Technical Assistance, Coaching and Capacity Building Evidence2Success 2015
Contents I. Technical Assistance, Coaching and Capacity Building 3 II. Evidence2Success Leaders in the Community 5 IV. Overview of Coaching and Technical Assistance Roles 6 V. What to Expect from Your Coaches 11
Technical Assistance, Coaching and Capacity Building: Vital Components of Evidence2Success Evidence2Success is a framework to guide public system leaders and resident leaders from neighborhoods and the community through a process leading to the implementation of evidencebased programs and policies to improve child well-being throughout their community. Evidence2Success supplies technical assistance and coaching to those who are installing the framework, building on their strengths, position and role. The following table shows the people who lead the effort in the community and the coaching and technical assistance team supplied by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (the Casey Foundation or the Foundation). Each role has its own responsibilities, which are described below, starting on page 6. Coordinator Finance Lead From the Community The community board, whose members include representatives of participating public systems and partner neighborhoods. The recommended balance: Four representatives from participating public systems, including those that signed the initial memorandum of understanding with the Annie E. Casey Foundation Four service providers from partner neighborhoods Eight neighborhood representatives (residents of partner neighborhoods) Four at-large representatives From the Casey Foundation and Partners Foundation Senior Associate Foundation Evidence2Success Project Manager Evidence2Success Coach Finance Coach Specialized technical assistance providers These roles are described below. Separate in-depth role descriptions also exist for the coordinator and finance lead. Technical assistance (TA) can take many forms, including coaching and capacity building. Most of the coaching in Evidence2Success is provided to the coordinator and the finance lead. (Both roles may be filled by the same person.) The coordinator and finance lead guide the community
board and its workgroups through the Evidence2Success process. The TA is designed to ensure smooth execution of the core activities of Evidence2Success: Evidence2Success core trainings Youth well-being survey administration Fund mapping of public systems and strategic finance planning Priority setting, community resource assessment and program selection Preparing for and implementing evidence-based programs Fidelity monitoring and data tracking Developing plan for scale These core activities occur over five phases, described in The Five Phases of Evidence2Success. The Milestones and Benchmarks for Phases 1 5 guide the coordinator through these activities and are valuable background reading for coordinators. A key responsibility of the coordinator and finance lead is to facilitate the work of the community board and its workgroups. While the Annie E. Casey Foundation offers a framework and accompanying support, a central tenet of the approach is that efforts will be most effective when led locally with the benefit of local expertise. The coordinator brings in-depth knowledge of the city, its public systems and its neighborhoods to the work. It is the community board and other committed leadership who take ownership of Evidence2Success. TA providers support the coordinator and finance lead by providing guidance on deploying an online suite of tools, including: Youth Experience Survey Data Collection Manual, sample survey and item construct dictionary Community Board Orientation materials Fund mapping and strategic finance planning tools Workshops on data analysis, priority setting, resources assessment and selecting evidence-based programs Materials on planning for and monitoring implementation of evidence-based programs Data dashboard Many of the tools are materials for workshops: online presentations, including videos and worksheets, which the coordinator will review independently before using them to facilitate community board sessions. The Evidence2Success coach helps coordinators prepare and adapt these materials, as appropriate, for use in the community. Generally speaking, the tools are designed to be used as a system of interlocking pieces. TA provides guidance on how to use tools to ensure support fidelity to the core activities.
Other tools are provided in areas such as strategic finance and implementation of evidencebased programs. Here, coaching is provided to orient users to the tools and to help with messaging around the process and results. Fund mapping, for example, requires coaching to help those leading the effort to ensure that financial data are entered into the online tools in a consistent way across all participating systems. Coaching is tailored to individual capacities and is only necessary for a few targeted areas after the first time through the five phases. TA is conducted primarily by phone or videoconference, supplemented by in-person site visits from coaches and staff provided by the Foundation. All of this helps the framework take root in the community while promoting healthy development in youth. Evidence2Success is designed as an iterative process. As Evidence2Success continues over time, the youth survey is repeated every two years and programming is adjusted and expanded as needed. With TA and coaching provided during the initial cycle of implementation (Phases 1-5), the site is prepared to maintain the Evidence2Success framework on its own and to expand its efforts to scale throughout the community. Communities That Care (CTC) serves as the operating system. CTC includes prevention science, survey administration, community building, data analysis and priority setting and program selection, implementation and monitoring/evaluation. The CTC operating system is the common thread that runs through all the phases of Evidence2Success. Through this system community members bring their perspectives to the interpretation of survey, unite around priorities for the community s youth and then select programs to match their priorities. Evidence2Success adds unique and valuable dimensions to the CTC system, including a process, TA and tools to support greater collaboration and partnership between public systems and with other sectors of the community. Evidence2Success also supports public system change necessary to institutionalize selection and quality implementation and monitoring of tested, effective programs, and strategic financing to secure funding for programs, program infrastructure and staffing to support the community board. Evidence2Success Leaders in the Community In each community, the work is led by the community board, assisted by the coordinator and the finance lead. Brief descriptions follow; fuller explanations of the role and responsibilities of the community board, the coordinator and the finance lead are available in separate documents. COMMUNITY BOARD The community board is the main decision-making body for the initiative. Community board members are leaders with decision-making authority from the systems and schools or influential
leaders from the community and its neighborhoods. The community board is tasked with overseeing the process of survey data collection, analysis and interpretation. (These tasks may be performed by a data partner or service provider.) The board then identifies priority outcomes, risk factors and protective factors to focus on in the community and in the partner neighborhoods. It chooses tested, effective programs to address those priorities and identifies financing strategies to fund implementation. There are approximately 20 members of the community board. The membership reflects a balance of public system and neighborhood involvement, drawing from neighborhood representatives, public system representatives and service providers working in the partner neighborhoods. There are also some at-large seats. COORDINATOR The coordinator is a full-time executive or high-level manager from one of the public systems. The coordinator s role is to guide, support and facilitate the work of the community board. FINANCE LEAD The finance lead is responsible for leading and facilitating the strategic financing work for Evidence2Success. The finance lead is a person with high-level public finance management experience and access to financial decision makers in participating systems. This role and the preceding role may be filled by the same person. Overview of Coaching and Technical Assistance Roles During adoption and early implementation of Evidence2Success, the Casey Foundation provides a significant amount of TA, including coaching. The Foundation senior associate maintains a very visible presence during this time. Note that the framework is based on a capacity-building model. An Evidence2Success coach and a finance coach are assigned to work with the coordinator and finance lead throughout the process. This coaching prepares local staff to lead the work. Foundation staff will work with coaches, coordinator, finance lead and other local leadership to assess when specialized TA should be deployed. Examples of specialized TA include support from a survey research group on Youth Experience Survey administration, analysis and reporting. Evidence2Success coaching and technical assistance continues throughout the five phases of Evidence2Success, decreasing in intensity in Phase 5. Thereafter, TA is provided in a targeted way to sustain and expand the effort. TA and coaching roles are described below.
FOUNDATION SENIOR ASSOCIATE The Annie E. Casey Foundation designates a senior associate from its staff to work closely with each Evidence2Success community. He or she is responsible for managing all coaching and TA to the site. The senior associate, in conjunction with the coordinator, maintains relationships with city and state officials and heads of public agencies serving the city and state, as well as influential leaders across the community. The senior associate is the site s liaison to the Foundation. The senior associate provides in-person trainings, attends meetings as necessary and regularly participates in coaching calls to make sure all components of Evidence2Success are moving forward. Depending on the coordinator s comfort level and capacity, the senior associate also provides coaching on interfacing with executive leadership. The senior associate is the primary contact for Evidence2Success operations in Phase 1. The Foundation senior associate: facilitates a monthly videoconference or call with the site team, coaches and TA providers to ensure TA and coaching are supporting the site in achieving milestones and benchmarks and project timeline goals; leads TA team; meets regularly with coaches, Foundation project manager and deployed TA providers to ensure a harmonious, coordinated coaching approach across functional areas; provides guidance to public system and other community leaders on the necessary steps needed to launch Evidence2Success; verifies site criteria, such as commitment to implement the Youth Experience Survey or match funding requirements; in conjunction with the coordinator, maintains relationships with city and state officials and heads of public agencies serving the city and state, as well as influential leaders across the community; co-delivers a half-day in-person workshop for key leaders and a two-day training for coordinators on the Evidence2Success framework; meets with coordinator as needed to ensure TA and coaching support of the site s needs and provides targeted coaching on issues described here; in conjunction with the coordinator, provides guidance to the public system leaders on: o resource development to support Evidence2Success o policies and practices to strengthen their capacity to identify and implement evidence-based ( tested and effective ) programs for youth already served by their systems helps coordinator troubleshoot potential difficulties and solve problems; provides coaching to coordinator, as needed, on tools that complement Communities That Care; provides in-person trainings and attends meetings with community leaders as necessary to ensure milestones are achieved; and manages a grant that provides $150,000 in funding for tested, effective programs.
EVIDENCE2SUCCESS COACH The Evidence2Success coach is the primary contact for Evidence2Success operations throughout Phases 2 through 5. The Evidence2Success coach s primary area of responsibility is optimizing the board and coordinator s use of the online tools, particularly tools provided through Communities That Care. The Evidence2Success coach helps the coordinator ensure that the different strands of the coordinator s work are well coordinated. The Evidence2Success coach: co-delivers a half-day in-person workshop for key leaders and a two-day training for coordinators on the Evidence2Success framework; meets with the coordinator by video conference or phone every other week; delivers proactive, collaborative coaching or TA to coordinator on topics such as: o board formation, functioning and maintenance (stakeholder analysis, group process) o community readiness assessment o prevention science (the research basis and how to put it into practice) o the role and use of the Social Development Strategy, a widely applicable approach for strengthening protective factors o use of data for priority setting, decision making and the selection of appropriate tested, effective programs o program implementation and fidelity o instructional and training methodologies for adult learning o progressing through the milestones and benchmarks (which mark the community s progress over the five phases and fidelity to the framework); and helps coordinator troubleshoot potential difficulties, solve problems and celebrate successes. FINANCE COACH The finance coach supports the local finance lead in convening partners to develop a collaborative strategic financing plan. The finance coach trains and orients the community s finance lead to the strategic financing approach of Evidence2Success and the tools and information available through the online finance toolkit. The finance coach also provides ongoing guidance in tailoring the tools for local use. The finance coach will: deliver one-day trainings to the finance lead and to the coordinator orienting them to the strategic finance framework and tools; meet with the finance lead by video conference or phone two times per month; and deliver coaching and TA on fund mapping, use of tools, strategic financing and facilitating finance meetings.
FOUNDATION EVIDENCE2SUCCESS PROJECT MANAGER The Foundation Evidence2Success project manager is responsible for supporting Foundation senior associates in managing the technical assistance team. The project manager s primary responsibility is to support Foundation senior associates and TA team in identifying and sharing cross-site learning and providing peer support to sites. The project manager will: facilitate the Foundation s cross-site learning and problem solving by managing the multisite project plan; anticipate, identify and resolve common challenges across Evidence2Success sites; support the Foundation senior associate and technical assistance team in sharing learning from other sites by providing access to peer support in other communities; track use of TA to ensure alignment with scope of work and budget and support future budgeting projections; support the Foundation senior associate by participating in in-person trainings and meetings as necessary, and participating in coaching calls; support the Foundation senior associate and technical assistance team in assessing TA needs and recommends provision of specialized assistance; and support Evidence2Success evaluators in obtaining necessary information from the coordinator and TA team. SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS The Foundation senior associate is responsible for assigning TA from additional providers to support the site s capacity building. Areas of capacity building likely to need support include: survey administration and analysis; data presentation; program selection, implementation and monitoring; development of dashboard to monitor progress; public system practice and policy change; and community engagement and mobilization. What to Expect from Your Coaches The Evidence2Success coach is the primary contact for coordinators. The finance coach is the primary contact for the finance lead. The Foundation senior associate is the coordinator and finance lead s liaison to the Foundation: the manager of all coaching and TA. Specialized TA will be provided based on needs identified with coaches. The TA team works together closely to make sure your needs are met. Notes from the meetings are shared and discussed to make sure all strands of work are moving forward in tandem.
A coaching call schedule is developed with the coaches in Phase 1. A sample schedule: Week 1: Coordinator + Fiannce Lead + Foundation Senior Associate and TA/Coaching Team Week 2: Coordinator + Evidence2Success Coach Week 3: Finance Lead + Coordinator + Finance Coach Week 4: Coordinator + Evidence2Success Coach The goal of Evidence2Success coaching is to help you help your community and its public systems to build capacity to sustain the effort over time. This means building capacity in the five key strategies of the framework: 1. Local governance of the community board 2. Strategic use of data 3. Implementation of evidence-based programs 4. Comprehensive financing strategies 5. Performance measurement As they work with the coach on the key strategies, the local partners in this effort (including the coordinator) will have opportunities to develop the skills and capacities needed for each strategy: Key Strategies Local Community Board Governance Effectively govern the initiative Create and implement an action plan Get broader buy-in and engagement Shared Evidence2Success Capacities Create community board (and other planning bodies such as workgroups as necessary) to provide support to Evidence2Success that: o engages executive leadership, multiple public agencies, schools and focus neighborhood members at the city level o engages residents and other stakeholders in the partner neighborhoods Partner effectively across systems and planning bodies Engage buy-in and support from systems and agency staff, providers, political leadership and neighborhood residents and leaders Manage systems effectively to integrate and sustain proven programs into business as usual Build political support for investment in prevention and proven programs and ongoing use of child and family well-being surveys
Key Strategies Strategic Use of Data Use data to select priorities Identify proven programs aligned to priorities Implementation of Evidence-based Programs Comprehensive Financing Strategies Move existing expenditures toward prevention and proven programs Shared Evidence2Success Capacities Use systems administrative data, data from child and family well-being surveys and local resource mapping to select prevention priorities and monitor progress over time Select appropriate proven programs/policies to address the gaps in current response to priorities Implement proven programs/policies with fidelity Monitor progress and revise action plans as needed Implement changes in contracting and RFPs to support proven programs Understand existing public system and partner neighborhood investments and identify opportunities for investing in prevention and proven programs Create shared funding priorities across systems partners and between systems and neighborhoods Build local funding support Performance Measurement Maintain fidelity to the Evidence2Success framework Once your community has started with Evidence2Success, the coordinator and finance lead can expect the following: In-person training Regular coaching calls Appropriate follow up via email from your coaches Periodic site visits from a coach The coaching calls last approximately 60-90 minutes each. In them, you ll explore progress and challenges in a supportive environment as you explore ways to keep Evidence2Success moving forward in your community. Share these capacities with others in your community to make them part of your way of doing business as usual.