Early intervention foster care: A model for preventing risk in young children who have been maltreated.

Treatment foster care (TFC) allows troubled youth to remain in the community and live in a family setting. Prior studies suggest that TFC may be an effective alternative to more restrictive interventions. However, most TFC programs have been designed to treat elementary school-age youth and adolescents. At a time when the foster care population is burgeoning, and the proportion of very young children in the system is increasing, there is a need for TFC programs specifically designed to meet the needs of maltreated preschoolers. This paper describes an early intervention foster care program that targets three areas: behavior problems, emotional regulation, and developmental delays. The theoretical model for the program is also described, along with recommendations for the implementation of similar programs.

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