Communities That Care
Program Description
Communities That Care (CTC) is a community-based prevention program aimed at reducing youth problem behaviors such as substance use, delinquency, and violence. CTC promotes healthy youth development by strengthening community coalitions and utilizing evidence-based prevention strategies. The approach includes training local leaders and stakeholders in effective prevention practices, data collection, and analysis to identify local risk and protective factors, and strategic planning to address identified issues.
Prevention Category
Practice Level
Strategies
Practice Components
Risk and Protective Factors
Population Age
Populations of Focus
Settings
Parental/Caregiver Involvement
Substance Use Prevention Focus
Recommended Staffing
Empirical Evidence of Impact
| Substance | Substance-Related Behavior | Population Age | Evidence Strength and Study Populations of Focus |
| Alcohol | Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation | Grades 5-10 | Moderate (General Population)1-4 |
| Cannabis | Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation | Grades 5-10 | Promising (General Population)1-4 |
| Substance Use (General) | Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation | Grades 5-10 | Moderate (General Population)3-4 |
| Tobacco | Reduced Use or Delayed Initiation | Grades 5-10 | Strong (General Population)2-3 |
| References
1 Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Abbott, R. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2009). Results of a Type 2 translational research trial to prevent adolescent drug use and delinquency: A test of Communities That Care. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(9), 789–798. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.141 2 Hawkins, J. D., Oesterle, S., Brown, E. C., Monahan, K. C., Abbott, R. D., Arthur, M. W., & Catalano, R. F. (2012). Sustained decreases in risk exposure and youth problem behaviors after installation of the Communities That Care prevention system in a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 166(2), 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.183 3 Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., Arthur, M. W., Abbott, R. D., & Kosterman, R. (2008). Testing Communities That Care: The rationale, design, and behavioral baseline equivalence of the Community Youth Development Study. Prevention Science, 9(3), 178–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0092-y 4 Oesterle, S., Kuklinski, M. R., Hawkins, J. D., Skinner, M. L., Guttmannova, K., & Rhew, I. C. (2018). Long-term effects of the Communities That Care trial on substance use, antisocial behavior, and violence through age 21 years. American Journal of Public Health, 108(5), 659–665. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304320 |
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Training and Technical Assistance
CTC provides comprehensive support through its website, offering resources such as training manuals, implementation guides, evaluation tools, and technical assistance. Communities can access these resources to ensure fidelity and effectiveness in program delivery.
Adaptations
(CTC) has been adapted to Estonian, Brazilian, and Australian populations. Additionally, Keeping Families Together is an adaptation of CTC that targets community-wide prevention of child maltreatment in families with children ages 0–10.
Program Costs
Please visit the developer’s website listed above for updated information about implementation costs.
What California Providers Are Saying
We have not yet spoken to any California providers who have experience implementing Communities That Care. If you have implemented it, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us.
Labels
Universal,
Community/Society, community society,
Information dissemination,
Community-based processes, community based processes,
Environmental,
Cognitive Behavioral Strategies,
Pro-Social Connections and Activities (prosocial adults, peers, organizations),
Self-efficacy/self-esteem enhancement,
Skills Training,
Peer Norm Development,
Community-based Processes, community based processes,
Economic Availability Reduction,
Enforce Existing Restrictions on Substance Use,
Media Campaigns,
Retail Availability Reduction,
Shift Community Norms,
Social Availability Reduction,
Conduct disorder,
Early and persistent antisocial behavior,
Early initiation of substance use,
Favorable attitudes towards substance abuse,
Internalizing behaviors (e.g. anxiety, depression, social withdrawal),
Negative emotional state,
Poor coping skills and behaviors,
Rebelliousness,
Ability to adapt to change and the belief in one’s ability to control what happens,
Emotional self-regulation,
High self-esteem,
Personal engagement in two or more of the following: school, peers, athletics, employment, religion/spirituality, culture,
Positive social orientation (e.g. engaging in health activities, accepting of rules and community values, positive social engagement),
Positive temperament,
Strong coping skills (e.g. problem-solving skills, ability to stand up for beliefs and values),
Family conflict,
Family experiences of poverty,
Family management problems,
History of family substance misuse,
Lack of adult supervision,
Poor attachment with caregivers,
Substance use among caregivers,
Attachment between caregivers and youth, including unity, warmth, and attachment,
Communication and contact between caregivers and youth,
Clear expectations for behaviors and values,
Family environment with structure, rules, predictability, and family supervision,
Supportive relationships with family,
Accessibility of substances,
Academic failure,
Lack of plans or ambitions for the future,
Low commitment to school,
Norms favorable towards substance use,
Substance use among peers,
Community norms, beliefs, and standards against substance use,
Opportunities for prosocial engagement in the school and community,
Opportunities for the development of skills and interests,
Physical and psychological safety,
Presence of mentors and healthy adults for positive emotional support,
Positive social norms,
Age 0-5, Ages 0-5,
Age 6-12, Ages 6-12,
Age 13-17, Ages 13-17,
Age 28-20, Ages 18-20,
Age 21-24, Ages 21-24,
General Population,
Required,
Alcohol,
Cannabis,
Tobacco,
Community-based program, community based programs,
Broader Community/Society, community, society, broader community society,
Health/social work counselor, therapist or professional (unlicensed), health social,
Health/social work counselor, therapist or professional (licensed),
Mentors,
Community Members,