Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Training Program for Treatment Foster Parents in an Urban Community

Abstract

Treatment foster care (TFC) provides critical mental health supports for youth with emotional, behavioral, and social difficulties who are at risk for adverse long-term outcomes. Existing evidence-based models of TFC are effective, yet resource-intensive, and they have relied primarily on evidence of implementation effectiveness with samples of non-minority parents. Recent research highlights the efficacy of an emerging, socially acceptable model that integrates existing evidence-based practices with usual care. This study applied the new model, Together Facing the Challenge (TFTC), within an urban TFC program. Trained TFC program staff delivered the TFTC training to foster parents in two cohorts. Foster parents reported child problem and prosocial behaviors pre-, mid-, and post-training, as well as 1, 3, and 12 months after the training. Results indicated that foster parents demonstrated an increase in knowledge of TFTC skills following the training and were satisfied with the training. Child problem behaviors significantly decreased over time. There were no significant changes in prosocial behavior over time. Implications of this study include the replication and extension of the use of TFTC, an evidence-based and resource-efficient intervention, to reduce problem behaviors of TFC children in urban settings.