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Multifunctional Treatment in Residential and Community Settings (MultifunC)

Note: The Multifunctional Treatment in Residential and Community Settings (MultifunC) program was not responsive to the CEBC's inquiry. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.

Topic Areas
Scientific Rating
Child Welfare Relevance
Alternatives to Long-Term Residential Care Programs
3  — Promising Research Evidence
Medium

About This Program

Target Population: High-risk juvenile criminals

Program Overview

MultifunC focuses on high-risk juvenile criminals. The treatment includes a short residential stay followed by support to the families after the residential stay (e.g., aftercare). The program focuses on the juvenile, school, leisure time, friends, and the family or parents. The goal is both to reduce behavior problems (e.g., criminal activity), to make them succeed in school and society, and to reduce time in residential setting or institution.

Education and Training

Education and Training Resources

Publicly available information indicates there is a manual that describes how to deliver this program, and there is some training available for this program.
See contact info below.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

Andrée Löfholm, C., Olsson, T. M., & Sundell, K. (2019). Effectiveness and costs of a therapeutic residential care program for adolescents with a serious behavior problem (MultifunC). Short-term results of a non-randomized controlled trial. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2019.1619500

Type of Study: Pretest-posttest study with a nonequivalent control
Number of Participants: 80

Population:

  • Age — 15–17 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — 50% Male
  • Status — Participants were youth in a residential facility with a medium high or high risk for reoffending.

Location/Institution: Sweden

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
This study assessed the efficacy of Multifunctional Treatment in Residential and Community Settings (MultifunC). Measures utilized include the Youth Self-Report, the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument and the Self-Report Delinquency Scale (SRD). Participants were placed in either MultifunC or treatment as usual (TAU). Results indicated that after 24 months, this first evaluation of MultifunC demonstrated that youth participating in MultifunC had a reduced need for residential care in a locked setting as well as out-of-home placement in general compared to youth in the TAU group. The economic analysis found MultifunC to be a cost-effective alternative to TAU due to the reduced need of residential care in locked settings. There were no significant effects on reoffending or psychiatric care. Limitations include the lack of randomization, small sample size, and selection bias.

Length of postintervention follow-up: Varies

Additional References

No reference materials are currently available for Multifunctional Treatment in Residential and Community Settings (MultifunC).

Contact Information

Tore Andreassen
Website: www.multifunc.org/html/english_.html
Email:

Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: November 2019

Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: March 2020

Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: April 2020