The Adolescent Transitions Program (ATP) is a multi-level, family-centered intervention delivered in the middle school setting. The intervention works within a “tiered” strategy (universal, selective and indicated), where each level builds on the previous level.
Universal
The universal level of the ATP strategy, directed to the parents of all students in a school, establishes a Family Resource Center. The goal, through collaboration with the school staff, is to engage parents, establish norms for parenting practices, and disseminate information about risks for problem behavior and substance use.
The videotape Parenting in the Teenage Years helps parents identify observable risk factors and focuses on the use of effective and ineffective family management skills, including positive reinforcement, monitoring, limit-setting and relationship skills to facilitate evaluation of levels and areas of risk.
Selective
The selective level of intervention, the Family Check-Up, offers family assessment and professional support to identify those families at-risk for problem behavior and substance use.
Indicated
The indicated level, the Parent Focus curriculum, provides direct professional support to parents for making the changes indicated by the Family Check-Up. Services may include behavioral family therapy, parenting groups or case management services.
Following this tiered strategy, a family in the indicated parenting intervention would have participated in a Family Check-Up and received information from the school's Family Resource Center about risk factors for early substance use and parenting practices that reduce the risk of drug use for their children. Each level of intervention builds on the previous level to reach parents within the school setting, to address the needs of at-risk families, and to provide family treatment.
ATP is an evidence-based practice rated by The Ohio State University Center for Learning Excellence Evidence-Based Program Database.