Unit presents at the 2010 Blueprints Conference for Violence Prevention

Unit researchers Morpeth and Little present at this years annual conference on the implementation of evidence-based programmes in the city of Birmingham, and the idea of using large systems to improve better outcomes for children.

The third annual Blueprints conference took place this year from April 7-9 in San Antonio, Texas. The purpose of the conference was to disseminate scientific evidence on violence, delinquency and drug prevention programmes for children and young people, and to provide practitioners with the guidance and tools needed to implement these programmes successfully.
 
The programmes discussed are “model” prevention programmes, such as Incredible Years and PATHS that have been proven to improve outcomes for children effectively. In addition to the along with “promising programmes” that have been identified as potentially having a high rate of effectiveness. A list of these programmes can be viewed on the Blueprints website, on the following link.
 
Conference workshops typically explore the challenges and lessons learned from the implementation and evaluation of model programmes across the globe.
 
Michael Little and Louise Morpeth presented alongside Cheryl Hopkins from Birmingham Children’s services on their collaborative work to implement evidence-based programmes in the City. The Birmingham Brighter Futures strategy calls for the implementation of four of the Blueprints model programmes; these include Incredible Years, Triple-P, Nurse Family Partnership and PATHS, and emphasizes the importance of implementing these programmes with fidelity. Apart from assisting the city council with the development of the strategy, the Unit’s involvement has been to evaluate the impact of these investments on child outcomes.
 
Other conference presenters included prevention scientists David Olds, creator of Nurse Family Partnership, and Mark Greenberg, creator of the PATHS programme (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies).
 
To find out more about the conference, follow this link.