core strategy was to develop broad-based local support through community coalitions prior to having local agencies start to deliver services. Invest in Kids also focused on finding State funding to sustain the program following its initiation with startup grants from Federal, city, or county funds. The experience demonstrated that developing an effective prevention intervention was only the first phase of work and that other phases include community planning, professional development, and fiscal/policy advocacy to implement and sustain the program. Reference notes