1. Evaluating communities of practice in child and youth mental health

2. Introductions What do you know about communities of practice? What would you like to learn about communities of practice today?

3. In this workshop, we ask… What is a community of practice (CoP)? How do we create/sustain a CoP? What are the goals of CoPs? Why evaluate the work of a CoP? How might we evaluate the work of a CoP?

4. What is a community of practice?

5. A definition A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly Etienne Wenger

6. Basic ideas Learning is social Knowledge and activity are strongly connected Growth is nurtured and promoted Knowledge in practice can be created and managed

7. Elements of a CoP Subject (Domain) Shared interest and competence People (Community) Ongoing interaction as the route to learning Action (Practice) A shared set of resources developed through sustained relationships

8. An example: Triple P CoP Subject Evaluation of Triple P programs in Ontario People Service providers in charge of evaluating Triple P programs Action An online portal for developing an evaluation framework E-discussions and teleconferences Common measures

9. How do we create and sustain a CoP? Identify the area of interest Invite different perspectives Invite different levels of participation Focus on shared values and shared goals Ensure both familiarity and excitement Work towards evaluation Look for ways to sustain and enhance the CoP identity

10. CoP collaboration Collaborations Relationships are often time-limited Goals are concrete tasks determined by the group Communities of Practice Relationships are longer term, ongoing Goals are to produce knowledge and shift practice

11. Capturing CoPs COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE INVENTORY FORM ORGANIZATION: __________________________ DEPARTMENT OR UNIT: ____________________ DATE: ____________________________________ NameCoP NamePurposeLength of time CoP has existed Formally recognized? Frequency and type of meetings 1. 2. 3. 4. Continued…

12. In small groups… Identify one CoP you are involved in and ask yourselves: What is the subject/domain? Who is involved? What are the CoPs activities? What are the CoPs goals?

13. Why evaluate the work of CoPs?

14. What do we want to know? Process How the CoP works Impact/Outcome What changes are produced by the CoP

15. Measuring processes How do groups develop?

16. How do groups work together? Awareness Communication Coordination Collaboration Source: Browne et al., 2004 on Human Services Integration Measure.

17. In small groups… Describe the processes in your CoP: How is it developing? Forming, storming, norming, transforming How is it working? Awareness, communicating, coordinating, collaborating

18. What about outcomes? System Profession Individual Practice Organization Work of CoP (Process) Impact on Client/ Family (Outcomes) Source: Sylvestre & Bendell, 2008 (University of Ottawa)

19. In small groups… Describe the outcomes your CoP might produce at different levels: System Organization Profession Individual practice How might you measure these?

20. What will you do with what you know? Who will you talk to? What decisions need to be made? What actions need to be taken? How will the actions be evaluated?

21. What did you find… Surprising? Important? Confusing? Applicable to the work you do?

22. Questions? Dr. Purnima Sundar Research and Knowledge Exchange Consultant 613.737.7600 Ext. 3485 psundar@cheo.on.ca