Open Collections

Berger, Mai

University of British Columbia

In Canada, community-based, integrated youth services have gained popularity as models of care that have the potential to address some of the longstanding challenges with youth mental health services. While context has been recognized as an important aspect in the implementation of these models, there is a lack of knowledge regarding how different features of community context might influence the way different models of these community-based, integrated youth services develop in general and their integration processes in particular. This study addresses this gap by examining how specific domains of community context influenced the development of Foundry Centres, which are integrated youth services established in different communities across British Columbia through the Foundry initiative. To explore community context further, community coalition action theory (CCAT) was applied as an organizing framework from the community coalition literature. The research described in this thesis emerged from my experience working on an independent developmental evaluation of Foundry’s proof-of-concept phase where new questions came to light during the analysis process. Using a multiple case study approach informed by an ecological perspective, this thesis examined the influence of seven domains of community context on the development of two Foundry Centres. The data used for this study included 50 interviews carried out for the evaluation as well as nine new interviews. Framework analysis revealed that all seven domains of community context influenced the development of the Foundry Centres, with community collaboration, norms and values, and readiness influencing the broadest range of factors associated with development. Moreover, the integration experiences at both centres were highly sensitive to community context, particularly community collaboration, geography, readiness and needs. Overall, the CCAT offered a relevant framework from which to understand the influence of community context on the development of community-based, integrated youth services. Future studies may enhance its relevance by shifting to a more holistic conceptualization of context where the combined effects of contextual domains are assessed. The evidence generated from this research may be used to support and guide future implementations of community-based, integrated youth services that are sensitive to communities’ rich histories and diverse, place-based identities.

Text

2022-10-11

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/82845

Population and Public Health

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/