The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cebc4cw.org/

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care - Adolescents (MTFC-A) - Summary

Scientific Rating:
1
Well-Supported by Research Evidence
See scale of 1-5
Scientific Rating:
1 - Well-Supported by Research Evidence

Relevance to Child Welfare Rating:
2
Relevance to Child Welfare Rating:
2 - Medium

Child Welfare Outcomes: Permanency and child/family well-being.

Type of Maltreatment: Emotional abuse, Exposure to domestic violence, Physical neglect, and Sexual abuse

Target Population: Boys and girls, 12-18 years old with severe delinquency and/or severe emotional and behavioral disorders. These youth were in need of out-of-home placement and could not be adequately served in lower levels of care.

Brief Description:(The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff.)

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care - Adolescents (MTFC-A) has been rated by the CEBC in the areas of Disruptive Behavior Treatment (Child & Adolescent), Higher Level of Placement, and Placement Stabilization. MTFC-A is a model of treatment foster care for children 12-18 years old with severe emotional and behavioral disorders and/or severe delinquency. MTFC-A aims to create opportunities for youths to successfully live in families rather than in group or institutional settings, and to simultaneously prepare their parents (or other long-term placement) to provide youth with effective parenting. Four key elements of treatment are (1) providing youths with a consistent reinforcing environment where he or she is mentored and encouraged to develop academic and positive living skills, (2) providing daily structure with clear expectations and limits, with well-specified consequences delivered in a teaching-oriented manner, (3) providing close supervision of youths' whereabouts, and (4) helping youth to avoid deviant peer associations while providing them with the support and assistance needed to establish pro-social peer relationships. MFTC-A also has versions for preschoolers and children. MFTC-P (for preschoolers) is rated separately on this website. MTFC-C (for children) has not been tested separately, but has the same elements as MFTC-A except it includes materials more developmentally appropriate for younger children. Since MTFC-A is highly rated on the Scientific Rating Scale, information on available pre-implementation assessments, implementation tools, and fidelity measures was requested from the program representative. Please see the program's separate Implementation Information page for details.


Contact Information

Show Contact Information

Contact name: Patricia Chamberlain

Affiliation/Agency: Center for Research to Practice/ Oregon Social Learning Center

Email: pattic@oslc.org

Phone: 541-485-2711

Fax: 541-485-7087

Website: http://www.mtfc.com



Detailed Report

Click here for a detailed report which includes Essential Components, Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research, Education and Training Resources, etc.


Date reviewed: November 2009 (Originally reviewed in May 2007)