Communities That Care
Problems addressed
Juvenile delinquency
Externalizing behaviors/problems
Alcohol abuse
Drug abuse
Effectiveness

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising

Want to know more about this classification? Check out our methodological manual.

Life periods served
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)
Where the program was applied
Community (streets or community centers)
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a prevention program aimed at implementing social policies and services to reduce risk and vulnerability factors, and establish a safety net for adolescents.
The intervention can last from 6 to 12 months and consists of five phases:
1) Community assessment, through an analysis of its organizational characteristics and identification of existing community leaders and resources;
2) Presentation of the program, definition of responsibilities, composition of the community board of directors and the program’s prevention council;
3) The program council conducts a risk assessment among adolescents living in the area based on the application of a questionnaire;
4) Development of an action plan through a training course for community representatives to define the risk and protection factors that will be prioritized as targets for intervention in the community;
5) Implementation of quality preventive interventions and supervision by the community prevention council to ensure their effectiveness.

Impact evaluations

Impact evaluation studies show that, in follow-ups conducted in communities nine years after the intervention, the program produced a reduction in violent and delinquent behavior, as well as in alcohol and drug abuse, among adolescents [1] [2] [3] [4].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Haski-Leventhal, D., Ben-Arieh, A. & Melton, G. B. (2008). Between neighborliness and volunteerism: Participants in the strong communities initiative. Family & Community Health, 31(2), 150–161. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.FCH.0000314575.58905.a1

[2] Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Arthur, M. W., Abbott, 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 Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(9), 789–798. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.141

[3] Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Monahan, K. C., Abbott, R. D., Arthur, M. W. & Catalano, R. F. (2012). Sustained decreases in risk exposure and youth problem behaviors after installation of the Communities That Care prevention system in a randomized trial. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 166(2), 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.183

[4] 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(3-4), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-015-9749-4

Information source