Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care in England
An evidence-based programme to help children and young people improve their life outcomes
Active Caring
“My belief is that children are not born with problems, it’s what happens to them that causes the problems.
You do have to take the rough with the smooth, but nine times out of ten, they just want someone to listen to them and help them sort out their difficulties.” –
Wandsworth MTFCE foster carer
A Brief Introduction for Foster Carers
Foster carers in MTFCE are full members of the treatment team. “At the end of a telephone, all day, you have loads of support,” in the words of one MTFCE foster carer. Our foster carers are the eyes and ears of the programme, and their feedback helps the clinical teams design interventions. All foster carers receive specialist training and ongoing support from their team. They also meet weekly as a group to provide mutual support and share practical solutions. “He was shouting and bawling in the garden and I walked away. And because I walked away he went quiet and looked to see where I'd gone. Then he started following me into the house quietly,” related an MTFC-Adolescents foster carer at a recent meeting. Finally, in addition to training and support, we provide generous fees plus an allowance for each placement.
Interested? To become an MTFCE foster carer, you need to:
- Have the resilience to deal with strong emotions and challenging behaviours.
- Have the drive to learn new skills and work as part of a professional team, and be available full-time.
- Have no other children under 16 living at home (if joining the MTFC-A programme).
- And not least, have a sense of humour.
There are MTFCE teams throughout England. To find out if there is one in your area, go to our UK map, which also provides team contact details.
Updates
15 – 17 April 2009
MTFC Europe Conference
This conference, held in Amsterdam, was well attended by several teams from England, as well as teams from the USA, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and New Zealand.
20 February 2009
Investing in Children: Moving to What Works
This conference, jointly organised by the Department of Children, Schools and Families and the Youth Justice Board, aimed to show improved outcomes for vulnerable children through better working between local agencies and the use of evidence based practices. The conference was well attended with delegates including high-level decision makers such as Baroness Delyth Morgan Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families. The National Team's Annual Report on MTFC was highlighted by Baroness Morgan. Several workshops and discussions around the development and implementation of MTFC and other evidence based programmes were held.
November 2008
Calculating and Comparing the Costs of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care, England (MTFCE)
This report, provided by Loughborough University for the DCSF, is now available in our Library section »
13 October 2008
MTFC-P programme on course
First placements for this new programme have been made. Read more about the placements »
23 May 2008
MTFC-C pilot announced
The DCSF has announced a £3.8m pilot project to set up MTFC-Children programmes. Eight local authorities across England have been selected to take part in this project. Read the DCSF press notice »
21 July 2007
Network Partnership Agreement with OSLC
The National Implementation Team have now formally signed an agreement to become the UK Network Partner with OSLC. Read more about the Network Partnership »