WHAT IS MST-CAN?
MST-CAN is an adaptation of MST for families who have come to the attention of Children’s Services due to physical abuse and/or neglect and who have one or more children aged 6 to 17 years who are subject to a child protection plan.
Key aims of MST-CAN
MST-CAN works with families to keep children at home with increased safety.
The focus is providing treatment to the whole family with special attention given to parents to overcome some of the challenges they face to parenting. It is very common for parents in MST-CAN programmes to have experienced a traumatic event and treatment is provided to help overcome the impact of trauma.
In MST-CAN programmes a great deal of safety planning is included in addition to treatment for anger management difficulties, parental or youth substance abuse, and family problem solving and communication problems.
The MST-CAN team delivers treatment in the family’s home at flexible times, with a 24/7 on call service to help the family manage crises after hours. Treatment is intensive and lasts for six to nine months.
MST-CAN recommendations
MST-CAN research
The effectiveness of MST-CAN was evaluated in the following research
Swenson, Schaeffer, et al., 2010
Multisystemic therapy for child abuse and neglect: A randomized effectiveness trial. Journal of Family Psychology, 24 (4), 497–507.
A multisystemic approach to the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect.
This research shows that MST-CAN is 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 is also 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 (July 2009 to May 2015)
- 98% of children remain at home
- 97% are in school or working
There are now MST-CAN teams in the following locations:
Doncaster, Fife, Knowsley, Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle, Nottingham City, North-East Wales and Sandwell.
If you would like more information about the MST-CAN model, click here to request an information sheet or visit the MST-CAN website www.mstcan.com
