Supporting Youth in the Transition to Adulthood using the TIP Model
WATERLOO-WELLINGTON
a Service Collaborative that selected and implemented an evidence-supported model of care for transition age youth.
What are we doing about it?
With the support of the Provincial System Support Program (PSSP) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Waterloo-Wellington Service Collaborative identified and implemented the Transition to Independence Process (TIP) Model.
TIP is an evidence-informed model of care designed to support the needs of transition age youth (TAY) and young adults with mental health and addiction issues as they move into adulthood and the potential use of adult mental health and addiction services.
TIP gives service providers the tools to help youth prepare for greater self-sufficiency and independence. It helps youth to set and achieve goals that guide them towards their desired future, including goals related to school, work, housing, relationships, personal well-being, and community life.
Agencies across Waterloo-Wellington worked together to implement TIP, building essential local knowledge and skills and supporting a more consistent approach to service for TAY.
For more information about the TIP Model, see the Stars Training Academy or this brochure, which outlines information about TIP services in Waterloo-Wellington.
EVIDENCE:
Evidence shows that programs to assist youth with transitions out of care or into adult services should not only consider this service transition but also help youth attain the broad skills they need to reach their life goals.
The TIP Model has demonstrated positive outcomes:
Decreased involvement with the criminal justice system
Decreased substance misuse
Decreased homelessness
Decreased use of intensive mental health services
Increased employment
Increased completion of educational goals
Information Resource:
Resource Tool:
Resource Kit:
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PSSP supported the Waterloo-Wellington Service Collaborative to select TIP by guiding Collaborative members through tools from the National Implementation Research Network’s (NIRN’s) Active Implementation Frameworks. The Service Collaborative first identified gaps in services and then examined a number of evidence-based ways to address these service gaps. As a result of this process, the Collaborative selected the TIP Model as an intervention for TAY in both Waterloo Region and Wellington County.
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A local Community Implementation Team (CIT) was developed to plan TIP implementation across Waterloo-Wellington. To establish a train-the-trainer approach within the community, the CIT had Stars Training Academy, the organization that provided the TIP model, teach and certify five community-based trainers. Next, several training sessions prepared agency staff to use TIP. In addition, the CIT selected internal TIP agency leads to act as agency champions and to support on-the-ground implementation. PSSP and the CIT also developed evaluation tools to monitor how the model was used within agencies.
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The CIT identified 12 agencies to adopt TIP first. It developed agency-based implementation plans in collaboration with these agencies. Early adopter agencies were trained in TIP and began rolling out the model. The CIT watched for challenges during the roll out and developed strategies to ensure ongoing communication, networking, and sustainability.
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Over ten rounds of TIP training were held in Waterloo-Wellington by five community-based trainers. Agencies across a wide range of sectors took part in this training and then reported implementing the program. Several agencies continue to train new staff, and this training is being provided by community-based trainers who recently re-certified. The sustainability of the intervention is fostered by the train-the-trainer approach put in the place by the Service Collaborative.
How do we know it works?
320+
service providers from 27 agencies in Waterloo-Wellington have been trained in the TIP model
96%
of TIP trainees felt prepared to use the TIP practices in their work
70%
of trained agencies have implemented TIP in some manner
“I like TIP, the purpose, and the overall structure of it and find it very useful and empowering.”
— A Service Provider
Who is involved?
The Waterloo-Wellington Service Collaborative had approximately 30 members representing agencies and programs that work with youth and young adults. It included representatives at various levels of responsibility and different sectors, including education, criminal justice, child welfare, primary healthcare, and addiction and mental health services.
Next Steps
The community is currently developing ways to sustain TIP in Waterloo-Wellington, while expanding supports for transition age youth. This work is being led by a TIP Sustainability Committee and a broad-based Transition Age Youth (TAY) Oversight Committee. A sustainability plan has been reviewed by the Sustainability Committee and endorsed by the TAY Oversight Committee.
Resources
For more information, please contact
Heather Lackner
Kingston, Ontario
613.546.4266 ext. 78053