Project overview
Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) is a specialist model of foster care developed by Oregon Social Learning Center, USA, which is designed to provide a therapeutic environment that addresses the needs of young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The model is currently being piloted in 21 local authorities in England and Wales.
In response to concerns about the costs of MTFC, our study, funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and completed in 2008, has focussed on analysing the costs associated with providing the programme compared with the costs incurred by children with similar needs who are in alternative placements.
Methods
The researchers collected data on a sample of 24 children across 5 of the piloting local authorities, for the year prior to placement in MTFC, during MTFC and where appropriate, subsequent placements. Data were also collected on the alternative placement identified at the point the decision to place the child in MTFC was made, and the child’s pathway after MTFC; whether they left care or moved to a different placement.
In order to calculate unit costs for MTFC and other placements that the children in the sample experienced, activity information was collected from focus groups and event records completed by the MTFC team and the child’s allocated social worker. Finance information including allowances paid to carers, placement fees and salary scales was also obtained.
The unit costs of MTFC were calculated and the data imported into the Cost Calculator for Children’s Services for analysis and comparisons with alternative placement types.
Implications for policy and practice
The findings provide a greater understanding of the unit costs of MTFC and how they compare to other placements, allowing practitioners to make informed decisions about the most effective pathways both in terms of costs and outcomes for children.
Outputs
Holmes, L., Westlake, D. and Ward, H. (2009) Calculating and Comparing the Costs of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care, England (MTFCE). Report to the Department of Children, Schools and Families. Loughborough: CCFR.
Contact
Lisa Holmes, Research Fellow
Email: L.J.Holmes@lboro.ac.uk