Leve, L.D., & Chamberlain, P. (2007). A randomized evaluation of multidimensional treatment foster care: effects on school attendance and homework completion in juvenile justice girls. Research on Social Work Practice, 17(6), 657-663.
Although many studies have explored the factors influencing the development of antisocial behavior among girls, few interventions have been identified for girls who have been involved with both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. In a randomized controlled trial in Oregon, the current study compared multidimensional treatment foster care (MTFC) with standard group care (GC) with respect to school attendance, homework completion, and confinement in juvenile detention facilities for criminal offenses. MTFC uses a social learning theory approach to mobilize the teaching resources of foster families and biological parents to match the learning and socialization needs of adolescent girls. Components of the MTFC intervention include: (1) placement of each girl with a trained foster parent under regular supervision; (2) weekly individualized sessions with a therapist to work on problems in school, family and foster home; (3) assignment of a skills trainer to each girl to help her cultivate specific social skills through coaching; and (4) a collaboration between the therapist and the girl’s after-care parent to reinforce behaviors and skills learned. Girls in the control group (GC) participated in community-based programs offering typical services, including weekly therapy. At both 3-6 months and 12 months after beginning the program, girls in the MTFC group performed significantly better than the GC group on measures of school attendance and homework completion. At 12 months post-baseline, girls in the MTFC group averaged fewer (22) days in juvenile detention than girls in the GC group (56 days). The results indicate that MTFC may be an effective intervention for improving school performance and decreasing stays in juvenile detention.
The two groups were developed through random assignment to MTFC (n=37) and GC (n=44) .Girls included in the study were between the ages of 13 and 17 years, who were currently not pregnant, had at least one criminal referral in the previous 12 months, and were placed in out-of-home care within the prior 12 months following referral. Seventy-four percent of the sample was Caucasian. The two groups did not differ significantly on characteristics of interest upon assignment. Data were collected at three levels; baseline, 3 to 6 months following intervention, and at 12 months afterwards. Ninety per cent of the sample participated in measures at 3-6 months, while 88% participated in data collection at 12 months. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with MTFC as a predictor of school attendance and homework completion. The experiment was rigorous and the results are encouraging. The next step is replication in other jurisdictions with larger and more diverse samples.