Background

The Communities That Care (CTC) process is an operating system that provides research-based tools to help communities mobilize to promote the positive development of children and to prevent adolescent behavior problems including substance abuse, delinquency, school drop-out and violence.

The CTC process was developed by David Hawkins, Ph.D. and Richard Catalano, Ph.D. in 1992 to help communities plan, implement and evaluate national model prevention programs. These programs can address some or all of the focus areas – family, school, youth/peer groups, and community. The full CTC process is based on the public health model.

CTC Nationally
On September 22, 2005, the U.S. Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) completed the purchase of the Communities That Care® (CTC) products from The Channing Bete Company, Inc. SAMHSA is in the process of incorporating the elements of the CTC process into the Strategic Prevention Framework. This acquisition means that SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) will be able to offer Communities That Care products and materials to all states, all of CSAP's 800 Drug-Free Community Coalition grantees, and the estimated 8,000 plus community coalitions across America that do not receive federal funding but have concerns about community substance abuse and other problem behaviors. This means that communities will be able to easily access a proven process that can help improve the lives of the people they serve.

CTC in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania initiated a comprehensive plan to implement CTC projects throughout the state in the mid-1990s. The effort was spearheaded by the Governor's Partnership for Children and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Communities whose applications for the CTC program were successful received a one-year planning grant. During this planning, key community leaders involved in the effort attended three, multi-day training sessions. Communities then applied for funding for three-year grants in order to implement empirically supported programs chosen to address the prioritized risk factors in the community.

CTC in Norristown
Norristown Area Communities That Care For Youth was established in Spring 2001 as part of the statewide replication of Communities That Care through the Governor’s Partnership for Safe Children and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). Since that time the Norristown Area CTC For Youth Board has grown tremendously to include participation from all sectors of the community. Risk and Resource Assessments have been completed in two-year cycles since 2001. These comprehensive assessments have informed the board and serve as the basis of our priority risk factors and related prevention strategies. Since 2001 thousands of Norristown Area youth and/or families have been provided with valuable prevention/intervention services designed to decrease the risk factors for youth anti-social behavior and to increase those protective factors that keep kids safe from drugs and violence.

Join Us!

You can help make a difference in the lives of our youth by joining our CTC Youth Prevention Board; lending your expertise; spreading the word about CTC to your friends and family; or donating your services to support youth-based organizations. For more information, contact Viviann Schorle, CTC community mobilizer, at 610-630-2111 ext. 257 or vschorle@fsmontco.org.

Family Services is proud to be the lead agency/fiscal agent for Norristown Area CTC for Youth. Family Services is a nonprofit social service agency that serves children, seniors and families throughout Montgomery County, Pa.

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