The sustainability of a community-based learning collaborative to improve the use of trauma-informed evidence-based practices

Purpose

Most youth who experience trauma do not receive evidence-based trauma intervention. Efforts to increase use of trauma-informed evidence-based practices (EBPs) have identified the learning collaborative (LC) as an effective training and implementation model, yet few studies have evaluated sustainability outcomes. This study examined the sustainability of a community-based LC (CBLC) by describing provider, agency, and community-level use of trauma-informed EBPs, an average of 5.3 years after the training.

Methods

106 participants from 20 agencies completed a follow-up survey after a CBLC training. Participants were trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT; clinical track), in Evidence-Based Treatment Planning (EBTP; broker/case manager track), or in strategies to support TF-CBT and EBTP implementation (senior leader track). Clinical and broker track participants reported on their current employment and EBP use within the past three months. Senior leaders for all 20 agencies provided information about the use of trauma-informed EBPs at their agencies.

Results

At the provider-level, only 36.5 % of the clinical track continued to use TF-CBT and 28.1 % of the broker track continued to use EBTP. Provider promotion to supervisory and leadership positions supported EBP sustainability. Agency-level outcomes indicated that 89 % of clinical agencies and 60% of broker agencies continued to use TF-CBT and EBTP. Although retention of providers within agencies was low, LC trained clinicians and brokers spread to twenty-four new agencies in the community providing psychotherapy and/or case management services to youth.

Conclusions

Findings suggest the CBLC model resulted in some sustained community-level changes as agencies continued to use the trauma-informed EBPs and trained providers spread to other agencies within the local community. Provider promotions also increased representation of CBLC trainees in leadership positions. Results suggest that measuring sustainability as a multi-level implementation outcome can lead to a better understanding of implementation success.