This program is for families with youth who are birth to 17 years old and are at risk of placement into, or who need services as they return from, foster care, treatment facilities, juvenile justice facilities, group or residential treatment, or psychiatric hospitals.

Family Centered Treatment® (FCT), a community-based program, is designed to enhance the stability of families who are at risk of disruption by providing support and solutions to existing challenges in family functioning.

Results from a quasi-experimental study using propensity score matching to compare youth involved in the juvenile justice system and receiving FCT to youth who had been discharged from group homes and other residential placements indicated that there were improvements in placement outcomes and offense behaviors in both groups over time. Improvements for participants in FCT were generally greater than those in the control group during the first-year post-treatment. This was particularly true for the duration and frequency of residential placements, time spent in community detention, and time spent pending placement. However, by 2-years post-treatment, although outcomes were favorable in both groups, most outcomes were not significantly different between groups. There was a greater decline in adjudication frequency for youth in FCT during the second-year post-treatment compared to those in the control group. Results from a second quasi-experimental study using propensity score matching among youth involved in the juvenile justice system indicated that FCT participants had a significantly lower risk of adult conviction and incarceration relative to youth who received group care; however, there were no significant differences between groups in juvenile re-adjudication or new commitment to juvenile justice placement. Results from a third quasi-experimental study using propensity score matching among youth in a child-welfare system that were not involved in the juvenile justice system indicated that children who received FCT achieved reunification significantly sooner than children who did not receive FCT.

FCT focuses on reducing out-of-home placement. Therefore, youth in the program remain in their homes while they receive targeted interventions that intend to reduce future contact with juvenile and adult criminal justice systems, provide support to youth and families in daily living activities, and bolster community safety.  Treatment progresses through the following four phases:

• Joining and Assessment - Staff gain the trust of families and assess their strengths and needs;
• Restructuring - Family members identify and address underlying emotional and attachment needs and maladaptive patterns and participate in a process of guided behavioral change to shift repetitive interaction patterns;
• Valuing Change - Family members examine intents to change, consider the purpose of changed behaviors, recognize and value new behaviors, and identify changed behaviors that have long-term value; and
• Generalization - Family members demonstrate changed behaviors, manage difficult situations on their own, utilize skills and techniques to overcome internal issues, and anticipate future challenges.

The program is predominantly implemented in the home; however, when necessary, treatment can be delivered via different environments, including school, a relative's home, the workplace, and other community settings. The program emphasizes community and agency collaboration and provides wraparound services through a plan that provides care for all family members.  Successful program implementation requires on-call support from the family's physician, involvement of various staff members during critical times, and collaboration among different stakeholders on a weekly or daily basis.

FCT was developed in the late 1980s and is currently being implemented in California, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

This program is delivered by master's-level professionals who have a human service degree in a field, such as psychology, social work, counseling, or marriage and family therapy. Certification is required and consists of an online, 100-hour training course that includes field-based competency requirements.  In addition, a manual is available that describes how to implement the program.  Please use details in the Contact section to learn more.

Considerations for implementing this program include recruiting suitable facilitators and making arrangements for them to complete certification, acquiring participant buy-in, finding space and time to hold sessions, and ensuring the program is implemented with fidelity.  

The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

If you are interested in implementing FCT, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

The average length of treatment is 6 months; however, this may vary based on individual family needs.  The first month includes a ramping-up phase.  This phase is followed by a minimum of two multiple-hour sessions per week for approximately 4 months.  The final month consists of a slowing-down period.  Sessions may be longer and more frequent as needed, and on-call support is available 24 hours a day every day of the year.

A cost effectiveness analysis of FCT, performed by Sullivan et al., estimated that every $1.00 spent on the FCT program saved Maryland between $2.03 and $2.29, and a total estimated savings of $10.9 million to $12.3 million over 4.5 years was realized.  Please use details in the Contact section for more specific information on implementation costs.

To move FCT to the Effective category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one additional evaluation using a strong study design should be performed that demonstrates sustained, positive results for primary program outcomes.

The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu

You may also contact Family Centered Treatment Foundation by mail Ballantyne One, 15720 Brixham Hill Ave, Suite 300, Charlotte, NC 28277, phone 1-980-269-4390, or visit https://www.familycenteredtreatment.org/contact-us

https://www.familycenteredtreatment.org/; https://www.cebc4cw.org/program/family-centered-treatment/detailed; and Sullivan, Bennear, Honess, Sullivan, and Painter (2012).

Bright, C. L., Farrell, J., Winters, A. M., Betsinger, S., & Lee, B. R. (2018). Family Centered Treatment, juvenile justice, and the grand challenge of smart decarceration. Research on Social Work Practice, 28(5), 638-645. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731517730127

Pierce, B. J., Muzzey, F. K., Bloomquist, K. R., & Imburgia, T. M. (2022). Effectiveness of Family Centered Treatment on reunification and days in care: Propensity score matched sample from Indiana child welfare data. Children and Youth Services Review, 136, 106395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106395

Sullivan, M. B., Bennear, L. S., Honess, B. S., Sullivan, M. B., & Painter, W. E., (2012). Family Centered Treatment - An alternative to residential placements for adjudicated youth: Outcomes and cost effectiveness. OJJDP Journal of Juvenile Justice, 2(1), 25-40.