Youth and families must be effectively engaged in services. Engagement is defined as three successful service contacts within 30 days of a youth's full assessment. Engagement can be measured for each service component or for all elements of the service plan taken as a whole. Engagement should be monitored whether or not the intervention plan includes formal AOD treatment.

LESSONS LEARNED

"Treatment engagement is defined as an intermediate step between initially accessing care (in the first visit) and completing a full course of treatment. Numerous studies have indicated that individuals who remain in treatment for a longer duration of time have improved outcomes...the 1990 Drug Service Research Survey has suggested that many clients (52%) with AOD disorders leave treatment prematurely...studies have tied the frequency and intensity of engagement as important in treatment outcomes and reducing drug-related illnesses." (From the National Quality Measures Clearninghouse).

Hubbard, Robert L., S. Gail Craddock, Patrick M. Flynn, Jill Anderson and Rose M. Etheridge (1997). "Overview of 1-year follow-up outcomes in the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study (DATOS)." Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 11(4): 261-278.
George W. Joe, D. Dwayne Simpson, and Kirk M. Broome (1999). "Retention and patient engagement models for different treatment modalities in DATOS." Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 57(2): 113-125.
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). HEDIS 2006. Health plan employer data & information set. Vol. 2, Technical specifications. Washington (DC): National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA); 2005. 350 p.

Of all youth who initiate a service plan, how many (as a percentage) become fully engaged in services?

Community treatment systems should track individual outcomes for all youth who initiate services, whether or not they become engaged with those services.
Of all youth who initiate a service plan but fail to become fully engaged, how many (as a percentage) are successful for at least one year? *

* Note: Success may be defined in various ways, including the absence of new arrests or new court referrals, no new drug use, reduced drug use, no subsequent referrals for drug or alcohol treatment, or some combination of these measures.