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July/August 2019Vol. 20, No. 6Sustaining Evidence-Based Programs

The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare produced a factsheet intended for senior child welfare leaders and managers that focuses on ways to sustain evidence-based programs (EBPs). Based on the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment framework, which proposes that sustainability is the ultimate goal of implementation efforts, the factsheet outlines the following five components of sustainability:

  • Plan for sustainability at the outset of implementation—Agencies should conduct a needs assessment and identify EBPs that can meet those needs. Those EBPs are then assessed to ensure that they are the right fit for the agency and that the agency can meet the requirements of the programs.
  • Develop a strategic climate for implementation—Leaders should be knowledgeable about the EBP being implemented, anticipate any roadblocks to implementation, be supportive of direct service providers, and persevere through any obstacles encountered during implementation.
  • Collaborate with external partners—Agencies should pursue effective collaborations in which partners share values, goals, and the commitment to the EBP and allow for problem solving and resource sharing.
  • Expect, support, and reward EBP use—Leaders should positively reinforce the use of EBPs within their organizations by developing strategies and policies that actively create the expectation that the EBP should be used, provide the support needed to use it, and reward staff who use it.
  • Address staff turnover—Because EBP sustainability is highly influenced by staff turnover, leaders should address issues that lead to turnover and support factors associated with lower turnover, such as higher self-efficacy, lower emotional exhaustion, supervisor and coworker support, salary, and benefits.

The factsheet also addresses continuous quality improvement and links to relevant recorded webinars and technical assistance materials.

Considerations for Sustaining Evidence-Based Programs is available at https://www.cebc4cw.org/files/CEBCConsiderations4Sustainability.pdf (1,246 KB).