The coalition technical assistance and training framework: helping community coalitions help themselves.

Coalition staff, leaders, and members need training to promote coalition building and maintenance as well as ongoing technical assistance. The Coalition Technical Assistance and Training Framework uses a 6-step process to diagnose coalition strengths and challenges and provide a prescription for action. Re-evaluation after a specified time period helps determine whether a coalition adopted recommended changes in coalition participants, structures, and/or processes and progressed through stages of development. This empowerment approach helps coalition staff and members help themselves to be more effective and efficient. The framework was piloted with the Virginia Healthy Start Initiative from November 1997 to June 2001. Seven perinatal councils that focused on preventing low-weight births and infant mortality adopted 75% of the recommended actions within 1 year. Results from a pre and post-assessment tool after 3 years showed significant progress in the coalitions' ability to develop effective participants, processes, and structures