About this event
This seminar will explore the nature and therapeutic approach of two family-based programs: Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN®) and Functional Family Therapy – Child Welfare (FFT-CW®). Qualitative feedback from families who successfully completed either program, and executive managers whom oversee the adaptation and delivery of programs across NSW, will be discussed. Particular emphasis will be given to the primary outcomes of the evaluation: the extent to which both programs have been effective in reducing the number of children who go into out-of-home, and the number of child maltreatment reports to the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ). Finally, the presentation will conclude with a preliminary economic assessment of the costs and benefits of the implementation of both programs in NSW.
About the speaker
George Economidis joined NDARC in 2018, after completing a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at the University of New South Wales. He is currently working as the Trial Coordinator of the Their Futures Matter project under the supervision of Professor Anthony Shakeshaft. The program evaluates the process, outcome and economic objectives of two programs funded by the Department of Family and Community Services, Functional Family Therapy - Child Welfare (FFT-CW®) and Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN®) on rates of children taken into out-of-home care. In 2019, George is also a second year PhD student in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine investigating the adaptation and state-wide implementation of an internationally developed family therapy approach to reducing the risk of child abuse and out-of-home care in NSW: a pragmatic evaluation.