Response to Community Questions at CPP Regional Trainings

May, 2006

1.  **Can we get the fiscal reimbursement form on line? Or as an
    attachment? It would be so much easier if the form allowed you to
    enter the information directly onto the form.**

> Yes, Melody will send everyone an electronic copy of the reimbursement
> form. Currently, the form is not formatted so that you can enter the
> information directly online. ADAD will need time to develop this
> capacity. Meanwhile, you can create the same reimbursement form in an
> Excel format and use it to enter your billing reimbursement
> information and submit the bill in this format, if it is identical to
> the hard copy.

2.  **Can we roll over funds at the end of the contract year?**

> Funds do not automatically roll over from one year to the next. At the
> end of the fiscal year when communities have turned in all their
> bills, ADAD will know the exact balances of each account. At the end
> of December, ADAD will submit a financial report and request
> permission from CSAP to carry over the funds to the next fiscal year.
> CSAP usually grants approval by the end of February or the beginning
> of March. Then we will work with communities to develop a process for
> applying for the additional funds.

3.  **Please talk about the SPF stages and grant cycles.**

> The next funding cycle will be for September 30, 2006 -- September 20,
> 2007. During that cycle, communities should focus on completing SPF
> steps 1 -- 3, with a goal of submitting a strategic plan for approval
> by March 30, 2007. Once the plan has been approved, communities can
> move into the implementation stage (step 4) for the remainder of the
> year. Future funding cycles will focus on implementation.
>
> In 06-07, ADAD will not be able to reimburse expenses for any
> implementation expenses until the CPP Management Team has approved the
> strategic plan.

4.  **When will we get the application for 06-07?**

> The intent is to post a copy of the 06-07 funding application by the
> middle of June 2006. The deadline for submission will be mid July
> 2006, with a start date of September 30, 2006.

5.  **Will there be a time when the funder will require programs from a
    "list" of approved programs?**

> Developing community infrastructure and implementing a strategic plan
> is much more complex than simply selecting "evidence-based programs"
> from a list. Regional Prevention Consultants (RPCs) will support CPP
> communities in weaving together a set of programs, policies and
> practices that respond to research, build a healthier community and
> affect positive outcomes.

6.  **What is the expectation regarding Memoranda of
    Understanding/Agreement with schools and higher ed? Are we supposed
    to have agreements signed by other policy makers? If so, this seems
    very bureaucratic; at the policy level such a document could be
    considered a "legal" document and would have to pass through various
    levels of approval for signature. We would rather use our own
    formats.**

> In the original application, under "General Requirements," it was
> stated that funded communities would be required to:

-   Obtain Memoranda of Agreements with key stakeholders that will
    participate on the PPB and Coalition, for submission with the next
    funding application:

-   Obtain Memoranda of Understanding with required signatures from
    participating school districts, indicating willingness to
    participate in planning process and to administer student surveys,
    for submission with next funding application.

> Since that time, some of the funded communities have requested sample
> MOU/MOA formats and have moved forward with this process.
>
> Recently, the CPP Management Team agreed to develop a common MOA
> template for school representatives. This MOA includes information
> about confidentiality protections and data release protocol, and will
> be posted on the CPP Project Coordinators listserv.
>
> Communities can adapt the template to facilitate work with local
> schools and districts. Only one MOA will be required for all schools
> and districts. A completed and signed MOA will be due to Melody Durso
> no later than September 29, 2006.

7.  **Some counties, such as Mesa County, will be doing a combined
    survey. How does CPP get access to that data in a user-friendly
    format?**

> The CPP Management Team is working on this issue with the Steps to a
> Healthier Colorado program at the Department of Public Health and
> Environment. It is our goal to reduce the reporting burden on
> communities.

8.  **Could CDE send a letter of information and endorsement re the
    Healthy Kids Colorado Survey to all superintendents, asking for
    their help in obtaining permission to conduct this survey in the
    schools? Some of the counties have new superintendents coming in and
    it would be critical for them to receive such a letter. It needs to
    happen very quickly, as the school year is almost at an end.**

> The CPP Management Team discussed this request and ways to respond to
> community needs. A letter from CDE can be sent out, but our CDE member
> has indicated that August is a more appropriate time to contact
> superintendents with this letter.
>
> In the meantime, the CPP Management Team is working with our
> contractors at OMNI to develop additional TA forums to address school
> engagement and survey requirements. September 7, 2006 (the day after
> Prevention Day, which you received notice of on the listserv from Josė
> Esquibel) will be reserved for a special meeting with CPP communities
> to discuss issues of school engagement. The CPP Management Team also
> is planning a mid-summer conference call to begin answering community
> questions and to plan for the September 7^th^ meeting.

9.  **How to we discern the difference between the "correlate" and the
    "consequence?"**

> OMNI evaluation staff are working with the State Epidemiological and
> Outcome Workgroup and the ASPIRE team to develop tools that will help
> guide your work through the cause-correlate-consequence model. If you
> have specific, immediate questions, please contact your OMNI
> evaluation team contact.

10. **Can we get the readiness data that the SEOW and CPPMT used to
    identify our community as a target community?**

> Specific readiness data was not available at the time of community
> selection. The CPP Advisory Council reviewed information about social
> indicator data in conjunction with public resources available in the
> community to target substance abuse and related issues. We also
> utilized more informal assessments of state officials and their
> contractors to ensure that CPP targeted both higher and lower
> readiness communities. Therefore, specific readiness data are not
> available from the state.
>
> An important part of implementing Step 2 of the Strategic Prevention
> Framework involves local communities in assessing readiness to address
> underage drinking and the readiness of the coalition/PPB in working
> together towards this goal. Another instrument is under development by
> OMNI to assess infrastructure readiness. Please access readiness
> assessment tools in ASPIRE and begin working with your Regional
> Prevention Consultant in implementing these assessment activities.
> Note that extensive guidelines have been developed and are included in
> ASPIRE to help you administer the tools. You will be notified when the
> prevention infrastructure assessment tool has been finalized.

11. **Our coalition is in the storming and norming stage and we don't
    seem to get anything done; everyone has a different opinion and
    wants to be in charge. How can we get the group to move forward?**

> Your Regional Prevention Consultant should be a very helpful resource
> in this stage. S/he should be able to provide you with facilitative
> and other types of consultation for working with your coalition/PPB.

12. **Can we get a training on the community readiness model?**

> Yes. The Regional Prevention Services Project at OMNI will determine
> how best to provide you with the necessary training. Please contact
> your RPC for additional information.

13. **Our community's public health department is in the process of
    beginning a MAPP community needs assessment. Is that sufficient?
    Could questions be added to this assessment?**

> The focus of these two assessments may be somewhat different as CPP
> communities will be focusing on the prevention of underage drinking.
> However, the MAPP assessment should be an important step in conducting
> your CPP needs assessment. The Regional Prevention Services Project at
> OMNI has received training in the MAPP assessment process. Please work
> with your Regional Prevention Consultant to help integrate these
> assessment activities to the extent possible.

14. **Do we need a written MOA/MOU or is a verbal agreement
    sufficient?**

> Please refer to the Announcement for Funds (AFF) released in June
> 2006.

15. **Could we get training in facilitation skills?**

> This may be a very appropriate way to utilize CPP funds. You also
> should contact your Regional Prevention Consultant to determine what
> training resources may be available.

16. **In terms of youth engagement, what age does CPP require?**

> Underage drinking prevention targets children and youth under the age
> of 21. CPP communities may decide to target drinking among older age
> groups as well based on needs assessment data. For example,
> nationally, binge drinking and other alcohol related problems have
> been found to have high prevalence among 18-25 year olds.

17. **We keep hearing a different interpretation of expectations. Please
    give us concrete answers, either "yes" or "no." It is embarrassing
    to go to our coalition and keep changing the information we
    receive.**

> The CPP Management Team is committed to being clear in our
> expectations, and we encourage feedback on how well we accomplish this
> goal. The Team also is committed to working closely with communities
> to inform decisions. Our responses may be difficult to keep in a
> simple "yes" or "no," because we would like to work with communities
> to find ways to meet their needs.
>
> Please use the CPP listservs, regional training materials, questions
> and answers posted on the SWCAPT website, your RPC and your OMNI
> evaluation team contact to help ensure you have the information that
> you need and that this is communicated consistently within your
> community.

18. **What is the final deadline for submitting an application for
    education funds?**

> This was answered by Stan Paprocki, from CDE, in a message to project
> coordinators, posted on the CPP project coordinator listserv.