STAGES OF IMPLEMENTATION From Beginning to End – STEP ONE: EXPLORATION During this stage, people have spent some time already looking at other interventions, programs, etc. that might satisfy their organizational needs. A set of draft goals and objectives may have been developed. Organizers may be thinking about how to get buy in from staff and others doing work in the same area. Organizers may have already started to think about what an action plan might look like. The initiative, program, or project has not been implemented yet. Here are some ideas of what people may be doing during this stage: Explore and investigate what is already been done and is available in the area of father engagement/father involvement. Investigation might include: Doing an Internet search Asking someone from another county Attend an educational forum or conference to learn about what others are doing Conduct an organizational assessment about what your organization may need and how it might proceed with father engagement/father involvement This initiative readiness assessment helps an organization to know more about if they are actually ready to implement a particular program or project. The University of Wisconsin, Extension provides a detailed example of a Nonprofit Organizational Assessment tool that you can use to guide your planning for your father engagement/father involvement efforts. Their website is: Think about the feasibility of implementing father engagement strategies Who will you target in the organization that will be helpful and an asset? Are there other organizations, community partners, etc. who you can partner with to pool resources? What does the organization finances and budgeting look like? What outcomes do you hope to impact? If successful, how will the new interventions be sustained over time? Think about the mission and vision of your project Think about which organizational supports that will be needed and how they might be utilized for your efforts CASE EXAMPLE: A contingency of staff development representatives, regional training academy staff and county staff visited another county in their region who had already implemented several father engagement projects, including a resource center and a support group for fathers. The resource center was a place where fathers could come to get information about services in the county, talk to staff about issues they were presented with, use the computer for job searchers, participate in job training, etc. It’s almost like a one stop shop for fathers and children. The purpose of the visit was to gather information and bring back information to their respective agencies for consideration of adopting the same or similar strategies for engaging fathers.
STAGES OF IMPLEMENTATION – From Beginning to End STEP ONE: EXPLORATION During this stage, people have spent some time already looking at other interventions, programs, etc. that might satisfy their organizational needs. A set of draft goals and objectives may have been developed. Organizers may be thinking about how to get buy in from staff and others doing work in the same area. Organizers may have already started to think about what an action plan might look like. The initiative, program, or project has not been implemented yet. Here are some ideas of what people may be doing during this stage: Explore and investigate what is already been done and is available in the area of father engagement/father involvement. Investigation might include: Doing an Internet search Asking someone from another county Attend an educational forum or conference to learn about what others are doing Conduct an organizational assessment about what your organization may need and how it might proceed with father engagement/father involvement This initiative readiness assessment helps an organization to know more about if they are actually ready to implement a particular program or project. The University of Wisconsin, Extension provides a detailed example of a Nonprofit Organizational Assessment tool that you can use to guide your planning for your father engagement/father involvement efforts. Their website is: Think about the feasibility of implementing father engagement strategies Who will you target in the organization that will be helpful and an asset? Are there other organizations, community partners, etc. who you can partner with to pool resources? What does the organization finances and budgeting look like? What outcomes do you hope to impact? If successful, how will the new interventions be sustained over time? Think about the mission and vision of your project Think about which organizational supports that will be needed and how they might be utilized for your efforts CASE EXAMPLE: A contingency of staff development representatives, regional training academy staff and county staff visited another county in their region who had already implemented several father engagement projects, including a resource center and a support group for fathers. The resource center was a place where fathers could come to get information about services in the county, talk to staff about issues they were presented with, use the computer for job searchers, participate in job training, etc. It’s almost like a one stop shop for fathers and children. The purpose of the visit was to gather information and bring back information to their respective agencies for consideration of adopting the same or similar strategies for engaging fathers.