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SUSTAINING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES

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THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY

• Funding agencies expect a return on their initial investments with sustained evidence-based programs.

• Funding agencies have a growing concern over program sustainability because of:• Scare resources and increased fiscal accountability• Ethical responsibility to communities

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WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

• “Sustainability” is the maintenance, after initial funding is exhausted, of evidence-based program components that have been developed and fully implemented

• It is an evolving process beginning with program adoption and implementation.

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IMPLEMENTATION

• Sustainability is intertwined with the implementation process.

• EBP sustainment can be enhanced by:• Maintaining fidelity to core program components• Articulating clear goals and plans to achieve them• Demonstrating program success with program evaluation

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IMPLEMENTATION FIDELITY

• Programs implemented with a high degree of fidelity are more likely to be successful.

• Without successful results, additional funding and support is difficult to obtain.

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SUSTAINABILITY PLANNING

• Research shows that sustained programs plan for sustainability in the early stages of program adoption and throughout implementation.

• Strategic sustainability plans:• Clarify where to take initiatives in the future• Provide benchmarks to determine success in reaching goals• Help policymakers and stakeholders decide whether and

how to support an initiative

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FACTORS RELATED TO PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY

• Program characteristics and actions

• Relationship to the larger organization

• Relationship to the community

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PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS AND ACTIONS

• Adaptability or responsiveness• EBPs operate in continuously evolving organizational and

community contexts.• EBPs that are modifiable are more likely to be responsive

to changes like cuts in organizational budget, policy shifts, and staff turnover.

• Adaptations must be done while maintaining fidelity to core program components.

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STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE RESPONSIVITY

• To be responsive to changes, programs must monitor their organizational and community contexts.• Developments in criminal justice research• Economic, demographic, and social data on local

community• Strategies for monitoring include:

• Participation in listservs• Joining coalitions with common interests• Subscribing to relevant publications

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PROGRAM LEADERSHIP COMPETENCE

• Competent leaders set program goals, engage in ongoing program planning, and develop implementation and evaluation plans.

• Leadership competence is related to other predictors of program sustainment.

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STAFF INVOLVEMENT

• Staff buy-in and commitment promote program sustainment.

• When staff are involved in program decisions, they become invested in the program and staff turnover is reduced.

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RELATIONSHIP TO LARGER ORGANIZATION

• A program’s relationship to its host organization has a strong influence on the sustainability of the program.

• Many of the same organizational characteristics that foster implementation also enhance sustainability:• Strong internal systems• Program integration • Internal program champion

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STRONG INTERNAL SYSTEMS

• Organizations with established systems for fiscal management, information and technology, and personnel promote the effective and efficient operations necessary to sustain a program.

• Organizations with established systems are better equipped to respond and adapt to changes in the environment (i.e. budget cuts, staff turnover, policy shifts).

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INTERNAL PROGRAM CHAMPION

• Sustained programs have at least one internal program champion.

• Programs are more likely to be sustained when the program champion is a leader in the host organization.

• Organizational leaders ensure the program is a high priority and its core components are well-integrated into the organizational structure.

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RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY

• Programs may be more difficult to sustain in some communities than others.

• Program sustainment is tied to building a broad base of community support.

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BROAD BASED COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• A broad base of community support helps grantees maximize resources and build community and political support.• Pool resources with other organizations• Provide in-kind resources like expert-advice in fundraising,

volunteers, and political support• Local professionals (e.g. attorneys, accountants, and

physicians) may volunteer their services in support of an initiative

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BROAD BASED COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• Strategies to increase awareness can widen the scope of community and political support.• Hold open houses and program tours for leaders in

the community• Use brochures and social media to communicate

positive results from an evaluation.• Organize events in public spaces

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EXTERNAL PROGRAM CHAMPION

• Sustainable programs are likely to have an external program champion

• Leaders from businesses, faith-based institutions, and government can be valuable assets in mobilizing resources and political support for a program.

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GRANTORS CAN FACILITATE SUSTAINABILITY

Grantors can use a number of strategies to help grantees sustain their programs.• Require sustainability plans in the RFP• Provide technical assistance and funding to build

organizational capacity• Staff training and program evaluation• Funding for technological infrastructures• Training in leadership, management, fundraising, financial

planning• Facilitate community relationship building and

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