| Ranking |
Evidence-Based Practice |
| Description |
Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) is a behavioral treatment alternative to residential placement for adolescents who have problems with chronic antisocial behavior, emotional disturbance, and delinquency. It is based on the Social Learning Theory model that describes the mechanisms by which individuals learn to behave in social contexts and the daily interactions that influence both prosocial and antisocial patterns of behavior. The intervention is multifaceted and occurs in multiple settings. The intervention activities include (1) Behavioral parent training and support for MTFC foster parents; (2) Family therapy for biological parents (or other aftercare resources); (3) Skills training for youth; (4) Supportive therapy for youth; (5) School-based behavioral interventions and academic support; and (6) Psychiatric consultation and medication management. |
| Goal / Mission |
The goal of the MTFC program is to decrease problem behavior and to increase developmentally appropriate normative and prosocial behavior in children and adolescents who are in need of out-of-home placement. |
| Results / Accomplishments |
Eight randomized trials and numerous other studies have provided evidence of the feasibility and effectiveness of MTFC. When compared with the control group (GC), MTFC youths spent 60 percent fewer days in incarceration during the 12-month follow-up, had significantly fewer subsequent arrests, and had significantly less hard-drug use. In addition, MTFC boys reported significantly fewer psychiatric symptoms, had better school adjustment, returned to their family homes after treatment more often, and rated their lives as happier, compared with boys in GC. During a two-year follow-up, MTFC girls had had significantly fewer criminal offenses, spent fewer days in locked settings, attended school more regularly , and had significantly fewer pregnancies. |
| Categories |
Social Environment / Children's Social Environment
Public Safety / Corrections
|
| Organization(s) |
Oregon Social Learning Center |
| Source |
SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) |
| Date of Publication | 2007 |
| Date of Implementation | 1983 |
| Location |
City: Eugene, OR |
| Primary Contact |
Patricia Chamberlain, Ph.D., Director
Oregon Social Learning Center
160 East Fourth Street
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 485-2711
Pattic@oslc.org
http://www.mtfc.com/
|
| For more details |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC199... |
| Target Audience |
Teens |
|
