Based on Research Conducted at OSLC
A study of how community-based interventions can help girls function well in their teenage years and into adulthood.
Project Overview
This intervention study focused on teenage girls referred from the juvenile justice system. The study tested the effectiveness of Treatment Foster Care of Oregon (TFCO) compared to placement in group care on short and long term outcomes including participation in delinquency and in health-risking behaviors. In TFCO, the girls are placed with community foster families who are trained and supported to provide girls with good supervision, mentoring, and fair and consistent limits. Girls in TFCO also receive individual and family therapy, skill training, and academic support. They attend neighborhood public schools. In group care girls usually receive group and individual therapy, and go to in-house schools. Many girls in group care also receive family therapy. We also investigated how the relationships that girls have with significant others such as parents, friends, and mentors affect their short and long-term adjustment. The goal of the study was to better understand how the community-based interventions can help girls to be happy and to function well in their teenage years and in adulthood.
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse