We are excited to announce that MST-BSF has been approved as supported by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse! This is a significant achievement for MST Services, as being "supported" means that Multisystemic Therapy – Building Stronger Families (MST-BSF) has met the rigorous standards for evidence-based interventions set by the clearinghouse and highlights the effectiveness of the program in helping children and families.
What is the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse?
The Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse is a division of the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to provide a transparent, systematic, and objective review of programs and services that are designed to prevent child abuse and neglect and to support families in crisis. The Clearinghouse evaluates programs based on their level of evidence and assigns them a rating of "supported," "not supported," or "promising." Programs that are rated as "supported" have strong evidence of effectiveness and can be used by states and tribes to meet the requirements of the Family First Prevention Services Act.
What is MST-BSF?
MST-BSF is an adaptation of the original Multisystemic Therapy (MST) program, which has been used successfully for over 30 years to treat at-risk youth and their families. MST-BSF is designed specifically for families with youth ages 6-17 who come under the guidance of child protective services due to co-occurring parental substance use and physical abuse or neglect of a child.
MST-BSF combines three evidence-based models: MST, MST for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN), and Reinforcement-Based Treatment (RBT) for substance use disorders. MST-BSF uses the same service delivery characteristics and guiding principles as the core MST model. However, all family members who need treatment receive it, with a strong emphasis on adult interventions and child safety, including interventions for children who are not the subject of the maltreatment report.
We are proud to have MST-BSF recognized as an evidence-based intervention by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse, and we look forward to continuing to provide high-quality, evidence-based programs that make a positive impact on the lives of at-risk youth and their families.
To find out more about MST-BSF, download the BSF fact sheet!
