Effects of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers (MTFC-P) on Reducing Permanent Placement Failures Among Children With Placement Instability

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to examine the effects of a therapeutic intervention for foster preschoolers with histories of placement instability on permanency outcomes and to determine whether the intervention's effectiveness on these outcomes varied based on prior maltreatment experiences. Permanency outcomes for 52 children who had experienced 4 or more placements prior to study entry (n = 29 intervention condition; n = 23 regular foster care condition) were examined through 24 months post-study entry. The results indicated no group differences in permanency attempt rates but more than double the rate of successful permanency attempts for the intervention condition. The findings indicated that systematic interventions have the potential to impact permanency outcomes among children with prior instability.

Figures

Figure 1

Permanency attempts by group and by type during the first 24 months of the study.

Figure 2

Proportion of successful permanency attempts, by group and by type.