title: Testing the Community-Based Learning Collaborative (CBLC) implementation model: a study protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High rates of youth exposure to violence, either through direct victimization or witnessing, result in significant health/mental health consequences and high associated lifetime costs. Evidence-based treatments (EBTs), such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), can prevent and/or reduce these negative effects, yet these treatments are not standard practice for therapists working with children identified by child welfare or mental health systems as needing services. While research indicates that collaboration among child welfare and mental health services sectors improves availability and sustainment of EBTs for children, few implementation strategies designed specifically to promote and sustain inter-professional collaboration (IC) and inter-organizational relationships (IOR) have undergone empirical investigation. A potential candidate for evaluation is the Community-Based Learning Collaborative (CBLC) implementation model, an adaptation of the Learning Collaborative which includes strategies designed to develop and strengthen inter-professional relationships between brokers and providers of mental health services to promote IC and IOR and achieve sustained implementation of EBTs for children within a community.
  
  
  METHODS
  This non-experimental, mixed methods study involves two phases: (1) analysis of existing prospective quantitative and qualitative quality improvement and project evaluation data collected pre and post, weekly, and monthly from 998 participants in one of seven CBLCs conducted as part of a statewide initiative; and (2) Phase 2 collection of new quantitative and qualitative (key informant interviews) data during the funded study period to evaluate changes in relations among IC, IOR, social networks and the penetration and sustainment of TF-CBT in targeted communities. Recruitment for Phase 2 is from the pool of 998 CBLC participants to achieve a targeted enrollment of n = 150. Study aims include: (1) Use existing quality improvement (weekly/monthly online surveys; pre-post surveys; interviews) and newly collected quantitative (monthly surveys) and qualitative (key informant interviews) data and social network analysis to test whether CBLC strategies are associated with penetration and sustainment of TF-CBT; and (2) Use existing quantitative quality improvement (weekly/monthly on-line surveys; pre/post surveys) and newly collected qualitative (key informant interviews) data and social network analysis to test whether CBLC strategies are associated with increased IOR and IC intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed research leverages an on-going, statewide implementation initiative to generate evidence about implementation strategies needed to make trauma-focused EBTs more accessible to children. This study also provides feasibility data to inform an effectiveness trial that will utilize a time-series design to rigorously evaluate the CBLC model as a mechanism to improve access and sustained use of EBTs for children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, MSC 861, Charleston, SC USA.
authors.forename: Rochelle F
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6362-0720
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: Division of Global and Community Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC USA.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schoenwald
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, MSC 861, Charleston, SC USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.affiliation: Oregon Social Learning Center, 10 Shelton McMurphey Blvd, Eugene, OR 97401 USA.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Southern California, 669W. 34th Street, MC0411, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0411 USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Palinkas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, MSC 861, Charleston, SC USA.
authors.forename: Angela D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Moreland
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 67 President Street, MSC 861, Charleston, SC USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dopp
keywords: Evidence-based treatment; Implementation; Interprofessional collaboration; Learning collaboratives; Youth violence exposure