A Major Step Forward for Youth Treatment in the UK

A new study of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT®) in the U.K. builds on decades of foundational work by researchers and clinicians here and abroad who have sought to test the applicability and effectiveness of MDFT in a range of clinicalsettings. MDFT has shown feasibility with young people served by Youth Addiction Teams (YATs) in Glasgow, Scotland. In addition, the 5-country INCANT randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Western Europe found MDFT to have superior outcomes to standard treatment in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and Germany. See our website for more details about our international research and outcomes: https://www.mdft.org/international-research

MDFT is now being tested in a groundbreaking RCT focused on young people ages13–17 facing substance misuse and other challengesin the U.K. Funded by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) and led by the Ending Youth Violence Lab, thisinitiative brings MDFT International together with Barnardo’s clinicians who are trained to deliver MDFT in Bristol, England, and Newport, Wales. Evaluators at the University of Kent and Teesside University will randomly assign 400 young people to receive either MDFT orstandard treatment. A range of outcomes will be examined to establish MDFT’s potential as a viable and effective treatment option for youth and familiesin the U.K. The findings have the potential to open the door to scaling MDFT, expanding access to effective, family-centered care across the U.K.

Learn more about MDFT in the U.K. on the University of Kent study website.