2005 · Study · English
Using the ‘risk factor paradigm’ in prevention: lessons from the evaluation of Communities that Care
France, A., & Crow, I.
France, A., & Crow, I. (2005). Using the ‘risk factor paradigm’ in prevention: lessons from the evaluation of Communities that Care. Children & Society, 19(2), 172–184. doi.org/10.1002/chi.866
Summary
The paper discusses results of the evaluation of the UK Communities That Care programme, which the Joseph Rowntree Foundation set up in 1997 on David Farrington's suggestion to test whether a risk- and protection-focused approach could work in the British context. Background: three demonstration projects in England and Wales were funded for three years each; the evaluation ran over five years, with an intervention period of two and a half years. Results: the model looks promising to the authors, but they name substantial implementation difficulties, from the data base and the work of the local boards to the selection and delivery of interventions, that would need to be resolved for the approach to succeed over a longer time frame. Conclusion: the risk factor paradigm can be applied in communities, but it demands reliable data, trained coordination and time; the British trial could not provide robust evidence of effect.