Our Programming Model

Better Futures for Children adopts and uses the highly cited and widely used dissemination and implementation framework, the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) .The EPIS framework was developed by implementation scientists in the US, based on a comprehensive examination of the implementation science literature in public social and allied health service systems (e.g. mental health, drug use, etc) and has applicability in other countries and other settings ( i.e. school and community settings).

 As shown in the EPIS framework, EPIS has key components that include four well defined and widely researched phases that describe the evidence dissemination and implementation process.  The first key component of the EPIS is the four phases of the evidence dissemination and implementation process is Exploration.

In the Exploration phase, schools and community stakeholders consider the emergent social, educational and health problems and the needs of in and out of school children and adolescents, and work to identify the best evidence based program. Intervention or practice (EBP) to address the problem/s, and subsequently decide whether to disseminate and implement the EBP.

 In the Preparation phase, the primary objectives are to identify practical barriers and facilitators of evidence dissemination and implementation, further assess the needs for adaptation and to develop a detailed D&I plan to capitalize on D&I facilitators and address potential barriers. 

In the Implementation phase and guided by the planned D&I supports from the Preparation phase, EBP is initiated and instantiated in schools and communities and monitoring and evaluation of the Implementation phase.

 In the Sustainment phase, Better Futures for Children supports schools and communities to strengthen advocacy and ensures that the outer and inner context structures, processes, and support efforts are strengthened and ongoing in schools and communities so that EBPs continue to be delivered, with adaptation as necessary, and to utilize the school and community impact of the disseminated an implemented EBPs.