Article Summary
Staggs, S., White, M.,Schewe, P., Davis, E., and Dill, E. 2007.
The Incubation Approach: Changing systems by changing individuals. American Journal of Community Psychology 39(3-4):365–379. http://www.springer.com/psychology.
This article focuses on an approach to systems change referred to as the “incubation” approach. It was developed in an attempt to increase the capacity of multiple systems (i.e., child protection, law enforcement, domestic violence, early education, and mental health) so that they better handle children exposed to violence. The authors explain how this approach encourages agents and project staff to collaborate in order to “gently nurture” change in target systems. They then describe the Safe Start Initiative, which was established in 2000 to bring relief to children exposed to violence. The initiative was awarded grants that allow 11 grantees to operate for about 5 years. The authors include a number of charts detailing outlining the effectiveness of their observations. The authors conclude that there is evidence the system works in areas where there is committed staff and agents.
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