Communities That Care

What is Communities That Care? (CTC)

• “Operating system” that focuses on risk and protective factors to provide structure for community efforts to address youth issues.

• Addresses:– Substance abuse– Delinquency– Teen pregnancy– School dropout– Violence

Community Risk Factors • Availability of drugs• Availability of firearms• Community laws and norms favorable to drug use,

firearms, and crime• Media portrayals of violence• Transitions and mobility• Low neighborhood attachment and community

disorganization• Extreme economic deprivation

Family Risk Factors • Family history of problem behavior• Family management problems• Family conflict• Parental attitudes toward, and involvement

in, substance abuse, crime, and violence

School Risk Factors • Early and persistent antisocial behavior• Academic failure in elementary school• Lack of commitment to school

Individual/Peer Risk Factors • Alienation and rebelliousness• Friends who engage in problem behaviors• Early initiation of a problem behavior• Constitutional factors

Individual Protective Factors • Gender• Resilient temperament• Positive orientation• Intelligence

Positive Factor: Bonding • Parents and families• Other significant adults• Teachers, school• Peer groups• Organizations• Community

How Protective Factors Counter Risk

• Individual characteristics provide a foundation for healthy behavior

• To develop or enhance individual characteristics, children and adolescents are given a chance to contribute to their families, schools, and communities. Youth need:– Skills– The opportunity to contribute– Recognition for their contribution

How Protective Factors Counter Risk (cont.)

• Contribution leads to bonding• For a bonded child or adolescent, the

provision of healthy beliefs and clear standards furnish the structure and corrective feedback needed for positive development

• Ultimately, this progression leads to healthy behavior

Advantages to the CTC Approach• Grounded in theory and practice• Inclusive and participatory• Takes a community perspective• Involves training at every step• Provides a menu of “best practices” from which to choose• Is adapted to its own needs by each community• Includes evaluation and adjustment as an integral part of any

effort• Seems to work for most problem behaviors

Disadvantages to the CTC Approach

• Only inclusive and participatory for certain people• Allows the choice of only a finite number of approaches• Choosing from “best practices” may encourage

communities to merely follow directions rather than throwing heart and soul into the effort

• Narrowly focused• To a certain extent, based on assumptions• Has a service to sell

Who should be involved in CTC?

• People directly affected by the problem behaviors

• People affected indirectly by the problem behaviors

• Community leaders and decision-makers• Those with community interest• The media

How do you employ the CTC approach?

• Awareness• Education• Community mobilization• Community assessment• Prevention plan development• Program implementation• Outcomes evaluation

Community Assessment

• Youth survey• Census and accompanying GIS data• Archival records• Direct contact with youth and other citizens

Resources to Support the CTC Approach

• Money• Expertise• People• Avenues to reach youth