OFFICE OF HUMAN Ce Asp = | SERVICES POLICY BRI EF PLANNING AND EVALUATION June 2023 In August 2022, the U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services held a convening focused on increasing the use of primary prevention in human services systems. Participants considered the opportunity for human services to shift from responding to families after they arein crisis to preventing the crisis before it occurs. Participants indicated that incorporating primary prevention into human services delivery can uproot the causes of adverse outcomes by reducing risk factors and promoting protective factors, thereby creating the safety and stability needed to avoid adverse experiences in the first place. This brief highlights key considerations for program administrators and other practitioners. THEMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CONVENING To advance the use of primary prevention® in human services, convening participants noted that we need to develop a national framework for delivering prevention services. This framework should promote equity by co-creating services with the individuals and communities served. A critical part of this framework will be creating a workforce for delivering prevention services that includes people with lived experience. Figure 1 presents key considerations that emerged at the convening relatedto (1) designing this national framework and corresponding workforce for delivering prevention services and (2) supporting this framework with buy-in from policymakers, the public, and funders. Figure 1. Key themes and recommendations Engage communities to Adopt a human-centered approach to support prevention service design that co-creates at all levels and stages of prevention services Leverage evidence of Integrate infrastructure across . Support a ' program areas and sectors national effectiveness to build S s system for polltlcai will ' / delivering prevention Build a primary . services prevention workforce with a person-first Finance primary preve ntlon services Design a national framework for delivering prevention services approach to service delivery / 0] Focus on the root causes of adverse experiences: poverty and a lack of Continuously improve service accessibility and effectiveness by engaging those with lived experience Identify key risk and protective factors high-risk populations to universal systems and approaches ' economic opportunity ' Expand beyond targeting * Primary prevention services include programs, policies, or other strategies that aim to prevent adverse outcomes from occurringby promoting protective factorsand reducing risk factors. June 2023 ISSUE BRIEF 1 KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATORS AND PRACTITIONERS This section describes select recommendations from the convening for program administrators and other practitioners. More detail on these and other recommendations are available in the convening summary brief: https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/primary-prevention-convening-brief. Build a primary prevention 50 Engage communities to support workforce with a person-first prevention ek i approach to service delivery Convening participants stressed the needto build a Implementing a new primary prevention primary prevention workforce consisting of people infrastructure will require public buy-in, achieved who come from the communities that programs in part by co-creating with communities, employing will serve. Creating this workforce will require: a workforce with lived experience, and ensuring that service delivery follows a person-first approach. Additionally, administrators and practitioners canalso engage with and educate the e Creating aninclusive work environment, including eliminating educational or legal barriers to employment public and service providers about the value of e Offering resources and supports, including fair primary prevention. For example, the public will compensation, reasonable workloads, and need a better understanding of the science of early mental healthand trauma support childhood. Engendering buy-in might also require appealing to a community's self-interest by demonstrating that primary prevention can advance the well-being of all, not just those who - Person-first and trauma-informed receive services. approaches to service delivery - Diversity, equity, access, andinclusion NEXT STEPS - Antidiscrimination and implicit bias e Providing trainingin: - Riskand protective factors The Office of the Assistant Secretaryfor Planning and Evaluation will hold a series of roundtables to Continuously improve service advance selectideas thatemergedfromthe H accessibility and effectiveness by convening. Discussions will inform additional engaging those with lived experience considerationsand next steps to build and supporta framework for integrating primary preventioninto By consulting people with lived experience, service human services policy and programs. providers can better identify and dismantle barriers to access. Possibilities for improving FORMORE INFORMATION accessibilityinclude streamlining services, processes, and applications; sharing data across programs; and measuring need rather than income to determine eligibility. Convening participants also underscored the importance of regularly engaging people with lived experience to inform service delivery, evaluation, and improvement. Thisis one in aseries of briefs highlighting key considerationsfromthe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Convening on Advancing Primary Prevention in Human Services. Forother briefs in this series, see https://aspe.hhs.gov/primary-prevention- human-services. June 2023 ISSUE BRIEF 2 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Assistant Secretaryfor Planning and Evaluation 200 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop447D Washington, D.C. 20201 For more ASPE briefs and other publications, visit: aspe.hhs.gov/reports ABOUTTHE AUTHORS Lauren Akers is a Senior Researcherat Mathematica. Jennifer Tippins is an Analyst at Mathematica. Susan Hauanis a Senior Advisor for Human Services Policy at ASPE. Miranda Lynch-Smithis the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy at ASPE. SUGGESTED CITATION Akers, L., Tippins, J., Hauan, S., and Lynch-Smith, M. Advancing Primary Preventionin Human Services: Key Considerationsfor Administrators and Practitioners (Issue Brief). Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. June 2023. COPYRIGHTINFORMATION All material appearing in this reportis in the publicdomainand may be reproduced or copied without permission; citationas to source, however, is appreciated. DISCLOSURE This communication was printed, published, or producedand disseminated at U.S. taxpayer expense. 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