Are we there yet? Evaluation and the knowledge translation journey

Area of Science:

• Child and Youth Mental Health
• Knowledge Translation
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Organizations face challenges in evaluating evidence-based practices (EBPs) due to difficulties in identifying emerging practices, measuring current efforts, and adapting EBPs to specific contexts.
• The Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health aims to increase EBP uptake and knowledge mobilization by developing evaluation and research capacity within the sector.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe initiatives aimed at enhancing organizations' capacity for evaluation and research in child and youth mental health.
• To illustrate how consultation services and grants foster organizational capacity for knowledge translation and EBP implementation.

Main Methods:

• The Provincial Centre provided consultation services and innovative grants to organizations.
• The Centre acted as a knowledge and relationship broker, supporting organizations in developing evaluation skills.
• A learning-by-doing approach and collaboration were promoted.

Main Results:

• Case examples demonstrate the processes, successes, and challenges encountered by organizations in Centre-supported activities.
• Organizations' skills in conducting and utilizing evaluations were enhanced.
• A collaborative approach and a learning-by-doing methodology were central to the Centre's efforts.

Conclusions:

• Organizations with robust evaluation capacity are better equipped to implement and assess EBPs, conduct high-quality evaluations, and contribute to research in child and youth mental health.
• Enhancing evaluation capacity across mental health organizations can drive system-level innovations and foster collaborative partnerships.