Youth Villages Program Model Review: Assessment and Recommendations

For decades, Youth Villages has been a leader in using evidence and measuring outcomes among young people and families who complete their treatment models. Participating states and regions typically receive an annual Program Model Review (PMR), a comprehensive fidelity and performance assessment designed to ensure rigorous fidelity to the model and to identify quality improvements and strategies.

JBA is collaborating with Youth Villages to externally review the PMR and to help the organization produce actionable results to sustain and expand two premier programs:

• Intercept, an evidence-based, comprehensive, in-home services model for youth and families at risk of or involved in child welfare, children’s mental health, and/or juvenile justice systems
• LifeSet, a community-based program using master’s-level specialists to empower youth and young people aging out of systems to thrive via self-sufficiency skills, vocational or educational pursuits, housing access, and other goals.

To accomplish these aims, the project team is conducting a mixed-methods approach that includes a review of process and documents, analysis of existing data and information from similar projects, time-use study, and data collection from individual and group interviews.

Together, these activities will propel the team to—

• Understand the Intercept and LifeSet program models, implementation and data systems, and monitoring processes
• Identify barriers and improvements to streamline PMR throughout the organization and at Youth Villages sites through data exploration and understanding of fidelity measures and processes
• Produce recommendations for scalability, incorporating innovations from the field, and helping Youth Villages apply new processes with their partner agencies and other program models