Speakers

Annemie Coone (Hogent College), Rachele Donini (ASL 2 Savonese), Katalin Felvinczi (ELTE University), Vivien Voit (FINDER)

Abstract

This symposium will give the audience an update on the different content the Frontline Politeia consortium (working together with 15 European partners and academic and civil society organisations from all over Europe) created until September 2023. The project aims to have a trained prevention workforce to properly apply prevention interventions towards substance use (and crime). Concrete: The Frontline Politeia partners test training using the European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) for frontline staff such as teachers, police, community-, social- and healthcare workers. This project applies training expertise in translating scientific facts into practice by hands-on tools and practising in physical face-to-face and blended learning training. Both training formats are interactive and strive towards real-life application by local teams. Trained competencies are applied in the local analysis of interventions or needs with EMCDDA and CTC (Communities That Care) tools. These intervention analyses aim to improve the prevention interventions on a local scale. Participants of the symposium will learn the core curriculum and e-learning format, the tools used for mapping and analysing the local interventions, a first overview of the results regarding the mapped local interventions and an inside evaluation of the project (tools and project as a whole).

Abstract 1: Training Prevention Implementers

Well-trained prevention practitioners are vital for the sustainable, widespread and effective implementation of evidence-based prevention and health promotion interventions. In Europe, however, there is a lack of cross-disciplinary basic training for frontline prevention practitioners.

In developing a two-day presence training and supplementary e-learning modules, the Frontline Politeia curriculum considers that distant learning is more flexible regarding the participants’ needs (time resources, learning styles) and provides an opportunity to increase the training’s interactivity and scalability. The professionals reached by the blended learning strategy will have better opportunities to interact, network and learn with and from other prevention professionals under a long-term perspective. The curriculum imparts essential competencies for prevention practitioners, integrates international prevention research findings, and considers regional structures and specificities.

In detail: In the presence training, the prevention professionals from different backgrounds learn about the basics of prevention, reflect upon their role, network with other experts in their community and start identifying common goals in prevention.

The E-learning allows the participants afterwards to deepen their knowledge in the different prevention settings and learn at their own pace. Simultaneously, they can stay connected with their fellow prevention professionals through joint exercises and webinars.

The complete curriculum is piloted in 12 countries, and the evaluation results will be incorporated into further curriculum development.

Abstract 2: Mapping and assessment tools

The main objective of WP3 is to pilot-test a model of improving the quality of interventions undertaken at a regional and local level by strengthening the capacity and agency of prevention stakeholders on the key issue of evidence-based prevention (EBP).

To achieve the goal, two different tools have been developed in the first eight months of the project to support the mapping and analysis of prevention projects in five European countries where the Partners are based.

The first, called the “Mapping tool,” was developed to allow a detailed collection and further analysis of what is being implemented at the regional/local level. Data collection typically occurs nationally via expert ratings regarding the interventions implemented. Drawing on increasing concern about how guidelines, quality standards and respective promising tools are translated into practice in health, especially at the regional and local level, the mapping tool has been used to collect interventions from implementers during a semi-structured interview. The methodology used to create the mapping tool will be presented.

The second tool, the “Assessment tool,” complements and mirrors the first one. The main aim of this second tool is to allow the analysis/assessment of the interventions collected through the mapping exercise in each selected region. Each Partner has collected an average of ten projects. The assessment tool represents the synthesis of the most updated scientific indicators on what works and does not work in prevention interventions. The assessment tool development process will be presented.

Abstract 3: First results of the analyses of the interventions
Five European countries mapped the drug prevention interventions in a self-selected local community during one of the work packages. The aim of registering more than 70 interventions spread all over Europe is to have a clear view of the ‘quality’ of the intervention and improve (implementing) it. Along with the training developed during the project, the Frontline Politeia partners strive to apply evidence-based practices. For that, we interviewed the implementers of the interventions on the content and implementation of the intervention. This process was completed by this September so that research can be done on this pile of qualitative data. In this talk, we will first examine what interventions are implemented across those local communities and what we can find related to their quality. We want to know whether the intervention uses prevention theories to develop and implement the intervention. In other words, we want to look at the different features of ‘evidence-based interventions’. Some preliminary results are presented and give an insight into the quality of prevention interventions in local communities of some European countries.

Abstract 4: Evaluation

The main aim of the Frontline Politea project is to improve and increase professionalism and quality-driven approaches among professionals working in the field, particularly on the frontline. To achieve this aim, multifaceted training activities are implemented, accompanied by extensive evaluation activities. The evaluation activities target both offline (face-to-face) and e-learning training activities from the perspectives of trainers and trainees.

Trainers reflect on the various training activities using a questionnaire that consists of closed and open-ended questions. The trainees’ face-to-face training experiences are explored through pre-and post-test questionnaires, which aim to investigate the perceived development of knowledge, skills, and competencies among them. Additionally, a comprehensive questionnaire explores the trainees’ overall impressions of the entire training process, including the e-learning component. It seeks to identify specific domains of the training activities that contribute to better quality and more competent prevention intervention delivery.
Furthermore, focus groups are organised to gather qualitative information on the impact of the entire development process. The evaluation research follows the Kirkpatrick model (Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick, 2021). The framework and tools of the evaluation activities, along with some already available results, will be presented during the presentation.