The SESS multisite collaborative research initiative: establishing common ground |
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| Authors: | Elizabeth E. Iida,J. Fred Springer&dagger ,Peter J. Pecora&Dagger ,Emmalee S. Bandstra§ ,Mark C. Edwards¶ , Michele M. Basen |
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| Affiliation: | Evaluation Consultant, formerly Research and Project Director of the San Francisco SESS site, the Asian American Recovery Services, Inc.,;Research Director for Evaluation, Management and Training Associates (EMT), Inc. and Professor Emeritus in Public Policy at the University of Missouri at St Louis,;Senior Director of Research Services with Casey Family Programs and Professor at the School of Social Work, University of Washington,;Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Miami School of Medicine and Director of the Perinatal Chemical Addiction Research and Education Program,;Professor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and;Public Health Analyst with the Division of Knowledge Application and Systems Improvement, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration |
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| Abstract: | Multidisciplinary intervention approaches are needed for meeting service needs for families in which substance abuse and mental health disorders may be interfering with child‐rearing. Experiences from the Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) initiative, a 12‐site national collaborative investigation of integrating behavioural health services in early childhood and primary health care service settings for children aged 0–5 years and their families and caregivers, are described. This 4‐year applied research initiative was co‐funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services and Casey Family Programs, a private operating foundation. SESS, which was developed and implemented in 12 geographically and culturally diverse cities in the USA during 1997–2001, encouraged federal, state, and local public/private partnerships. Opportunities and challenges in using an inclusive, consensus‐based, stakeholder model to maximize study relevance and utility for researchers, practitioners, and fiscal sponsors are discussed, and lessons for multidisciplinary, multisite research collaborations are identified. |
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| Keywords: | behavioural health services early care and education research multidisciplinary collaboration prevention and early intervention public/ private partnerships |
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