Multisystemic Therapy
According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services 9,949 children in Kentucky are in out-of-home care placement including foster homes , residential facilities , detention centers , or psychiatric hospitals . According to the Annie E . Casey Foundation , Kentucky ranks 37th out of 50 states in Overall Child Well-Being .
Meanwhile , the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported that 29.2 % of Kentucky high school students felt hopeless , 14.8 % considered attempting suicide within the past 12 month ; 7.9 % made attempts . The youth and families in our Commonwealth are experiencing complex issues that , at their core , reveal both a medical and behavioral health crisis .
Multisystemic Therapy ( MST ) is an evidence-based program that empowers youth ( ages 12-17 ) and their families to function responsibly over the long-term through a reduction of antisocial and delinquent behaviors . MST reduces these behaviors by addressing the causes of such conduct and views the client through a network of systems including family , peers , school , and community . Therapists on an MST Team have small caseloads and provide services in the home at times convenient to the family . The average length of treatment is three to five months and therapists and provider agencies are held accountable for achieving change and positive outcomes through weekly consultations with an MST Expert , monthly surveys on therapist adherence , and surveys on supervisor adherence to the MST Model .
The implementation of MST has huge implications for Kentucky , a state whose record on child and family welfare is among the worst in the nation . Kentucky has publicly stated its intention to be one of the first in the nation to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act ( FFPSA ).
The FFPSA will require child welfare agencies to create trauma-informed prevention plans based on their list of approved evidence-supported treatments . MST is listed as a “ well-supported treatment ,” the highest level of evidence-supported treatment , by the FFPSA . In order for the state of Kentucky to implement FFPSA and continue to receive federal Title IV-E funding , it is essential that Home of the Innocents implements a preventive and well-supported program such as the MST program .
Evaluations of MST have shown reduced rates of criminal offending in serious juvenile offenders , reduced rates of out-of-home placements for youth , extensive improvements in family functioning , decreased mental health problems for youth , and favorable outcomes at cost savings in comparison with usual mental health and juvenile justice services .
With support from the James Graham Brown Foundation , Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence , and Molena Healthcare , Home of the Innocents is the first organization in Kentucky that will be certified in the MST model .
Home of the Innocents also has support from state and local government — such as the Department for Community Based Services , Department of Juvenile Justice , and the Department of Medicaid Services . The Home is proud to work in partnership with our state government to ensure the sustainability and expansion of this important program throughout our state .
Through MST , Home of the Innocents will be able to offer our state a game-changing resource . We will help educate families on the effects of trauma and help them heal from past trauma before that trauma manifests into one or more psychiatric disorders , removal from home , or detainment in a juvenile justice facility .
Without the preventive measures of MST , Kentucky taxpayers will continue to pay millions of dollars each year on the costs associated with untreated mental health disorders including emergency room visits , hospitalization , reimbursement rates for residential facilities , court costs , and more .