Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3) National Evaluation

• National Evaluation of the Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3): Summary of the Evaluation’s Reports and Findings (Summary of Findings, April 2021)
• Supporting Disconnected Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences from the Field (Issue Brief, April 2021)
• Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3): Implementation Study Findings of the Pilots’ Experiences (Final Implementation Report, April 2021)
• Operating a Youth Homelessness Prevention Program: A Case Study from the P3 Pilot in Sacramento, California  (Issue Brief, April 2021)
• Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3): Sustaining Systems Change Efforts and Coordinated Services for Youth (Issue Brief, April 2021)
• Local Evaluations of the Cohort 1 P3 Pilots: A Synthesis of Their Findings (Final Report, August 2020)
• Insights from Federal Evaluation Technical Assistance Liaisons on the Partnerships Supporting Local Evaluations  (Issue Brief, August 2020)
• Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3): Four Years After Initial Authorization (Interim Implementation Report, August 2020)
• Early Experiences of the Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3): Cohort 1 Pilots (Final Report, August 2020)

Research Questions:

• How do the pilots use the flexibility offered by P3 to implement P3 models and interventions to improve the outcomes of disconnected youth?
• How has each pilot structured its P3 system and work across the community’s network of partners to provide effective services to disconnected youth?
• Who are the youth who participate in P3 and what services do they receive?
• What systems and programmatic changes and efficiencies resulted from P3?

Key Components:

• Evaluation-related Technical Assistance (EvalTA): EvalTA assists the grantees and their independent evaluators in designing and conducting their local evaluations.
• Systems and Process Analysis: Through site visits, interviews, and partner surveys, the National Evaluators document and assess implementation of, and changes engendered by, P3 at the national, program, and service delivery levels.
• Collection of Participant Data: Data on P3 participants will inform cross-grantee reports on describing the pilots.
• Synthesis of Local Evaluation Reports: The National Evaluators will synthesize the final local evaluation reports and data.

Findings from the implementation study

• All pilots brought together multiple partners across different youth-serving agencies, including health providers, housing agencies, education providers, and workforce agencies.
• Of the 13 pilots with approved Federal waivers, 10 reported using at least one waiver in three general ways: To serve a broader population of youth, to serve a focal population of youth flexibly, or to reduce administrative burden.
• Pilots reported that understanding, trust, and buy-in may have shaped their use of the flexibilities granted through the waivers. Three pilots reported that they did not need their granted waivers to implement their services.
• All pilots used P3 as an opportunity to provide enhanced services to a focal population of disconnected youth. The implementation study identified three service approaches.
  • Case management. Youth received individualized case management to help them navigate and connect to community resources.
  • Case management plus services. Youth received individualized case management and participated in or received the same set of services designed for P3 youth.
  • Program service model. Youth participated in the same set of activities specific to P3 to achieve common goals related to education or employment.
• The evaluation team found additional guidance and technical assistance in focused areas could support efforts to capitalize on allowed flexibilities and prepare for systems change.

In Supporting Disconnected Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences from the Field researchers found that providers adapted recruitment, intake, and case management practices, increasingly relied on virtual modes, and confronted challenges recruiting youth and meeting identified needs due to pandemic-related disruptions. Yet, respondents reported that youth remained engaged and that they plan to continue or scale some of the adaptations they implemented.

In Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3): Sustaining Systems Change Efforts and Coordinated Services for Youth researchers found that the two pilots that identified systems change as a primary goal of their P3 pilots at the outset were able to sustain their efforts beyond the pilot. The Los Angeles, California pilot developed a strategic plan that would guide the system for serving disconnected youth in the future and the lead pilot agency in Broward County, Florida leveraged P3 to build an integrated data system for local youth-serving agencies to reduce manual data collection, improve accuracy, and provide secure access to information.

Operating a Youth Homelessness Prevention Program: A Case Study from the P3 Pilot in Sacramento, California focuses on lessons learned and considerations for youth homelessness prevention and intervention programs. When considering implementing a similar program for homeless youth, researchers recommend organizations:

• Plan for intensive case management to help youth address multiple barriers and retain housing.
• Identify key staff at the public housing authority to be the point of contact for the intervention.
• Develop relationships with landlords to increase their knowledge about homeless youth set-aside Housing Choice Vouchers and accompanying services.
• Work across the community’s housing and youth service and advocacy organizations to best meet youths’ needs.
• Understand the local housing market to help youth navigate their options.