Adaptation

Policies, practices, and programs are sometimes evaluated within a particular context that may be different from your community’s context. State and local agencies may decide to make adaptations to policies, practices, and programs to fit their local context. This requires identifying and maintaining what is essential as you make necessary changes.

The content of this page is from Using Essential Elements to Select, Adapt and Evaluate Violence Prevention Approaches.

Adaptations are changes, such as additions, deletions, modifications, or reordering made before or during implementation to an existing policy, practice, or program. Common reasons for adaptation include:

• To increase the relevance of materials and participant understanding
• To increase participant engagement and community decision making
• To create or maintain relationships with participants
• To respond to limited time and resources
• To align with lived experiences, cultural traditions, religious beliefs, and practices
• To align with community needs

One strategy to ensure your approach meets the needs of the community is to involve community members in adaptation planning discussions. Collaborate with community members and participants to determine when adaptations are needed and involve them throughout the process, from planning to implementation to evaluation. Ensure any adaptations to programs are accessible for community members, especially for those most affected by violence.