Episode 47: Prevention - Evaluating Statewide Prevention

"We’ve tried to come up with ways, in essence, to measure prevention by looking at the social determinants of health…so giving counties ways to measure because prevention is not typically something you are able to measure, and then we’re able to give each county those measurements and then we are able to look at the State as a whole." —Hillary Konrad, California Department of Social Services

What can States do to create a shared vision around prevention among all their regions and agencies, and how are all those diverse needs and efforts compared and measured across the State?

To create a single approach to evaluating the diverse prevention efforts across California’s 58 counties, the State uses social determinants of health, such as poverty, health, violence, socioeconomic status, and racial disproportionality. This information aids counties in measuring their prevention programs and comparing them across other programs within the State.

"Prevention: Evaluating Statewide Prevention" is part of a series focusing on Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) grantees. CBCAP grantees are in a unique position of leadership because they assume responsibility for directing, leading, and evaluating the network of public-private partnerships and the continuum of preventive services for children and families in their States. Listen as grantees detail how States work to ensure prevention is considered when funding grants, developing policy, and delivering services tailored to meet region-specific needs.

This episode complements "Prevention: Evaluating Prevention Programs," an episode that shares how one program in Kentucky applies a diverse set of tools and assessments to review and monitor the program and how that information is compared across a network of 17 regional community partners.

The following individuals are featured in this episode:

• Hillary Konrad, manager, Prevention Network Development Unit, Office of Child Abuse Prevention, California Department of Social Services

Topics discussed include the following:

• How California determined how to apply CBCAP funds to meet the needs of the families served
• Engaging regions within a county-administered system
• Collaborating to create a shared statewide, community-based vision regarding prevention
• The reliance of strong relationships for success at every level