Aligning Policy to Support the Use of Evidence-Based Practices Equitably and at Scale in Youth Substance Use Services: Proceedings from a Roundtable at the 2025 Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery.

Evidence-based practices (EBPs) integrate clinical experience, recipient preferences, and the best available research evidence into best practices for health and human services. The use of EBPs plays an important role in delivering high-quality substance use services that improve youth outcomes. Yet there are many challenges to EBP implementation. During a March 2025 roundtable that was hosted at the Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery national conference, policy actors with key roles in supporting state service systems discussed how to support the implementation of EBPs for youth substance use equitably and at scale. State service systems include a network of community-based prevention, treatment, and recovery programs for youth substance use that are primarily supported by public funds. Main topics of discussion included the role of federal and state policymakers in supporting the use of EBPs, opportunities and challenges in implementing and sustaining EBPs, and opportunities for partnerships to encourage the use of EBPs. Given the complexity of the topic, partnerships were viewed as key to successful progress in achieving policy action that supports EBP use. These proceedings should be of interest to federal, state, and local policymakers and other related groups, such as policy advocates, youth and their caregivers, and other individuals who are interested in improving the quality of substance use services.