Juvenile Justice-Translating Research Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS): a multi-site, cooperative implementation science cooperative

The purpose of this panel is to introduce and describe NIDA’s implementation science initiative for justiceinvolved youth. The goal of JJ-TRIALS is to test implementation strategies for improving the delivery of a continuum of evidence-based substance abuse services as well as improving prevention efforts (for HIV/STDs and substance use disorders) among 36 juvenile justice sites located in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and the District of Columbia. The study is scheduled to go into the field July, 2015. The proposed panel will include 3 presentations and a discussant. The first paper describes Aarons’ (2011) the Exploration-Preparation-ImplementationSustainment (EPIS) Model which provides the theoretical framework for the process improvement efforts. The implementation strategies that will be used in this study will also be presented. The second paper described research study design, methods and measures. The third paper describes the diverse settings in which this study will be initiated and will discuss the involvement of juvenile justice partners in the planning of the study protocol. The implications of JJ-TRIALS, including how it fits within NIDA’s portfolio, will be highlighted by the discussant. Using the EPIS model to enhance service delivery in juvenile justice agencies: implementation science in the context of JJ-TRIALS Juvenile justice (JJ) agencies have long faced service delivery challenges, particularly concerning substance use disorders (SUDs) among their clients. This paper describes the use of Aarons’ EPIS model as the implementation science framework governing JJ-TRIALS (Juvenile Justice-Translating Research Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System). Given SUD prevalence among JJ clients, all youth served by the JJ system should be screened for SUDs, after which they should be referred (as needed) for evidence-based treatment and receive this vital service. JJ-TRIALS seeks to reduce unmet SUD needs by assisting JJ agencies in their efforts to implement best practices and improve service provision along a behavioral health cascade. Each phase of the EPIS model (Aarons, 2011)-Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment-is discussed conceptually and in relation to the JJ-TRIALS project. The Exploration phase features training in behavioral health and Data-Driven Decision Making, after which an agency-identified goal is selected. The Preparation phase consists, among other factors, of decisions to adopt best practices in the pursuit of agency goals and the generation of an agency action plan. The Implementation phase is organized around Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles wherein progress toward agency goals is expected to be exhibited through the application of a series of PDSA cycles conducted by Local Change Teams (LCTs). Finally, the Sustainment phase is characterized by the implementation of key facets of the action plan that were shown to be effective during LCT-led PDSA cycles. The paper concludes by discussing the merits of Aarons’ EPIS model in JJ settings when compared with other implementation science paradigms and by reviewing EPIS model adaptations that were necessary to maximize this framework’s * Correspondence: [email protected] National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD 20852, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Wiley et al. Implementation Science 2015, 10(Suppl 1):A43 http://www.implementationscience.com/content/10/S1/A43