Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood
Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood (TFCO-C) is designed for children ages 7–11 with severe emotional and behavioral problems. TFCO-C aims to support children to live in a family setting during treatment, rather than in group or institutional settings, and to support parents and caregivers to provide effective parenting. TFCO-C adapts Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Adolescents (TFCO-A) for middle childhood. TFCO-C focuses on five key areas: (1) increasing prosocial behaviors, decreasing negative behaviors, and supporting school engagement; (2) providing close supervision and limiting access to peers who lack effective social skills; (3) providing a consistent and reinforcing environment with a daily structure, clear expectations, and consequences; (4) developing children’s skills for forming positive relationships; and (5) enhancing parenting skills and decrease conflict in the family.
TFCO-C places children in a therapeutic foster family. A treatment team supports each child. The team includes a program case manager who is the team lead; the foster parents; an individual therapist; a family therapist; a skills coach; and a person that calls the foster parents for a daily report. Treatment team members provide daily and weekly monitoring and support to the child, foster family, and the child’s parents or caregivers.
TFCO-C uses a structured and individualized daily behavior management system. The foster family employs behavior charts and daily routines to set clear expectations, encourage and reinforce positive behavior and discourage negative behavior. In TFCO-C, children can earn tangible rewards or privileges for positive behavior that cannot be lost once earned. Therapists and skills coaches implement weekly individual therapy and skills coaching tailored to the child’s specific developmental needs, which aim to augment and reinforce progress in the foster home.
The family therapist meets weekly with the parents or caregivers to whom the child is expected to return after the foster care placement. Family therapy teaches parents and caregivers positive parenting practices, including how to monitor and manage the child’s behavior, problem solve, communicate effectively, and de-escalate conflict. Once the treatment team determines that both the child and family are ready, they initiate home visits to provide the opportunity for children and parents or caregivers to practice skills they have learned. After the youth returns to their parents or caregivers, the family therapist provides aftercare support, in which they maintain contact with the family for at least three months.
TFCO-C does not currently meet criteria to receive a rating because no studies met eligibility criteria for review.
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed: Jul 2023
Sources
The following sources informed the program or service description, target population, and program or service delivery and implementation information: the program or service manual and the program or service developer’s website.
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
TFCO-C is designed for children ages 7–11 with severe emotional and behavioral problems.
Dosage
A treatment team delivers TFCO-C to children and families for 6–12 months with at least 3 months of aftercare support. Therapists meet with children weekly for individual therapy sessions. Skills coaches meet with children for approximately 2 hours per week. Family therapists meet with parents or caregivers weekly. The treatment team initiates homes visits when they determine the child is ready. Parent daily report callers place daily calls to the foster parents.
Location/Delivery Setting
Recommended Locations/Delivery Settings
The treatment team delivers TFCO-C in-person in the foster home, in the community, and in the home of the parents or caregivers.
Education, Certifications and Training
A treatment team delivers TFCO-C. The TFCO-C team consists of a team lead, who also serves as the program case manager; trained foster parents; a youth therapist; a family therapist; a skills coach; and a parent daily report caller. In addition to the treatment professionals, the team includes a foster parent recruiter and a foster parent trainer who finds and trains foster parents to implement TFCO-C. The parent daily report caller, recruiter, and trainer roles are often combined.
TFCO-C foster parents must be state-licensed foster parents. To be considered for TFCO-C, foster parents complete a written application and a 1-hour home visit. TFCO-C foster parents also complete 20 hours of pre-service training on the daily behavior management system and how to support the youth. Prior to a placement, foster parents must sign a written agreement to provide TFCO-C services.
Among clinical program staff, the team lead must have at least a bachelor’s degree in social work, behavioral science, or a related field and one year of experience treating children or young adults. A master’s degree is preferred. Youth and family therapists must meet any required state certification or licensing criteria and have relevant clinical experience with youth and families. Skills coaches must meet any required state certification or licensing criteria and be familiar with behavior management principles. Staff in the parent daily report caller or foster parent recruiter roles must have experience with the foster system and at least 1–2 years of office or administrative experience.
All staff complete an initial clinical training, though duration varies by role. Team leads must complete 5 days of training, therapists complete 4 days of training, and recruiter/trainer/parent daily report callers complete 3 days of training. Initial training is typically in-person, though virtual trainings may be available under limited circumstances. Team leads conduct weekly supervision meetings and provide ongoing training for the treatment team.
Programs must be certified or receive clinical supervision from TFC Consultants, Inc. The certification application process involves a thorough evaluation and a fee. As part of this process, team leads have weekly consultation calls with a TFCO consultant.
Program or Service Documentation
Book/Manual/Available documentation used for review
The following eight resources are used to implement TFCO-C:
Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood. (2015). Team leader manual. TFC Consultants, Inc.
Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood. (2015). Behavior management manual. TFC Consultants, Inc.
Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood. (2015). Family therapy manual. TFC Consultants, Inc.
Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood. (2015). Individual therapy manual. TFC Consultants, Inc.
Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood. (2015). Skills coach manual. TFC Consultants, Inc.
Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood. (2015). Foster parent recruitment manual. TFC Consultants, Inc.
Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood. (2015). Foster parent training manual. TFC Consultants, Inc.
Treatment Foster Care Oregon. (2021). Implementation guidebook. TFC Consultants, Inc.
Available languages
TFCO-C materials are available in English.
Other supporting materials
For More Information
Website: https://www.tfcoregon.com/
Phone: (541) 343-2388
Contact form: https://www.tfcoregon.com/contact-us
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 Treatment Foster Care Oregon for Middle Childhood |
|---|---|
| Identified in Search | 0 |
| Eligible for Review | 0 |
| Rated High | 0 |
| Rated Moderate | 0 |
| Rated Low | 0 |
| Reviewed Only for Risk of Harm | 0 |