Historicamente, usuários de drogas são submetidos a tratamentos em instituições fechadas que enfocam a abstinência, sem que haja uma participação ativa do usuário nas escolhas e decisões. O Centro de Atenção Psicossocial para Usuários de Álcool e Drogas (CAPS-ad) é um serviço substitutivo ao hospital psiquiátrico que preconiza a participação do usuário em seu tratamento, no sentido de promover sua autonomia e reinserção social. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a participação dos usuários de álcool e outras drogas na elaboração e condução de seu projeto terapêutico singular (PTS). Trata-se de uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, do tipo estudo de caso, com usuários do CAPS-ad de um município do interior de Minas Gerais. Foram utilizados como instrumentos de pesquisa a entrevista semi-estruturada com usuários e profissionais do serviço, a análise de prontuários e do formulário de PTS, e a observação participante nos atendimentos de revisão de PTS. Buscou-se analisar se os planos de tratamento traçados consideram a participação efetiva do usuário na busca dos objetivos e metas compartilhados, com vistas à inserção social e ao resgate da cidadania. Pretende-se também entender o grau de responsabilização do usuário pelo próprio tratamento, avaliando os objetivos e as motivações dos usuários e profissionais do CAPS-ad. Divergências entre objetivos de usuários e de profissionais foram reveladas, demonstrando haver presença de caráter tutelar e pouca responsabilização de alguns usuários no seu tratamento. Observou-se também uma limitação no uso do instrumento PTS, com pouca participação dos usuários em sua elaboração, e sem apresentação de metas e propostas de ações singulares. Foi proposto um novo formulário de PTS que incentive o protagonismo do usuário no tratamento e que contemple diversos aspectos de sua vida. Nesta abordagem, torna-se necessário uma capacitação dos usuários sobre as premissas do tratamento, de forma a promover sua autonomia e participação efetiva na elaboração do PTS. / Throughout history, drug users have been treated in closed institutions that focus on abstinence, lacking an active participation from the user in choices and decisions. The Psychosocial Care Center for Alcohol and Drug Users (CAPS-ad) is a service that replaces the psychiatric hospital which advocates for the user’s participation in their treatment, in order to promote their autonomy and social reintegration. This research aims to analyze the participation of alcohol and other drugs users in the elaboration and conduction of their Singular Therapeutic Project (PTS). This is a qualitative, case study type research, with CAPS-ad users of a municipality in the countryside of Minas Gerais. The semi-structured interview with users and professionals from the field, the analysis of medical records and PTS form, and the participant observation in the PTS review visits were used as research instruments. This research aims to analyze whether the drawn treatment plans consider the effective participation of the user in the search of shared goals and objectives, aiming social insertion and citizenry reappropriation. It also seeks to understand the user’s responsibility degree for his or her own treatment, evaluating users and CAPS-ad professionals’ objectives and motivations. Divergences were found between the ones set by the users and the ones set by the professionals, revealing that there is a presence of tutelary character and little accountability for their treatment in the case of some users. A limitation was also observed in the use of the PTS instrument, with little participation of the users in its elaboration, and lacking presentation of goals and proposals for individual actions. A new PTS form has been proposed, one that encourages the user's role in the treatment and that contemplates several aspects of his or her life. In this approach, training users on the treatment premises becomes necessary, in order to promote their autonomy and effective participation in the PTS elaboration.

A descriptive survey to identify factors influencing relapse of psychiatric outpatients in the rural communities of the Eastern Cape was undertaken. A questionnaire was used to collect data from family caregivers who were relatives of psychiatric patients receiving their monthly medications from two rural clinics. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. A total number of 92 family caregivers participated. Respondents reported side effects of psychotropic drugs, poor family role, poor referral system, lack of home visits, non-compliance and stigmatization as major factors contributing to relapse of psychiatric outpatients. Active involvement of caregivers in follow up care of their relatives is effective in fostering collaboration between the psychiatric hospitals and patients with the common goal of relapse avoidance. It is recommended that adequate provision of resources in conjunction with health education is effective in enhancing collaboration towards prevention of relapse in psychiatric patients. This would promote team work among patients, caregivers and health care providers. / Public Health / M.A. (Public Health)

Historicamente, usuários de drogas são submetidos a tratamentos em instituições fechadas que enfocam a abstinência, sem que haja uma participação ativa do usuário nas escolhas e decisões. O Centro de Atenção Psicossocial para Usuários de Álcool e Drogas (CAPS-ad) é um serviço substitutivo ao hospital psiquiátrico que preconiza a participação do usuário em seu tratamento, no sentido de promover sua autonomia e reinserção social. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a participação dos usuários de álcool e outras drogas na elaboração e condução de seu projeto terapêutico singular (PTS). Trata-se de uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, do tipo estudo de caso, com usuários do CAPS-ad de um município do interior de Minas Gerais. Foram utilizados como instrumentos de pesquisa a entrevista semi-estruturada com usuários e profissionais do serviço, a análise de prontuários e do formulário de PTS, e a observação participante nos atendimentos de revisão de PTS. Buscou-se analisar se os planos de tratamento traçados consideram a participação efetiva do usuário na busca dos objetivos e metas compartilhados, com vistas à inserção social e ao resgate da cidadania. Pretende-se também entender o grau de responsabilização do usuário pelo próprio tratamento, avaliando os objetivos e as motivações dos usuários e profissionais do CAPS-ad. Divergências entre objetivos de usuários e de profissionais foram reveladas, demonstrando haver presença de caráter tutelar e pouca responsabilização de alguns usuários no seu tratamento. Observou-se também uma limitação no uso do instrumento PTS, com pouca participação dos usuários em sua elaboração, e sem apresentação de metas e propostas de ações singulares. Foi proposto um novo formulário de PTS que incentive o protagonismo do usuário no tratamento e que contemple diversos aspectos de sua vida. Nesta abordagem, torna-se necessário uma capacitação dos usuários sobre as premissas do tratamento, de forma a promover sua autonomia e participação efetiva na elaboração do PTS. / Throughout history, drug users have been treated in closed institutions that focus on abstinence, lacking an active participation from the user in choices and decisions. The Psychosocial Care Center for Alcohol and Drug Users (CAPS-ad) is a service that replaces the psychiatric hospital which advocates for the user’s participation in their treatment, in order to promote their autonomy and social reintegration. This research aims to analyze the participation of alcohol and other drugs users in the elaboration and conduction of their Singular Therapeutic Project (PTS). This is a qualitative, case study type research, with CAPS-ad users of a municipality in the countryside of Minas Gerais. The semi-structured interview with users and professionals from the field, the analysis of medical records and PTS form, and the participant observation in the PTS review visits were used as research instruments. This research aims to analyze whether the drawn treatment plans consider the effective participation of the user in the search of shared goals and objectives, aiming social insertion and citizenry reappropriation. It also seeks to understand the user’s responsibility degree for his or her own treatment, evaluating users and CAPS-ad professionals’ objectives and motivations. Divergences were found between the ones set by the users and the ones set by the professionals, revealing that there is a presence of tutelary character and little accountability for their treatment in the case of some users. A limitation was also observed in the use of the PTS instrument, with little participation of the users in its elaboration, and lacking presentation of goals and proposals for individual actions. A new PTS form has been proposed, one that encourages the user's role in the treatment and that contemplates several aspects of his or her life. In this approach, training users on the treatment premises becomes necessary, in order to promote their autonomy and effective participation in the PTS elaboration.

Nos últimos 40 anos, o modelo de atenção em saúde mental sofreu profundas modificações, sendo que desde a década de 70 diversos movimentos sociais e profissionais impulsionaram a Reforma Psiquiátrica e o processo de desinstitucionalização. Este, pregava o fim do modelo asilar vigente, responsável pela exclusão e cronificação de doentes, para dar lugar a criação de um novo modelo guiado por serviços extra-hospitalares e mais humanitários, tendo como principal representante os Centros de Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS). Esses serviços foram considerados a porta de entrada da rede de atenção à saúde mental e tem como responsabilidade estabelecer iniciativas conjuntas de levantamento de dados relevantes sobre os principais problemas e necessidades de saúde mental no território. Para tanto, necessitam de uma forma de coletar, armazenar e disponibilizar esses dados, de modo a gerar informações que possam auxiliar no processo de gestão e tomada de decisão, para garantir a qualidade do cuidado prestado. A entrada de dados e obtenção dessas informações poderiam ser feitas por meio de um sistema eletrônico, no entanto, percebe-se a ausência de sistema de armazenamento e manipulação de dados com informações técnicas e gerenciais acerca da saúde mental no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e a carência de instrumentos de avaliação e de indicadores para aferir a efetividade do serviço prestado, inclusive no Departamento Regional de Saúde XIII do Estado de São Paulo (DRS XIII), que é o foco desse projeto. Dessa maneira, torna-se necessário o desenvolvimento de um sistema informatizado, que auxilie os CAPS dessa região nessa coleta e armazenamento de dados e na geração de indicadores e relatórios que se mostrem eficazes para a melhoria do serviço como um todo. Dessa forma, no presente projeto, como resultados foram descritos os fluxos de atendimento pelo qual é submetido o paciente em cada CAPS do DRS XIII, foram analisados alguns instrumentos de coleta de dados utilizados pelos mesmos, como o projeto terapêutico e a entrevista psicossocial e ainda, visando melhorar futuramente o armazenamento de dados no sistema, foram feitas sugestões para representação de conceitos na área de saúde mental por meio de arquétipos no padrão openEHR. Além disso, o sistema web foi desenvolvido e está em fase de testes. / In the last 40 years, the mental health care system has undergone profound changes, and since the 70s, various social and professional movements boosted the psychiatric reform and the deinstitutionalization process. This, preached the end of the current asylum model, responsible for the exclusion and chronicity of patients, and made way for a new model driven by more humanitarian outpatient services, wherein the main representatives were the Community Mental Health Services (Centros de Atenção Psicossocial, CAPS). These services are considered the entrance to the mental health network and they have the responsibility for establishing joint initiatives for data collection on key issues and on mental health needs in the territory. To achieve this, they need a way to collect, store and make this data available in order to generate information that can assist in the management and in the decision making process, ensuring the quality of care provided. The data entry and the obtainment of this information could be made through an electronic system, however, we can notice the absence of a system to store and manipulate technical and managerial information about mental health in the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS). In addition, there is a lack of assessment tools and indicators to measure the effectiveness of the services, including in the XIII Regional Health Department of the São Paulo State (Departamento Regional de Saúde XIII, DRS XIII), which is the focus of this project. In this way, it becomes necessary to develop a computerized system, which would help CAPS from that region in the data collection and storage of relevant information and in the generation of indicators and reports that may be effective to improve the network as a whole. In this dissertation, as an initial process for the creation of the system, the study of the flow of care a patient is subjected in each CAPS from the DRS XIII is described. Besides that, is also described the study of data collection instruments used by them, such as the therapeutic project and psychosocial interview. Finally, aiming to improve future data storage in the system, suggestions are made for the representation of concepts in the mental health area through archetypes in the openEHR standard.

Os problemas decorrentes do uso de álcool trazem impactos relevantes para o campo da saúde pública e levam ao desenvolvimento de políticas e propostas de tratamento baseadas em perspectivas e abordagens teórico-práticas que apresentam marcantes diferenças entre si, o que resulta na pluralidade de ofertas terapêuticas atuais. Tratase de questão complexa que envolve fatores de diversas ordens: socioculturais, econômicos, políticos, sócio-familiares e individuais. Tal complexidade deve ser considerada na construção das práticas de saúde e na compreensão dos processos de busca, escolha e adesão as propostas de tratamento, como interativos, relacionais e dotados de significados singulares. O presente estudo visou conhecer os itinerários terapêuticos de sujeitos com problemáticas decorrentes do uso prejudicial de álcool em um Centro de Atenção Psicossocial para usuários de álcool e outras drogas CAPSad. A pesquisa, de caráter qualitativo, foi orientada pela perspectiva etnometodológica, e empregou os procedimentos metodológicos de revisão bibliográfica, pesquisa documental, entrevistas semi-estruturadas, grupo focal, observação participante e construção de diário de campo. O trabalho de campo foi realizado no CAPSad Travessia, situado no município de Santana de Parnaíba/SP, no período de janeiro a março de 2009. Os resultados mostraram que os itinerários terapêuticos dos participantes foram compostos por um conjunto de ações sucessivas e muitas vezes sobrepostas. Os sujeitos tendem a recorrer simultaneamente a diversos lugares de tratamento e cuidado e chegam ao serviço de saúde sem a formulação clara do problema e nem tampouco com conhecimento sobre a proposta do serviço. Tal percurso não se configura como resultado de escolhas racionais prévias, mas da experiência construída no processo, que dota de significados as vivências e problemáticas relacionadas ao uso de álcool e a própria necessidade de busca de ajuda e enfrentamento do problema. Nesse processo, nota-se a importância das redes sócio relacionais, no contexto das quais são compartilhados os significados atribuídos às experiências e a orientação e sustentação dos processos de busca de ajuda. Concluímos que a preocupação em conhecer os saberes e práticas dos sujeitos na construção de seus itinerários terapêuticos deve compor as práticas de cuidado, desenvolvidas pelos profissionais nos serviços de saúde, comprometidas com o fortalecimento dos sujeitos individuais e coletivos, com a construção de direitos e cidadania e com a produção de saúde e de vida / Problems in consequence of the use of alcohol bring on relevant impacts to public health field and lead to the development of policies and treatment proposals based on perspectives and theoretical-practical approaches that present marked differences among them, resulting on the plurality of current therapeutic offers. This is a complex question that involves factors in several orders: sociocultural, economics, politics, socio-familiars and individuals. This complexity should be considered in the construction of health practices and understanding of the processes of search, choice and adherence to the treatment proposals, as interactive, relational and endowed of singular meanings. This study aimed to know the therapeutic itineraries of individuals with problems in consequence of harmful use of alcohol in a Psychosocial Care Center for users of alcohol and others substances CAPSad. The research used qualitative methods and was oriented by the ethnomethodological perspective. It employed the methodological procedures of bibliographical review, documental research, semi-structured interviews, focus group, participant observation and construction of field diary. The fieldwork was conducted in CAPSad Travessia, located in the city of Santana de Parnaíba/SP, from January to March of 2009. The results showed that the therapeutic itineraries of the participants were composed of a set of successive and often overlapping actions. The individuals tend to appeal simultaneously to several places of treatment and care and arrive to the health service without a clear formulation of the problem and neither informed about the proposal of the service. This pathway do not configure itself as a result of previous rational choices, but as the experience built during the process, which attributes meanings to the experiences and problems related to alcohol use and to the own necessity of help search and confrontation of the problem. In this process, it is possible to note the importance of social relational networks, in the context of which the meanings attributed to the experiences and the orientation and sustentation of process of help searching are shared. We conclude that the preoccupation in knowing the knowledge and practices of the individuals on the construction of their therapeutic itineraries must compose the care practices, developed by professionals in the health services, committed with the strengthening of individual and collective subjects, with the construction of rights and citizenship and with the production of health and life

Inledning Alltsedan psykiatrins avinstitutionalisering tog fart under 1980- och 1990-talen har en utveckling av samhällsbaserade psykosociala insatser förespråkats för att erbjuda vård och stöd till personer med psykisk funktionsnedsättning. Insatserna förväntas bidra till att brukarna får tillgång till effektiv vård och stöd, samtidigt som de inkluderas i samhället. Vidare förutsätts insatserna baseras på kunskap och evidens, samt bygga på brukarens delaktighet och stödja dennes återhämtning. En annan målsättning är att vissa insatser ges i form av integrerade modeller, så att personer ur målgruppen får tillgång till sammanhållet stöd från inblandade myndigheter. Även om Sverige räknas som ett resursstarkt land som har kommit långt på området, så förekommer kritik mot utvecklingen. Kritiken har berört både planering och styrning på politisk nivå, men även utförandet av de insatser som erbjuds till brukarna. Kritiken har bland annat handlat om bristande samverkan mellan landsting och kommuner, och om stora lokala variationer i den erbjudna servicens kvalitet. I den här avhandlingen studeras dels utformningen av policy på området, dels implementering av specifika insatser. Syftet med avhandlingen är att undersöka hur svenska policymakare på nationell nivå har hanterat utvecklingen av psykosociala insatser för personer med psykisk funktionsnedsättning, samt att analysera möjligheter och svårigheter för organisationer och personal när det gäller att implementera de insatser som förespråkas av beslutsfattare. De frågeställningar som avhandlingen söker besvara är följande: Hur formuleras policy som syftar till att införa samhällsbaserade psykosociala insatser, och vad kan policyns egenskaper innebära för genomförandet av den? Vilka styrstrategier uttrycks i statliga policydokument? Vad hämmar respektive underlättar implementeringen av föreslagna integrerade psykosociala insatser? Hur kan vi förstå vad som påverkar möjligheten att erbjuda integrerade psykosociala insatser, i termer av lokala förutsättningar och strategier för implementering? Metod Policy på området studerades genom en studie av tre av de övergripande dokument som beslutats på regeringsnivå de senaste 20 åren. Riktade kvalitativa innehållsanalyser baserade på relevant litteratur genomfördes. Implementering av insatser studerades genom att 15 program följdes under 3 års tid. 14 av dessa arbetade med att implementera arbetsrehabiliteringsprogram utifrån modellen Individual Placement and Support (IPS). Under samma tidsperiod följdes ett team som implementerade den intensiva samordnings-, vård- och stödmodellen Assertive Community Treatment (ACT). För att bedöma verksamheternas följsamhet till modellerna genomfördes programtrohetsskattningar av samtliga program. Data avseende programmens målgrupp samlades också in. Tre IPS-program deltog i en fördjupningsstudie där kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med ledare, personal och samverkanspartners. Implementeringen av dessa program analyserades utifrån implementeringsramverket the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Implementeringen av samtliga 14 IPS-program studerades med hjälp av skattningsskalan the Sustainable Implementation Scale (SIS). När det gäller ACT-teamet genomfördes dels kvalitativa innehållsanalyser av djupintervjuer, och dels skattningar av implementeringskomponenter med hjälp av SIS. Resultat Policy på området har innehållit stora mått av otydlighet och konflikt, både gällande de mål och medel som har formulerats. Regeringen har främst förespråkat så kallade mjuka styrstrategier, vanligen i form av statliga stimulansbidrag. Vissa förtydliganden och konkretioner har skett under tid, vilka ibland går i linje med de internationella rörelserna New Public Management och evidensbaserad praktik. Exempel på försök att strama upp styrningen är målformuleringar som förespråkar riktade och prestationsbaserade stimulansbidrag, samt nationella riktlinjer för att styra utvecklingen mot utvalda specificerade insatser. Trots detta är det fortfarande de berörda myndigheterna som är ansvariga för att välja ut, utforma och implementera psykosociala insatser. På verksamhetsnivå leder detta till att många otydligheter består, vilka ibland är relaterade till svårigheter att avgränsa ansvarsområden och att förändra hindrande regelverk och traditioner. Dessutom förekommer konflikter, exempelvis i form av konkurrerande målsättningar och ojämn resurstilldelning. Studierna av de integrerade modellerna IPS och ACT visar att implementering av dessa är möjlig, även i en sektoriserad välfärdskontext som den svenska. Det finns dock en rad faktorer på såväl organisationsnivå som teamnivå, som försvårar implementeringen. Exempel på dessa är de involverade organisationernas varierande målsättningar och traditioner, regelverkens utformning, samt svårigheter att erhålla långsiktig finansiering. I en del fall beskrivs de arbetssätt som modellerna förespråkar som försvårande, då de upplevs som annorlunda och utmanande för existerande rutiner och uppfattningar om stöd till målgruppen. Ett stort hinder för effektiv implementering är svårigheter att samverka, främst mellan, men även inom inblandade organisationer. De flesta program som lyckades genomföra en hållbar implementering hade personal som var duktiga på att navigera förbi de hinder som orsakades av ogynnsamma regler, och de lyckades även hitta vägar för att etablera samverkan, både horisontellt (med samarbetspartners på samma hierarkiska nivå) och vertikalt (mellan ledning och personal). En verksamhetsledare som har möjlighet att påverka samverkansrelationer i både horisontell och vertikal riktning är gynnande för implementeringen. Andra betydelsefulla komponenter som underlättar implementering är en noggrann planering innan ett program startas, medveten rekrytering av personal, formering av ändamålsenliga styrgrupper, samt att tidigt i processen arbeta strategiskt för att lösa finansieringsfrågan. Även programtrohetsskattningar var betydelsefulla, då de både fungerade som instrument för att identifiera förbättringsområden för programmen, men också hade en legitimerande funktion vid återkoppling till ledningen. Slutsatser Det råder en samstämmighet i övergripande målsättningar som syftar till att utveckla området integrerade psykosociala insatser. På en mer konkret nivå är läget betydligt oklarare, både gällande målsättningar i policy och av vem och hur insatserna ska implementeras. Även om vissa förändringar skett, står regeringen fortsatt för en mjuk styrning vilken lämnar ett stort ansvar till de myndigheter som ska implementera valda insatser. Detta innebär en rad svårigheter för frontlinjepersonalen, vilket leder till att de ofta behöver lägga mycket tid och energi på att hitta vägar för att överkomma dessa svårigheter. I många fall har ledare och personal goda möjligheter att uppnå en hög programtrohet på teamnivå, men för en hållbar implementering krävs det att ett program är väl förankrat både vertikalt och horisontellt. Därför finns ett behov av att forskare och beslutsfattare tar ett tydligare helhetsgrepp, både på området policy och implementering av specifika insatser. Skattningar av programtrohet och implementering kan vara ett stöd i att identifiera vad som fungerar samt vad som behöver förändras i och mellan organisationer. Men för att programmen ska lyckas med en effektiv implementering på organisationsnivå behöver deras legitimitet stärkas vertikalt, och planering för långsiktig lokal finansiering behöver göras i ett tidigt skede. / Introduction Since the deinstitutionalization of psychiatry started in the 1980’s, the field of psychiatry has moved in the direction of community-based psychosocial interventions for people with mental illnesses. The interventions selected should be based on knowledge and evidence, and support the users’ empowerment and recovery. In addition, some of the services should be provided in forms of integrated models, meaning that all agencies involved should provide cohesive care and support. Two examples of such interventions are the occupational rehabilitation program Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and the intensive case management model Assertive Community Treatment (ACT). Although Sweden is considered a high-resource country, the availability of psychosocial services has been criticized. This criticism has been related to policymaking as well as the quality of the services provided. Examples of areas considered problematic include collaboration deficiencies among disparate human service organizations and substantial local variations in available types of services. This thesis aims to examine how national-level policymakers in Sweden have handled the development of psychosocial support and to analyze facilitators and barriers experienced by these organizations in their implementation of community-based and integrated models. The research questions are as follows: -       How have policies concerning community-based psychosocial interventions been formulated and how do the characteristics of these policies affect the implementation of its goals? -       How do different types of steering strategies influence national-level policy implementation proposals? -       Which facilitators and barriers to effective implementation of proposed integrated interventions can be identified? -       How can the ability to provide integrated psychosocial interventions be explained in terms of local conditions and strategies used for implementation? Methods A study of community mental health policy covering three of the major documents published at the national level from the last 20 years was performed. Directed content analysis based on literature relevant for the research area was used. In order to study the implementation of the selected interventions, 15 programs were followed for a three-year period. 14 of these programs were implementing IPS and the other one implemented ACT. In order to monitor the programs’ adherence to the selected models, program fidelity assessments were performed. Data on the programs’ target groups were collected. Three of the IPS-programs participated in an in-depth study where qualitative interviews with leaders, staff, and collaboration partners were performed. The implementation of the three programs were analyzed utilizing the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. All of the 14 IPS programs were included in an implementation study where the Sustainable Implementation Scale (SIS) was used to identify facilitators and barriers to implementation. In the study of the ACT team, qualitative directed content analysis of in-depth interviews and SIS-assessments were performed. After three years, the sustainability of all programs was assessed. Results Mental health policies have involved high levels of ambiguity and conflict in relation to both the goals and the means. The government has prioritized soft steering strategies, usually in the form of financial stimulus grants. Over time, these policies have (at least to some degree) been clearer when psychosocial interventions are being described. In addition, the development of policy has led to harder steering strategies, illustrated by targeted and performance-based grants and the advocacy of national guidelines to steer agencies towards preferred interventions. Despite these changes, independent agencies are still responsible for selection, framing, and implementation of the interventions. Implementation of the integrated models IPS and ACT is possible, even in the context of a sectored welfare system such as Sweden.  However, there are a number of implementation barriers at the organizational and team levels. Obstructive factions include involved agencies disparate traditions and regulations, as well as the programs’ difficulties in securing long-term funding. Some of the staff interviewed considered the characteristics of the interventions as problematic since they challenged existing routines and views about support of the target group. Another critical component was the ability to establish collaboration, both horizontally (with partners at the same hierarchical level), and vertically (between management and staff). A team leader with the mandate to influence interactions horizontally and vertically is therefore a facilitating factor. In most of the programs that managed to perform a sustainable implementation of the models, a critical success factor was found to be staffs’ ability to navigate around a variety of barriers. Additional facilitators to successful implementation was careful planning before the start-up of a program, effective staff recruitment, the formation of a dedicated steering group, and a plan for local funding early in the implementation process. Regularly-performed program fidelity assessments were also noted as an important means to identify improvement opportunities for the programs. Collectively, these components served as tools to increase the programs’ legitimacy since the team leaders used them to provide feedback to the local decision makers. Conclusions At an abstract level, there is general agreement of the overarching needs in the area of integrated psychosocial interventions, but there are discrepancies when it comes to how to best convert this shared definition of need into concrete psychosocial interventions. The majority of steering strategies used are still considered ‘soft’, which leaves much of the responsibility to the implementing agencies.  At a grass-root level this leads to several difficulties, including unclear responsibility definitions and collaboration challenges between agencies. Instead of prioritizing the work with their clients, the staff are forced to put a lot of time and energy into solving these problems. In most cases, team leaders and staff are able to reach high program fidelity at a team level. However, a sustainable implementation demands that a program has been anchored both vertically and horizontally. There is a need for a holistic approach by researchers and decision makers, both in the area of policymaking and implementation of selected psychosocial interventions. Assessments of program fidelity and implementation have the potential to help agencies identify strengths and opportunities for growth both within each entity and between involved organizations. In order to implement the selected models successfully at an organizational level, the programs´ vertical legitimacy has to increase, and plans for long-term local funding strategies have to be initiated early in the implementation process.

No description available.

This study examined the ethnic makeup of individuals who seek services from San Bernardino County, Department of Behavioral Health, Mentally Ill Homeless program.

This study measured the effectiveness of rehabilitative day treatment (RDT) programs for persons with severe and persistant mental illness in San Bernardino County. The effectiveness of RDT services was determined by rates of recidivism.

MPH / Department of Public Health / See the attached abstract below