title: Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens: Adaptation of an Evidence-Based Program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article describes the process of adapting and implementing a complex, multicomponent intervention for a new population. Specifically, the article delineates the development and implementation of the Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens (FHF-T) program, which is an adaptation and extension of the Fostering Healthy Futures®(FHF) preventive intervention. FHF is a 9-month mentoring and skills group program for 9 to 11 year olds recently placed in foster care. Following the designation of FHF as an evidence-based intervention, there was increasing demand for the program. However, the narrow population for which FHF had demonstrated efficacy limited broader implementation of the existing intervention. FHF-T was designed to extend the reach of the program by adapting the FHF intervention for adolescents in the early years of high school who have a history of out-of-home care. Specifically, this adaptation recognizes key developmental differences between preadolescent and adolescent populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  After designing a program model and adapting the program components, the FHF-T mentoring program was implemented with 42 youth over 2 program years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the teens who were offered the program, 75% chose to enroll, and 88% of those graduated 9 months later. Although the program evidenced high rates of uptake and participant satisfaction, some unexpected challenges were encountered that will need to be addressed in future iterations of the program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Too often program adaptations are made without careful consideration of important contextual issues, and too infrequently, these adapted programs are studied. Our process of program adaptation with rigorous measurement of program implementation provides a useful model for other evidence-based programs seeking thoughtful adaptation.
authors.affiliation: University of Denver and The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taussig
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota.
authors.forename: Lindsey
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weiler
authors.affiliation: University of Denver and The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.affiliation: University of Denver and The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hambrick
authors.affiliation: University of Denver.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wertheimer
authors.affiliation: University of Denver.
authors.forename: Orah
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fireman
authors.affiliation: The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado.
authors.forename: Melody
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Combs
keywords: adaptation; evidence-based intervention; foster care; implementation; youth mentoring