Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers: A Program for Maltreated Children in the Child Welfare System

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers (MTFC-P) is an intensive, evidenced-based intervention targeting young children in the child welfare system and their caregivers. Given the extensive maltreatment histories of young children in the child welfare system, MTFC-P specifically targets domains with which young maltreated children struggle, such as behavior problems, emotion regulation, and developmental delays. MTFC-P also focuses extensively on training both foster parents and long-term placement caregivers in parenting skills, such as practicing consistent discipline and providing adequate positive reinforcement, that have been shown to predict positive child outcomes. This chapter provides descriptions of the history and development of MTFC-P, the conceptual foundation underpinning the intervention, the intervention components and staffing structure, and the existing evidence base. The chapter closes with a case study describing the salutary effects of participation in MTFC-P on the life of a young boy in the child welfare system.