Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Military families face unprecedented challenges. OIF and OEF have resulted in long deployments, and repeated deployments and re-deployments have become commonplace. On the warfront, military engagements are occurring in close quarters against hard-to-identify opponents, and the threat of terrorist attacks is ever-present. Instantaneous news reports out of Iraq and Afghanistan bring the warfront to the home front on a daily basis. Military families that include an exceptional family member likely face additional challenges to readiness. While challenges and responsibilities faced by military families are manifold, the science and practice of developing military family readiness is in its infancy. The overarching purpose of this work is to enhance the science base related to the understanding of family readiness, including risk and resilience factors. This project will also enhance the science base of prevention and intervention programs used to enhance military readiness. The scientific literatures from many disciplines will be reviewed to develop a robust understanding of military family readiness, in all its complexity. These literatures will also be reviewed to identify promising evidence based programs and practices that may be portable to the military family context. All of this information will populate The Clearinghouse on Military Family Readiness (CMFR). The science based information will be disseminated to professionals working with military children, youth, and families to enhance their ability to understand, measure, enhance, and strengthen military family readiness. The CMFR will provide information on and access to evidence-based programs designed to enhance family functioning across a broad range of outcomes. High quality, proactive, profession technical assistance will also be provided to promote the understanding, adoption, and ultimately wide-spread use of science-based practices to enhance family readiness. Through the use of these mechanisms of action, the CMFR will help build the professional capacity of those working with military children, youth, and families so they are better positioned to effectively bolster military family functioning and resilience. The second goal of this proposal is to establish an Exceptional Family Member Support Program Library (EFMSPL) to enhance the knowledge and effectiveness of professionals working with that particular target audience. The "virtual" EFMPL will catalog and house the latest research findings related to exceptional family members and best practices for addressing challenges to the readiness of these families. The EFMSPL will provide opportunities for interactive learning and proactive technical assistance. By also hosting the EFMSPL, the CMFR will create a cohesive, one-stop-shop, supportive virtual community of helping professionals, researchers, military and community leaders, and military families. It is expected that CMFR and EFMSPL will strengthen the capacity of professionals to build family readiness. More effective, science-based prevention and intervention programs will be used and evaluated by those working with military children, youth, and families.
Animal Health Component
75%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
25%
Applied
75%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The first objective is to expand the work and reach of the Penn State Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness (CMFR) as a distribution and implementation infrastructure for professionals working with military families. To accomplish this objective, our first goal is to transition 5-10 homegrown family readiness-related programs to promising program designation. This will be accomplished by (a) identifying/selecting/assessing homegrown military programs targeted at military families using established standards of evidence; (b) revising 1-2 of the selected programs; (c) piloting and evaluating the revised program/practices in three military communities; (d) conduct a gap analysis of military family readiness programs (e.g., risk behavior prevention, promotion of parenting skills, resource management skills, communication skills); and (e) establish an eXtension-linked community of practice to foster assessment of program and practices. The second goal is to develop a best practices resource guide for Emergency Family Assistance Centers (EFACs). This will be accomplished by (a) gathering and reviewing "best practices" from the civilian community related to emergency response, including the growing research on first responders; (b) gathering and reviewing military "best practices" (e.g., Pentagon After Action Report); (c) developing a DoD-wide guide of best practices for Emergency Family Support. The third goal is to identify gaps in the applied literature on military family readiness. The second objective is to establish an Exceptional Family Member Program Support Library (EFMPSL). The first goal is to design and develop a dynamic and engaging interface for the EFMPSL including "real-time" technical assistance. The second goal is to identify, vet, and populate the EFMPSL with science-based information relevant to the EFMP. To accomplish this goal (a) scientific literatures in military medicine, human development, education, special education, psychology, psychiatry, disabilities, medicine, and others will be examined for information related to programs, practices, and strategies relevant to supporting exceptional families; (b) information will be vetted for scientific rigor and organized within the library to ensure easy library-user interface; (c) evidence-based practices/strategies will be identified and housed on the EFMPSL; and resources for DoD, military branch, and other sources will be identified and vetted, including guides and web links. The third goal is to provide proactive technical assistance with staff that possesses knowledge and experience working with Exceptional Family Members. The fourth goal is to provide virtual learning experiences through the EFMPSL and CMFR. Learning experiences will include training sessions videos, webinars, and online chat sessions that demonstrate specific best practices and strategies for working with families with exceptional family members. Finally, we will develop an evaluation plan for assessing utilization and impact of the EFMPS.
Project Methods
Although the award to develop and expand the clearinghouse and create the EFMPS virtual library are set for one year, the CMFR and EFMPSL virtual infrastructures are designed to be sustainable. The CMFR and EFMPSL will be continually informed by the larger DoD-USDA Partnership. However, some resources will be required if these infrastructures are to remain current, impactful, and viable for the long-term. In addition, findings within the field of implementation science indicate the need for long-term technical assistance. Therefore some resources will be needed to ensure high-quality implementation and utilization of the programs, practices, and strategies by professionals in the field. To maximize success of the CMFR and EFMPSL we will (a) proactively engage military family support professionals in the use of evidence-based programs and practices; (b) engage military family support professionals with multiple capacity-building activities to foster learning and promote efficient implementation of effective programs; (c) provide ongoing technical assistance; (d) pilot test the web-based system for collecting processes and outcome data so professionals can utilize it in implementation, quality monitoring, and evaluation of evidence-based programs; (e) evaluate the utility of the CMFR and EFMPSL to stakeholders; and (f) make improvements to the CMFR and EFMPSL. The proactive capacity building and ongoing technical assistance within the CMFR and EFMPSL will be offered by trained Penn State Cooperative Extension Technical Assistance Professionals (CE-TAPS). CE-TAPS will promote the principles of effectiveness in evidence-based programming and address issues facing military families with exceptional children and youth. The CMFR and EFMPSL will provide (a) a searchable database of evidence-based strategies/practices, evidence-based programs and interventions and 4-H Programs of Distinction; (b) an interactive program selection tool through a series of questions that provide a logical decision-making tree; (c) user-friendly practical guides, research reports, and briefs on various topics; (d) multimedia presentations (e.g., webinars and skill demonstration videos); (e) features to help users navigate the site, answer questions, think through a program implementation issue, or make referrals; (f) a "Discussion Forum" where users can post questions and concerns that are open to comment from other CMFR users and from message board moderators; (g) implementation planning sessions for the implementation of specific practices/strategies and programs; (h) vetted resources (e.g., CYFERNet, eXtension.org, strengtheningfamilies.org), (i) evidence-based information on related to interventions and programs for families with exceptional members (e.g., School Liaison Programs, Assistive Technology Interventions, First Step to Success, Multidimensional Family Therapy, Reliable and Valid Measures to Assess Family Functioning and Service Needs); and (j) capacity building opportunities (e.g., webinars and communities of practice) and ongoing technical assistance (e.g., one-on-one consultation sessions).