TFC Consultants, Inc., purveyor of Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO©), is working cooperatively with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Wayne State University to bring an evidence-based model, TFCO, to Children’s Therapeutic Foster Care. This is a service for youth with severe emotional disturbances and behavior problems, being served by Michigan Community Mental Health Agencies (CMHA).

            The Michigan implementation initiative is bold in its system-wide effort to bring an unparalleled evidence-based model to the community mental health continuum of services. The early results, as of May 2023, show that all youth who completed one-year follow-ups (originally eligible for psychiatric hospitalization at the time of TFCO referral) had remained out of locked care settings in the year since TFCO treatment.

            To build on these early results and grow the model, it is critical to follow the implementation structure and build a solid foundation to support administrative rules, leadership and supervision, and requirements to be a child-placing agency. We at TFC Consultants, Inc., applaud Michigan’s effort to follow implementation science and build capacity within agencies to implement and sustain this complex model to fidelity.

            To learn more about TFCO in Michigan, visit https://michigantfco.org.