The new program, Multidimensional Family Treatment and Recovery (MDFTR), works with parents/caregivers who have substance use disorders both to address their SUD directly and indirectly to prevent or reduce child maltreatment and out-of-home placement for children under age six (prenatal through 5 years inclusive). MDFTR will be an intensive treatment program delivered primarily in the family’s home. Multiple weekly sessions will ensure that a responsive and high intensity service is delivered through the timely and frequent provision of both individual and family therapy sessions. The MDFTR approach incorporates, integrates, and adapts core intervention components of both Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) and Multidimensional Family Recovery (MDFR) for the treatment of parental substance use, co-occurring mental health problems, and child maltreatment. Because intimate partner violence (IPV) is not uncommon among the target population, in addition to standard MDFT and MDFR interventions to reduce family conflict and improve co-parenting, MDFTR will be enhanced to include specific IPV interventions. Unlike many child-welfare services where individuals who identify as women and mothers often are the primary target, MDFTR also will incorporate clinical protocols to better engage and meet the specific treatment and supportive needs of biological, foster and adoptive dads. Finally, MDFTR staff will be trained to help pregnant persons develop Family Care Plans (previously known as Plans of Safe Care), which are required by Federal CAPTA legislation to identify family treatment needs and other basic needs and help them link to services. The study’s hypotheses are that relative to families assigned to Services as Usual (SAU), families assigned to Multidimensional Family Therapy and Recovery (MDFTR) will have more caregiver days of substance treatment, more days of abstinence, greater well-being, increased child permanency, and greater child well-being.
