FCT Study Published in Peer Review Journal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Newly published research on Family Centered Treatment®

Effectiveness of Family Centered Treatment on reunification and days in care: Propensity score matched sample from Indiana child welfare data

(Charlotte, NC February 2022)

In a controlled study conducted by Indiana University School of Social Work and published in the Children and Youth Services Review, (Volume 136, May 2022, 106395) Family Centered Treatment (FCT) is shown to significantly and substantially reduce days in out-of-home care in the child welfare population. According to the published report, “Children receiving FCT who were removed from their homes had significantly fewer number of days to reunification than children not receiving FCT (341 vs. 417, p < .05) and the children receiving FCT spent significantly less time, over two months, in child welfare services reaching permanency more quickly than children who did not receive FCT.”  

The Family Centered Treatment Foundation, purveyor of the FCT model, is proud of these findings and their addition to the evidence-based research on well-supported ‘Permanency’ data.

Using administrative data provided by the Indiana Department of Children’s Services, this study examines the effectiveness of FCT with all families entering treatment between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015, (except those also involved with juvenile probation). Using propensity score matching, a comparison group was constructed from all other children in the dataset, i.e., the comparison was between FCT and all other services as usual. Notable with these findings, data from FCT families was taken from Indiana provider organizations within their first two years of large-scale implementation of FCT in Indiana.

For further information about FCT research and studies contact Dr. Melonie Sullivan, Director of Research FCT Foundation Melonie.Sullivan@familycenteredtreatment.org

“We are a much happier and cohesive family. We have learned communication skills and coping skills that we did not have before.”

- 2021 FCT Family