The Communities That Care (CTC) program is a scientifically grounded prevention framework designed to equip communities with the necessary tools to proactively address adolescent health and behavioral challenges. It achieves this by focusing on risk and protective factors that research has consistently linked to these issues. CTC empowers local communities to take a data-driven, preventative approach to youth development.
At its core, CTC utilizes a structured prevention planning system. This system mobilizes and trains a local coalition comprising diverse stakeholders within the community. This coalition then works collaboratively to develop and implement prevention strategies that are not only science-based but also tailored to the specific needs and risk profiles of their community’s youth. The primary goal of CTC is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of preventive interventions implemented within communities, ensuring they target prevalent risk factors associated with problem behaviors in adolescents. Notably, gang involvement is recognized as one significant risk factor that CTC aims to address, as it is often linked to juvenile delinquency.
The CTC framework guides the community coalition through the creation of a comprehensive strategic prevention plan. This plan is meticulously designed to directly address the community’s unique combination of risk and protective factors. It emphasizes the selection and faithful implementation of evidence-based programs that have been rigorously tested and proven effective. Furthermore, CTC emphasizes ongoing monitoring of program implementation and regular reassessment of community risk and protection levels. This data-driven approach allows for continuous evaluation of outcomes and enables the coalition to make informed adjustments to their prevention programming as needed.
The implementation of CTC is carefully structured into five distinct stages. Each stage is marked by specific benchmarks and milestones. These markers serve as a roadmap, guiding and monitoring the community’s progress throughout the implementation process. To facilitate the adoption of CTC within communities, a series of six training events are conducted over a period of 6 to 12 months. These training sessions are led by certified CTC trainers, ensuring high-quality program delivery and community capacity building.
The effectiveness of the Communities That Care program is supported by robust research. A significant 24-community study, employing randomized assignment to treatment and control groups, demonstrated the positive impact of CTC. The study revealed that CTC effectively reduced the initiation of several risky behaviors among adolescents, including alcohol use, cigarette smoking, delinquency, and violence, throughout their high school years. Youth who were exposed to CTC from Grades 5 through 9 showed particularly strong outcomes. Even with limited exposure to evidence-based prevention programs after Grade 9, these youth were significantly more likely to abstain from substance use and delinquency through Grade 12. Specifically, they were:
- 32% more likely to have abstained from any drug use
- 31% more likely to never have used gateway drugs (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana)
- 31% more likely to have abstained from alcohol use
- 3% more likely to have abstained from cigarette smoking
- 18% more likely to never have committed a delinquent act
- 14% less likely to ever have committed a violent act
These compelling statistics underscore the long-term positive effects of the Communities That Care program on youth behavior and well-being.
CTC addresses a range of risk factors categorized across different domains of a young person’s life:
Risk Factors
Individual
- Antisocial/delinquent beliefs
- Gang involvement in adolescence
- Physical violence/aggression
Family
- Family history of problem behavior/criminal involvement
- Family violence (child maltreatment, partner violence, conflict)
School
- Low school attachment/bonding/motivation/commitment to school
- Poor school attitude/performance; academic failure
- School attendance
Community
- Availability and use of drugs in the neighborhood
- Availability of firearms
- Community disorganization
- Low neighborhood attachment
Peer
- Association with antisocial/aggressive/delinquent peers; high peer delinquency
- Peer alcohol/drug use
Endorsements
Crime Solutions: Promising program
Contact
Ms. Blair Brooke-Weiss
Social Development Research Group
University of Washington School of Social Work
Suite 401 9725 3rd Ave. NE
Seattle, WA 98115-2024
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.communitiesthatcare.net
References
Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Arthur, M. W., Abbot, R. D., Fagan, A. A., & Catalano, R. F. (2009). Results of a type 2 translational research trial to prevent adolescent drug use and delinquency: A test of Communities That Care. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 163(9), 789-798.
Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Abbot, R. D., Catalano, R. F. (2014). Youth problem behaviors 8 years after implementing the Communities That Care prevention system. A community-randomized trial. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(2), 122-129.
Oesterle, S., Hawkins, J. D., Kuklinski, M. R., Fagan, A. A., Fleming, C., Rhew, I. C., Brown, E. C., Abbott, R. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2015). Effects of Communities that Care on males’ and females’ drug use and delinquency 9 years after baseline in a community-randomized trial. American Journal of Community Psychology, 56, 217-228.
