MST for professionals

INCLUSIONARY CRITERIA

• Young people at risk of placement (Care or custody) due to their own anti-social behaviours, including substance abuse.
• Young people involved with the Youth Justice System (Youth Offending Team).
• Young people who are aged between 11 and 17.

EXCLUSIONARY CRITERIA

• Young people living independently.
• Young person is presenting with suicidal, homicidal or psychotic behaviour.
• Sex offending in the absence of other anti-social behaviour.
• Young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) where this is assessed as being moderate to severe.

To keep families together when the young person is at risk of entering care, custody or secure placement.

For the young person to be engaged in education, training or employment.

For there to be a reduction in anti-social behaviour and charges brought against the young person.

“Following the MST intervention the children were subsequently removed from the child protection plan. The mother of the children was able to demonstrate that she could put in the methods that MST had given her. The service helped to promote her independence and confidence with parenting the children.

There have been fewer incidents of absconding from the household and the children have been returning home on time. There have been fewer incidents of the children associating with older peers. The mother of the family has also started to engage with health service which was ongoing problem for her as she suffered from diabetes. This support also helped with her parenting.        

I have found the experience of working with MST to be very beneficial to the family. They helped develop the strengths of the family and implement new strategies that the family could use.

It was a different approach to working with the family that worked well. It is a very practical intervention and the improvements can been seen within the family home”

"Since their engagement on the MST programme there has been a notable reduction in Police Resources being committed to locate them as either missing persons or time spent investigating and processing them for alleged offending. This allows us to focus on other organisational priorities."

“The police were very concerned about his anti-social behaviour and also had concerns for Mum at home.  Since MST his behaviour has been fine with no reports of misbehaviour and he’s happy to chat to me if he sees me in the street.  He seems happier and not getting himself involved in incidents – we’re more confident about his future.” 

“We felt that MST was extremely supportive to this family and did make massive changes to the family as a whole.  [The Therapist] kept us informed at all times and was very polite and constructive. It has been a pleasure working with [the Therapist] and I do know that mum and family are sad this work has come to an end”

“I have been extremely impressed with the changes that have happened in the family I am GP for who have had recent input from the MST. There are demonstrable signs of greater and more appropriate boundaries and this appears to have impacted especially on the mother (who I see most of for her many organic health problems) though I also heard very many fewer concerns from her about the stress of managing the children (both index children and others).

The problems have not gone away...but the approach to them is more realistic. This is an enormous achievement.“