During the Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP) approval process, ICJI noticed that there were three common trends of strengths and weakness of essential sections: SMART goals, data sets and problem statements, and the fund document.
Within each quarterly newsletter, ICJI will provide a brief overview of the above sections, key takeaways, and how to develop the necessary components to strengthen the CCP to avoid having the CCP returned for modifications. Further detail will be provided during one-on-one meetings with the LCC and the divisional program manager.
SMART Goals
The SMART goals section is one of the most important sections of the CCP and can make or break the Through the first two years of the new CCP format, ICJI has approved CCPs that failed to deliver fully developed SMART goals – goals that did not contain each element of the acronym SMART. In 2022, ICJI will not approve CCPs that fail to contain SMART goals for each goal. The information below provides a brief overview of what is a SMART goal.
A SMART goal is used to help guide the LCC’s goal setting. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Therefore, a SMART goal incorporates all of these criteria to help focus your efforts and increase the chances of achieving your goal.
-
Specific – the who, what, where, when, and why
-
Measurable – provides how many/much to indicate progress
-
Achievable – want to be challenging but not overly difficult
-
Realistic – consider resources and time
-
Timely – provides time goal will be achieved
The SMART goals of the LCC should not be general. Rather, they should be specific to what the LCC would like to accomplish for the overall community and are based on available resources and data. It should not be what the grantee will accomplish. These should be community-focused and should directly address the problem statements that are identified in the CCP.
For example, the LCC wants to address alcohol use. A general goal would be “Decrease DUI arrests in our county.” This is a bad goal and does not address all criteria necessary to be a SMART goal. A SMART goal would be, “By March 31, 2022, decrease annual county DUI arrests by 10% from 200 arrests to 180 arrests, as measured by the Uniform Crime Reports.” This is an acceptable goal that addresses every aspect of the SMART acronym.
The difference between a SMART goal and a general goal is abundantly clear. If a CCP goals are anything but SMART, it will be returned for modifications and risk delay in the approval process. All questions should be directed to the Behavioral Health Division.
