Project FORECAST
Built for Child-Serving Professionals
Project FORECAST was a SAMHSA category II grant awarded to the Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis during the previous federal grant cycle. From 2016-2021 we partnered with universities with Child Advocacy Studies (CAST) programs and their local workforces and trained 7 cohorts in Problem-Based Learning Simulations (PBL-simulations) with the aim of increasing retention of current professionals, better facilitating transitions into the workforce, and improving the competence of those entering a child-serving sector. Through Project FORECAST 11,943 students and participants across the country received training in trauma-informed skills utilizing the innovative PBL-simulation method. We are so excited to be able to continue this work through Project ASSIST by offering FORECAST learning communities on a yearly basis.
Evaluation
Evaluation is an important component of all Project ASSIST activities. As such, we have developed a robust evaluation plan grounded in implementation science to help us examine the effectiveness of FORECAST simulations. After participating in a FORECAST simulation, participants are asked to complete a series of assessments that focus on the Acceptability, Feasibility, and Appropriateness of the simulation experience. We also ask participants to rate their understanding of key concepts of the training, as well as the fidelity with which the facilitators delivered the simulation. We will examine the acceptability regarding the simulations, and make informed modifications as needed to increase satisfaction with these training experiences. It is our hope that as we collect sufficient data, we will be able to examine how key demographic variables (e.g., experience in the field) influence the impact of these simulations.
