Child Welfare Outcomes: Permanency and Child/Family Well-Being
Types of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
Target Population: Preschool foster children aged 3-6 years old who exhibit a high level of disruptive and anti-social behavior which cannot be maintained in regular foster care or who may be considered for residential treatment.
MTFC-P is a treatment foster care model specifically tailored to the needs of 3 to 6-year-old foster children. MTFC-P is effective at promoting secure attachments in foster care and facilitating successful permanent placements. MTFC-P is delivered through a treatment team approach in which foster parents receive training and ongoing consultation and support; children receive individual skills training and participate in a therapeutic playgroup; and birth parents (or other permanent placement caregivers) receive family therapy. MTFC-P emphasizes the use of concrete encouragement for pro-social behavior; consistent, non-abusive limit-setting to address disruptive behavior; and close supervision of the child. In addition, the MTFC-P intervention employs a developmental framework in which the challenges of foster preschoolers are viewed from the perspective of delayed maturation.