Adapting WINGS involves customizing delivery of the intervention and ensuring that messages are appropriate for WINGS participants served by your agency or within your community without altering, deleting, or adding to the intervention’s Core Elements. When adapting the intervention, remember to consider the needs of the population to be served, the resources and capabilities of your agency, and the Core Elements of the intervention.
Adaptation refers to the “who,” “what,” “how,” “when,” and “where” of WINGS as it will be implemented at your agency. An example of an adaptation is deciding whether to include a follow up visit for WINGS participants who disclose experiencing IPV to assess their progress in meeting their goals and linking to services. In the original WINGS research, facilitators only met with women for the single WINGS session. However, post-evaluation assessments suggest that some women who are in need of IPV services may benefit from an additional follow-up visit to work through barriers in accessing IPV services or meeting their goals.
Adaptations should not affect the Core Elements of the intervention. Instead, they should enhance delivery of the intervention at your agency, and allow your staff to be creative and to develop ownership of the program.