An Internet Infrastructure for Quality Implementation of the Family Check-Up

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application addresses broad Challenge Area 15 Translational Science and specific Challenge Topic 15- DA-102: NIH Partners in Research Program: Pathways for Translational Research. The goal of the proposed research is to improve the implementation effectiveness of the Family Check-Up, an ecologically based child and family intervention designed to reduce substance use, problem behavior, and coercive family interactions. This goal will be accomplished by enhancing the FCU protocol through the development of an Internet-based technological and media support system. The FCU builds on 15 years of programmatic research that began with the design and testing of the Adolescent Transitions Program parenting curriculum and has culminated in a general ecological approach to child and family intervention (Dishion & Kavanagh, 2003; Dishion & Stormshak, 2007). In this research we plan to collaborate with mental health providers and schools to improve their services for families by designing and implementing a technologically enhanced and updated version of the FCU model. This project will complement four individual, currently funded randomized trials that are testing the FCU model in community systems. For this application, 50 practitioners will receive a 4-day workshop about the FCU and training in implementing the model at their community agency. Measures will be collected from practitioners that assess fidelity of implementation with real families and practitioner skills at baseline, after the training, and at postassessment. All practitioners will receive intensive training and support in the FCU model that include access to the new Internet service infrastructure, which will provide support for all facets of the intervention model most relevant to mental health service settings and schools. Of particular interest is increasing the potential for therapists to focus on family management skills known to increase successful child adjustment and to decrease the coercive family processes associated with substance use. Outcomes of interest will include successful therapist adoption of the FCU model, fidelity of implementation, increased family enrollment and retention in the program, usage of the web site, and community uptake of the FCU model. The long-term goal of this project is to create a sustainable web site and Internet support system for the FCU that will increase dissemination and uptake of this evidence-based practice in real-world communities. Consistent with the goals of the Recovery Act, this research will support the employment of current staff at the Child and Family Center and several new staff who will develop the web site and analyze outcomes. This application addresses broad Challenge Area 15 Translational Science and specific Challenge Topic 15- DA-102: NIH Partners in Research Program: Pathways for Translational Research. The goal of this research is to develop a web-based infrastructure and video-support system that will improve the uptake, fidelity, and effectiveness of the Family Check-Up when implemented by real-world, community agencies that provide services for children and families. This research will build upon four separate randomized trials to create the web-based system, which will facilitate dissemination of the research in communities across the country. The project has significant relevance to public health and public policy in that it will allow us to create a means to support wide-scale distribution and uptake of evidenced-based practices by community partners.