Preventing Boys in Residential Youth Care From Sexual Offending: Process Evaluation of Pilot Implementation

Abstract

Background: An effective intervention should not only be evidence- and theory based, but also requires complete and faithful implementation. Especially among difficult target groups, successful implementation can be very challenging and requires serious efforts. Make a Move is a group-intervention targeting boys aged 12-18 in residential youth care, to prevent sexual offensive behavior. Elements of adoption and implementation theory were used to evaluate the pilot implementation. Methods: Diaries and interviews were used to evaluate how 6 trainers worked in 14 groups. Both interviews and diaries were encoded and analyzed using Nvivo. Findings: All trainers reported low levels of completeness and fidelity. Program-related beliefs and skills and self-efficacy were related to levels of implementation. Main external barriers were organizational constraints in the youth care institute and group dynamics, both of major influence. Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of addressing completeness and fidelity. Besides improvements on the program itself, lessons learnt from the pilot are especially valuable in guiding successful adoption and implementation of the program.