MTFC with New York City Girls: Outcomes and Transportability
(PI: Sprengelmeyer)
National Institute of Justice

This study builds on the research conducted on MTFC, an evidence-based treatment for delinquency that is an alternative to residential, group, or institutional care. In MTFC, each youth is placed singly with community foster families who are trained and supervised to provide youth with close supervision, positive reinforcement, mentoring, and consistent discipline. There is a strong emphasis on increasing youth skills for relating to prosocial peers, living as part of a family, and participating in positive community activities. As part of MTFC, youth participate in behaviorally oriented individual and family therapy (with biological parents or other aftercare parenting resource).

The New York Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) is conducting a study to test whether the implementation of MTFC in the Bronx improves services for adolescent girls in need of placement due to problems with delinquency. CR2P is working with the OCFS study to examine barriers to implementing MTFC in a large, diverse urban setting. This will be done by examining adherence to the program model through weekly ratings made on the implementation of key program practices for each participating girl. In addition, to examine barriers to transferability and adaptations made to the model, interviews will be conducted with program implementers (treatment staff, administrators, and foster parents) in the Bronx. This information should provide insight into effectively adapting evidence-based programs to community settings.