Evaluation of the implementation at scale of a public health intervention to promote social and emotional development in the early years in British Columbia

British Columbia’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions has identified healthy social and emotional development (SED) in early childhood as a priority action towards addressing the province’s mental health crisis. In response, ChildHealth BC (CHBC) is developing a multi-component provincial intervention to expand the capacity of caregivers to promote SED in young children- the first to be implemented at scale in Canada. While there is evidence on the efficacy of capacity-building SED strategies, research on how to bring these strategies to scale is lacking in the field. This project presents an opportunity to evaluate the scale-up implementation and short-term impact of a capacity-building intervention for parents and childcare providers.With the Elevate program, CHBC can benefit from having Angela Low, who specializes in SED and parenting interventions in her research and practice, oversee the evaluation, and a) monitor the implementation and provide feedback for course correction and quality improvement; b) assess short-term impact on caregiver knowledge and practices and; c) identify facilitators and barriers to this scale-up implementation. Skills and networking gained will enable Angela to take leaps toward her career goal of securing a senior position within the public health system to improve mental health outcomes for all Canadians.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sheila Marshall

Student:

Angela Low

Partner:

Provincial Health Services Authority

Discipline:

Social work

Sector:

University:

University of British Columbia

Program: