CYP Now - Multisystemic therapy 'no more effective' than conventional support, study finds

An intensive family therapy programme, used nationwide to turn around the lives of teenagers involved in antisocial behaviour and on the edge of care, is no more effective than conventional methods, researchers have concluded.

A raft of multisystemic therapy (MST) initiatives have launched across England in recent years and been backed by extensive government investment.

But government-commissioned research, carried out by University College London, has found that there was no difference in improvements to young people's lives between those taking part in MST programmes, which involve close support within a family's home, and those being supported by less intensive methods.

The research concludes that there is no evidence to support the use of MST over other support programmes for young people with challenging behaviour and at risk of being taken into care.

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