Abstract
ObjectivesThe South Carolina Pregnancy Assistance Fund (SCPAF) funded four counties to increase the amount, quality, and awareness of services for young parents; increase educational attainment among expectant and parenting youth; reduce the number of repeat teen pregnancies among youth; and improve parenting skills. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to describe our application of the Ripple Effect Mapping (REM) technique as an innovative evaluation strategy to gather perspectives from SCPAF stakeholders and (2) to share key findings generated by participants in REM sessions on the perceived success of local SCPAF community collaboratives.MethodsREM, an innovative evaluation strategy, was used to gather perspectives from SCPAF stakeholders. Five REM sessions were conducted with 52 participants. REM sessions included partner interviews and collective development of visual maps to illustrate stakeholder perspectives of program successes. Visual maps, as well as transcripts of discussions, were analyzed using an inductive approach.ResultsStakeholders reported that the connections to resources, supports, and services provided through SCPAF had the potential to alter the life trajectories of expectant and parenting teens (EPT). Stakeholders also described that SCPAF fostered growth in collaboration among partners and reduced duplication of services in funded communitiesConclusions for PracticeThis paper describes how an innovative evaluation strategy was used to provide a space for stakeholders to dialogue, synthesize their experiences, and construct a collective narrative of key program successes. This paper also illustrates how such approaches can be applied to complex community initiatives.
Highlights
The most notable was their perception that South Carolina Pregnancy Assistance Fund (SCPAF) could alter the life trajectories of expectant and parenting teens through connections to resources, supports, and services
This paper describes stakeholder perceptions about the SCPAF program gathered using Ripple Effect Mapping (REM), an innovative evaluation technique
The SCPAF was designed to support the development of partnerships among youth services agencies in each community to create a system of supportive services for expectant and parenting teens (EPT)
Summary
The South Carolina Pregnancy Assistance Fund (SCPAF) funded four counties to increase the amount, quality, and awareness of services for young parents; increase educational attainment among expectant and parenting youth; reduce the number of repeat teen pregnancies among youth; and improve parenting skills. REM sessions included partner interviews and collective development of visual maps to illustrate stakeholder perspectives of program successes. Stakeholders described that SCPAF fostered growth in collaboration among partners and reduced duplication of services in funded communities Conclusions for Practice This paper describes how an innovative evaluation strategy was used to provide a space for stakeholders to dialogue, synthesize their experiences, and construct a collective narrative of key program successes. An estimated 48% of all mothers ages 15–19 live below the poverty line (National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy 2012). Given these consequences, expectant and parenting teens (EPT) are a vulnerable population. Teen mothers have expressed the need for improved health care; social supports; and services including child care, parenting classes, and peer support (Dumas and Terrell 2017)
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