Together Facing the Challenge

Mental Health Does Not Currently Meet Criteria

Together Facing the Challenge (TFTC) is a skills-based training program for therapeutic foster parents who care for children with emotional or behavioral problems. The training program aims to help foster parents build and maintain supportive and involved relationships with children in their care. It also intends to help foster parents learn and use effective behavior management and communication strategies.

 

Foster parents attend seven group training sessions: (1) Building Relationships and Teaching Cooperation, (2) Setting Expectations, (3) Use of Effective Parenting Tools to Enhance Cooperation, (4) Implementing Effective Consequences, (5) Welcoming Diversity, (6) Transition to Young Adulthood, and (7) Effective Communication and Taking Care of Self. Trauma-informed care principles such as safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration, and empowerment are embedded throughout the curriculum. Homework exercises are assigned to foster parents between each session so that foster parents can put the theory and learned strategies into practice.


TFTC does not currently meet criteria to receive a rating because no studies met eligibility criteria for review.


Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed: Aug 2021


Sources

The program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information was informed by the following sources: the program or service manual, the program or service developer’s website, and the California Evidence Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare.


This information does not necessarily represent the views of the program or service developers. For more information on how this program or service was reviewed, visit the Review Process page or download the Handbook.

Target Population

TFTC is designed for therapeutic foster parents who care for children with emotional or behavioral problems.

Dosage

TFTC is typically offered over the course of seven sessions. Sessions typically last 2 hours and take place every 2 weeks; however, session length and frequency can be tailored to fit the needs of agencies and/or foster parents.

Location/Delivery Setting
Recommended Locations/Delivery Settings

TFTC is implemented by public child welfare agencies or community-based agencies.

Education, Certifications and Training

Child welfare agency staff have a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree with at least 2 years of experience in the field. Staff must participate in a 3-day training workshop focused on how to train foster parents in TFTC. The workshop also covers effective instruction strategies for adult learners, supervision strategies, and fidelity to the TFTC model.

 

Agency-wide follow-up consultation sessions with the developer are required monthly for at least 12 months. These sessions are intended to provide implementation support and coaching to agency staff and address fidelity problems.

 

After implementing TFTC for at least 1 year, agencies can choose to undergo a formal certification process to be recognized as a TFTC-certified provider. Certification verifies the agency is implementing the program with fidelity and is valid for two years.

Program or Service Documentation
Book/Manual/Available documentation used for review

Murray, M., Farmer, E. M. Z., Burns, B. J., & Dorsey, S. (2017). Together Facing the Challenge: A therapeutic foster care resource toolkit: Train-the-trainer manual (3rd ed.) (K. L. Ballentine & R. Craven, Eds.). Duke University School of Medicine.

Available languages

Manuals for TFTC are available in English and Spanish.

Other supporting materials

Foster Parent Training Manual Excerpt

Training & Certification

For More Information

Website: https://sites.duke.edu/tftc/


Note: The details on Dosage; Location; Education, Certifications, and Training; Other Supporting Materials; and For More Information sections above are provided to website users for informational purposes only. This information is not exhaustive and may be subject to change.

Results of Search and Review Number of Studies Identified and Reviewed for Together Facing the Challenge
Identified in Search 6
Eligible for Review 0
Rated High 0
Rated Moderate 0
Rated Low 0
Reviewed Only for Risk of Harm 0

Sometimes study results are reported in more than one document, or a single document reports results from multiple studies. Studies are identified below by their Prevention Services Clearinghouse study identification numbers. To receive a rating of supported or well-supported, the favorable evidence for a program or service must have been obtained from research conducted in a usual care or practice setting.




Studies Not Eligible for Review

Study 11304

Farmer, E. M., Burns, B. J., Wagner, H. R., Murray, M., & Southerland, D. G. (2010). Enhancing "usual practice" treatment foster care: Findings from a randomized trial on improving youths' outcomes. Psychiatric Services, 61(6), 555-561. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2010.61.6.555

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11305

Murray, M. M., Southerland, D., Farmer, E. M., & Ballentine, K. (2010). Enhancing and adapting treatment foster care: Lessons learned in trying to change practice. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(4), 393-403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-009-9310-x

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11306

Murray, M., Culver, T., Farmer, E., Jackson, L. A., & Rixon, B. (2014). From theory to practice: One agency’s experience with implementing an evidence-based model. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 23(5), 844-853. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9738-x

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11307

Murray, M. E., Khoury, D. Y., Farmer, E. M., & Burns, B. J. (2018). Is more better? Examining whether enhanced consultation/coaching improves implementation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(3), 376-385. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000296

This study is ineligible for review because it does not use an eligible study design (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.4).

Study 11308

Nevada Division of Child & Family Services. (2019). Specialized foster care in Nevada: State fiscal year 2018. https://dcfs.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/dcfsnvgov/content/Tips/Reports/Evaluation_Report_Specialized_Foster_Care_SFY18_Final.pdf

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).

Study 11309

Southerland, D. G., Farmer, E. M., Murray, M. E., Stambaugh, L. F., & Rosenberg, R. D. (2018). Measuring fidelity of empirically‐supported treatment foster care: Preliminary psychometrics of the Together Facing the Challenge—fidelity of implementation test (TFTC‐FIT). Child & Family Social Work, 23(2), 273-280. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12415

This study is ineligible for review because it is not a study of the program or service under review (Study Eligibility Criterion 4.1.6).