Stop Now And Plan (SNAP) – New Roads

Brief Description

New Roads is based on the Stop Now and Plan (SNAP®) evidence-based program for crime prevention with children under 12. New Roads educates and supports participants by offering an understanding of behaviours and by teaching strategies to promote positive and safe relationships within the family, community and the school. Participants also learn about healthy problem solving, respecting self and others, self-control and managing frustration and anger in a manner that demonstrates healthy coping. Discussions and teaching are done through a variety of program components. Some include: Parent/Caregiver and Child (Boys and Girls) SNAP® group sessions (this is the only required component of the program), recreation, in-home visits, school/teacher support, mentors, leadership development and booster groups.  

The New Roads theory of change sets out the program’s intent as follows: “if children between the ages of 6-11 who demonstrate ineffective social and coping skills or are engaging in criminal or offending type behavior participate with their family in the New Roads – Stop Now and Plan (SNAP®) program, the children will have improved impulse control and decreased risk of criminal behavior, and families will have a stronger sense of self-reliance”.

Goals

The main goals of the New Roads are to:

• Promote pro-social behaviour and new coping skills for children under 12 and their families; and
• Help participants learn and practice strategies to control their violent/deviant behaviour.

Clientele

The children participating in New Roads are at high-risk of delinquency and criminality, as evidenced by the manifestation of various behavioural issues (i.e., aggression, fire setting, vandalism, etc.) and contact, or risk of contact, with law enforcement.

Core Components

The New Roads operated as follows:

• SNAP® groups (weekly for 13-16 weeks):
• Parent/Caregiver; and
• Child (Boys and Girls).

• Recreation (one hour weekly):
• Children participate in recreation activities for one hour prior to the SNAP® group sessions; and
• Recreation provides a positive space that promotes encouragement, cooperation, fair play, positive coping, and fun. This component includes family and summer day camps.

• In-home visits (ongoing):
• Meeting families in their home or at the New Roads office to support skill-building and family integration of material learned at the SNAP® group sessions.

• School support (as needed):
• At the family’s request, New Roads will visit the school to share strategies with teachers that promote success for the child in the school setting.

• Mentor (as needed):
• Mentors are trained and then matched with interested children/family; and
• Mentors aim to develop a positive relationship with a child and engage in healthy and fun community activities.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: The organization has been in operation for a number of years and has also run a modified version of the SNAP® program in that time. Now that they have met the highest accreditation levels of the program and entering discussions to become the Western Canada Training site speaks greatly to the capacity of the organization.
• Partnerships: New Roads is offered through a partnership that includes Hull Services, the City of Calgary Community and Neighbourhood Services, and the YMCA Calgary.
• Training and technical assistance: The Centre for Children Committing Offences (CCCO) provides core SNAP® Implementation Training for new affiliate sites.
• Risk assessment tools: Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Children are also evaluated with the Early Assessment Risk List for Boys (EARL-20B) and the Early Assessment Risk List for Girls (EARL-21G).
• Materials & resources: SNAP® resource materials (manuals, training DVDs and booklets) are designed to support the delivery of the SNAP®.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: The SNAP® model has been rated as Effective (more than one study)
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

The New Roads was first implemented in the City of Calgary, Alberta from May 2009 – July 2013. A total of 99 children and their families participated in the program over 4 years.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

No information available.

Cost Information

A social return on investment (SROI) has been conducted on the New Roads. The findings from this study have shown the following:

• The SROI ratio, which is based on the total value created divided by the total investment, indicates that over the three-year pilot, the average social value of investment for the program is $3.50 for every dollar invested; and
• Value was created in areas such as improved education, increased family stability, reduced delinquent and criminal behaviours, reduced need for clinical services, and reduced need for child welfare interventions. What is not represented in the financial proxy values is the immeasurable benefit to the child in terms of their own self-esteem, confidence, problem solving and coping skills, and improved peer and adult relationships.

Funding was provided by the Safe Communities Innovation Fund (SCIF), Government of Alberta.

References

Alberta Community Crime Prevention Organizations. (2015). Social Return on Investment (SROI) Case Study: New Roads. Recipient of Safe Communities Innovation Fund, Government of Alberta. Available from: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/safe-communities-innovation-fund-pilot-project-executive-summaries

For more information on this program, contact:

Hull Services
George Ghitan
Telephone:(403)251-8000
E-mail: gghitan@hullservices.ca