MST for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN)

The effectiveness of MST-CAN was evaluated in a randomised controlled trial ( Swenson, Schaeffer, et al., 2010  and  Swenson & Schaeffer 2018 ) in South Carolina. The study involved 86 families implicated in a Child Protective Service’s report of physical abuse. This study showed that MST-CAN was twice as effective as the alternative outpatient therapy at preventing out-of-home placement. Moreover, MST-CAN was more effective at reducing parent’s physical and psychological aggression towards their children and neglectful parenting. MST-CAN also was more effective at reducing parent and child mental health problems and increasing natural social supports.

In the UK, of the 71 families evaluated during the pilot period;

·       98% of children remain at home;

·       97% are in school or working;

(Data period: July 2009 to May 2015)

There has been work to establish the cost effectiveness of MST-CAN within UK, Europe and US. A recent evaluation study in Leeds established during the pilot phase there was a £1.59 return for every £1 spent on the programme. An evaluation of the Thurgau, Switzerland programme indicated that MST-CAN was 16-50% lower than the costs of contingency plans. From the randomised trial in the US, MST-CAN realised US $2.93 savings per dollar spent.

Bauch J, Hefti S, Oeltjen L, Pérez T, Cupit Swenson C, Fürstenau U, Rhiner B, Schmid M, Multisystemic therapy for child abuse and neglect: Parental stress and parental mental health as predictors of change in child neglect, Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 126, 2022, 105489, ISSN 0145-2134. The following intervention study investigated whether changes in parental mental health and parental stress after MST-CAN are related to changes in child neglect. The findings suggest that parental stress might be a promising target for evidence-based interventions to reduce the occurrence of child neglect.

The full study and findings can be accessed  HERE .

If you would like more information about MST-CAN,  click here  to request an information sheet or visit the MST-CAN website  www.mstcan.com .