A Suitable Case?: Implementing Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care in an English Local Authority

Abstract

This article by Derek Kirton and Cliff Thomas draws from a local evaluation of a multidimensional treatment foster care (MTFC) programme in England, focusing particularly on issues of implementation. These include experiences of working with the Oregon Social Learning model on which MTFC is based, its theory, philosophy and practices. The article also considers the translation of this model into a UK context and the associated questions of adaptation and fidelity. The challenges of multidisciplinary teamwork and interagency collaboration within MTFC are explored, along with the latter's place within wider child welfare provision. Particular challenges highlighted are those of transitions into and from MTFC and the role of children's social workers. Albeit from a small-scale study and with inevitable variation in outcomes, it was found that MTFC achieved significant gains for a number of young people with complex needs and often troubled histories. This, in turn, raises questions about how far its theory and practice could or should be extended within foster care provision.