Blueprints for Violence Prevention

As science-based programs become more readily available to practitioners, the need for identifying and overcoming problems associated with the process of implementation becomes critical. A major goal of the Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative has been to enhance the understanding of program implementation by studying the influence of human- and systems-level factors that challenge the successful implementation of programs. This article describes the results of a process evaluation focused on discovering common implementation obstacles faced by 42 sites implementing eight of the Blueprints programs. This evaluation revealed that most sites involved in the project faced many challenges when implementing in real-world settings. Using regression analyses to identify the most important of these factors, findings revealed that the quality of technical assistance, ideal program characteristics, consistent staffing, and community support were important influences on one or more measures of implementation success.