Marin County Life :: Promising Practices :: Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.

2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.

3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care

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 10 Shelton McMurphey Blvd 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
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