Welcome to the Winter 2007/2008 Issue of "In the Loop"

In this issue

• Featured Story: MST Program in Australia Wins National Awards
• Featured Report: Better Models for Juvenile Justice
• Announcements from MST Services
• Announcements from MST Institute
• New MST-related Publications
• Network Partner Spotlight: Children's Village
• MST Community Announcements and Updates

MST Program in Australia Wins National Awards

There's something going on in the outer suburbs of Perth, and the rest of the country is beginning to take notice. Two programs conceived by Community and Juvenile Justice have won two of four national awards.

The Caversham Training and Enterprise Centre (CTEC) and the Intensive Supervision Program (ISP) won Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards last month. Minister for Justice and Customs, David Johnston, presented the awards in Canberra.

ISP Manager Mairead McCoy, who traveled to Canberra to receive the ISP award on behalf of the department, said she was "astonished and delighted." "It's an award for everyone … not only those in the teams, but those involved in administration and the people that have helped set up the program," Mairead said. "And it's an award for the families who have worked so very hard to change things," she said. "Many of them are incredibly disadvantaged and they have lots of other problems that they are grappling with."

ISP involves teams of specialist staff working intensively with the families of young offenders for up to six months. The ISP staff share a roster to be available for families 24 hours a day, seven days a week for crisis calls. An evaluation report of the program late last year documented some of the positive outcomes involving young offenders who had been out of the program for at least six months. The results included a reduction in the number of:

• days in custody (32%)
• times in custody (30%)
• convicted offences (73%)

The severity of offences committed by the young offenders also decreased by 46% to 100% over a range of offences. "It's really important to stress we have had a range of results," Mairead said. "Some the results have been much better than we ever expected, but for others the results have been incremental. Often change is hard won because there are so many variables in many systems that need to be addressed to help support the young person. ISP staff work not just with the family, but with all the key stakeholders such as JJOs and teachers," she said.

Each ISP team has an Aboriginal team advisor, a critical role as 50% of all eligible families are Aboriginal. ISP was piloted in 2004, and three permanent teams based at Maddington, Midland and Mirrabooka were established in February 2005.

The other award winner - CTEC - is a collaboration of 10 Government and community agencies. It offers courses for teenagers between 15 and 19 who are no longer in school and display risk factors associated with criminal and anti-social behaviour. Department staff was instrumental in driving the project, though the baton has been passed to Directions WA as the lead agency. The centre has a very good success rate because it looks outside of conventional teaching methods. It focuses on individual students and prepares them with accredited skills for employment, as well as addressing their overall welfare.

The centre offers six nationally accredited courses which can lead to apprenticeships. One of the leading hands in developing CTEC, Dianne Kraljevich, said the program evolved not only from the strong community partnerships with external agencies, but from strong teamwork from within the Department.

"The internal teamwork that took place to help young offenders meet some of their court-mandated orders provided the strong foundation of CTEC," Dianne said. "The program was originally set up to address a gap in service delivery to young offenders who weren't engaged in any form of schooling, training or employment," she said.

The majority of young people involved in the program have been Aboriginal. "As the courts wanted these young people either at school, in training or engaged in employment, CTEC was the practical solution produced from the field," Dianne said.

An independent evaluation of CTEC found the number of students at risk of reoffending had decreased by 56 percent and that 60 percent were continuing in employment, work experience or education after completing their course.

Dianne, who is now the A/Coordinator for the Community Work Support Unit, said community work officers from Midland CJS also played a key role in the formative years of CTEC, developing and maintaining the CTEC site in Middle Swan. "Many juvenile justice offenders originally got exposure to the CTEC training programs while undertaking community work tasks, and requested to enroll in the program."

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Featured Report: Better Models for Juvenile Justice

A Christian Science Monitor report
August 22, 2007 edition

By Rod R. Blagojevich, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Edward G. Rendell and Chris Gregoire
Springfield, Ill.; Baton Rouge, La.; Harrisburg, Pa.; and Olympia, Wash.

Juvenile justice is returning to its founding principles of protection, treatment, and rehabilitation, while embracing the equally important principles of accountability and public safety.

Amid news stories that raise the specter of increasing juvenile crime, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that crime rates overall, particularly for violent crimes, are still near 30-year lows. The cries of alarm are reminiscent of those heard in the early 1990s, when a rise in violent juvenile crime and myths of superpredators helped transform a system that had been focused on individualized treatment and rehabilitation for nearly a century into one that was increasingly harsh and punitive.

The impact of these policies began to hit home. Thousands of adolescents, locked up during a critical period of development, returned to their communities without the skills or support to lead productive lives. A disproportionately large number of them were young minorities. The cost of "get tough" policies was measured not only in escalating budgets of prisons and detention centers and rising recidivism rates, but also in reduced public safety and the loss of human potential.

Over the past decade, groundbreaking research on adolescent development and on what works to help young people steer clear of crime has brought about more rational and effective policies. Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington were among the first to incorporate this new knowledge in reshaping our juvenile justice systems.

Now, in partnership with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Models for Change initiative, we are working to further improve juvenile justice policy and practice across the country. However, these efforts could be at risk if public opinion becomes unnecessarily inflamed again.

Illinois launched the nation's first juvenile justice system more than a century ago. But, like many other states in the 1990s, it turned away from its historic rehabilitative mission, transferring a growing number of youths to adult court. The result was a sharp rise in recidivism rates and a growing racial disparity in incarceration rates.

Illinois is now renewing its commitment to juvenile justice by enacting a new law to separate the juvenile and adult systems to better protect young people. Redeploy Illinois, a model demonstration in four counties, provides incentives to place nonviolent juvenile offenders in community-based programs. As a result of this program, Illinois has reduced commitments of nonviolent juveniles by 44 percent at its pilot sites since 2004.

In the 1990s, Louisiana had the highest juvenile incarceration rate in the nation and some of the worst juvenile prisons. A lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice spurred major reforms, including the closing of a large juvenile correction facility. Louisiana also separated juvenile from adult corrections, first by executive order and then by statute.

In less than a decade, the state has reduced the number of incarcerated youths by more than 70 percent while also lowering crime rates. Now Louisiana is developing alternatives to the court system that will hold youths accountable while engaging their families and communities.

Pennsylvania has long had fiscal incentives to encourage community-based programs. The state introduced "balanced and restorative justice," an individualized approach that considers the goals of accountability, community protection, and youth development at the same time. Pennsylvania is now establishing high-quality aftercare programs to help young offenders acquire life skills and become productive citizens. It is also one of the first states to mandate that counties report race and ethnicity data at key points in case processing, a critical step in reducing disparities.

Washington has a long history of using research to inform juvenile justice policy-making. Ongoing evaluation of its programs and services has demonstrated which ones effectively reduce juvenile crime and recidivism.

Now the state is expanding these evidence-based programs throughout the state to reach youths before they become deeply involved in the juvenile justice system. The state's functional family therapy program has reduced recidivism rates by 38 percent and saved taxpayers $10.69 for every $1 invested.

Change under way in our states and others appears to be the beginning of a new wave of reform. Juvenile justice is returning to its founding principles of protection, treatment, and rehabilitation, while embracing the equally important principles of accountability and public safety.

These reforms are firmly rooted in scientific research, ongoing assessment, and continuing evolution in policy and practice. We hope that other states will join us. With every state that participates in these efforts, our knowledge increases and, with it, the prospects for success.

Rod R. Blagojevich is the governor of Illinois. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco is the governor of Louisiana. Edward G. Rendell is the governor of Pennsylvania, and Chris Gregoire is the governor of Washington.

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Announcements from MST Services

MST Services Promotions and New Hires

Josh Chinitz

Josh Chinitz, PhD has been promoted to manager of network partnerships. Josh received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and his graduate degree in clinical and community psychology from the University of Maryland. Prior to joining MST Services, in October 2005, he was the training director and coordinator of psychological services at a residential and day treatment center/school for children and adolescents. His research and clinical interests include marital and family therapy. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball, jogging, and cheering on the University of Michigan football team.

Kristin M. Cook

Kristin M. Cook, MSW has recently joined MST Services as an MST consultant. She began her involvement with MST in January 2004. She worked as both a therapist and supervisor in Connecticut and in 2005, she was promoted to a system supervisor position. Kristin earned a bachelor of arts in sociology from the College of the Holy Cross and a master of social work from Fordham University. Kristin has an interesting blend of business and social work in her professional background. In addition to her work in the behavioral health field, Kristin also has experience working in advertising. She resides in Chicago and enjoys travel, reading, exercise and spending time with family and friends.

Anne Dailey

Anne Dailey, MS, LCSW-R has recently joined MST Services in the role of manager of network partnerships. Anne earned her masters degrees in counseling at SUNY Oswego and social work at Syracuse University. She began her MST journey as a supervisor from 2000-2005, transitioned to a system supervisor for two years, and joined MST Services in September 2007. Positions that led the way to MST included experience in probation, home-based counseling, and violence prevention work in schools. Anne enjoys capturing the seasons in Central New York through outdoor activities, along with her two teenage daughters.

Patrick Duffy

Patrick Duffy, PsyD has been promoted to vice president by MST Services. Patrick will continue to serve as a manager of network partnerships. Patrick pursued his master’s degree at Pepperdine University and was trained in MST in 1994. Interested in snowboarding, The University of Denver and a doctoral degree were the next stop. Patrick returned to Charleston for an internship at MUSC with a rotation through the Family Services Research Center and joined MST Services in September 2000.

Tape Coding
Tape coding is no longer available to MST programs unless they are participating in a research project or an MST adaptation pilot where the adaptation developer requires tape coding. This change in policy is due to on-going capacity limitations at the tape coding lab.


Is Your Listing Correct?
Please review the lists of licensed MST programs on www.mstservices.com for accuracy.

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Announcements from MST Institute

Translation Change Request Form
A translation change request form has been developed and is now available on the MST Institute Web site via the Program QA > TAM-R page: http://www.mstinstitute.org/qa_program/tam.shtml


MST Expert In-services
The February 2008 Expert In-services are scheduled to take place on the following dates/times:

Topic: Troubleshooting and Support for MSTI Enhanced Web Site Users

All calls are scheduled for one of two bridges:

Bridge #1:	605-990-0001	923008#
Bridge #2:	308-344-6400	300418#

Scheduled Times (in Eastern Standard Time-EST) and Dates

Thursday	6 p.m.	2/21/2008	Bridge #1
Friday	2 p.m.	2/22/2008	Bridge #1
Monday	9 a.m.	2/25/2008	Bridge #2
Tuesday	1 p.m.	2/26/2008	Bridge #2
Thursday	11 a.m.	2/28/2008	Bridge #2
Thursday	6 p.m.	2/28/2008	Bridge #2

Webinars for MST professionals
Web site training is available via "webinars" on several topics. Registration is limited to 15 telephone connections and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Go to http://mstconference.com/website_training/ to sign up. Access to the Internet and a telephone connection are required to participate.

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New Publications

The following MST-related publications are available:

Highlighted article - Patrick Kanary, Director, Center for Innovative Practices, Ohio

• Kanary, P. & Feller, K. (2008). The Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices. NAMI Beginnings, Winter 2008, Issue 10, 3-4. http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/CAAC/Begin-Issue10.pdf

Other articles

• 281 Sheidow, A. J., & Henggeler, S. W. (in press). Multisystemic Therapy with Substance Using Adolescents: A Synthesis of the Research. In N. Jainchill (Ed.), Understanding and Treating Adolescent Substance Use Disorders. Kingston, NJ: Civic Research Institute.
• Ogden,T., & Hagen, K.A. (2006). Virker MST? Kommentarer til en systematisk forskningsoversikt og meta-analyse av MST. Nordisk Sosialt Arbeid, 26,3, 222-233. English translation: Does MST work? Comments on a systematic review and meta-analysis of MST, full English language translation available.
• Ogden, T., Hagen, K., & Andersen, O. (2007). Sustainability of the effectiveness of a programme of multisystemic treatment (MST) across participant groups in the second year of operation. Findings by The Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Development. Journal of Children's Services, Volume 2 Issue 3 November 2007, 4-14. http://www.pavpub.com/pavpub/journals/jcs/samples/1107sample.pdf
• Schoenwald, S.K., Heiblum, N., Saldana, L., & Henggeler, S.W. (in press). The international implementation of Multisystemic Therapy. Special Issue, International Translation in Health Behavior Research, Evaluation & the Health Professions.
• Surace, C. (2008). Medicaid coverage of multisystemic therapy. NAMI Beginnings, Winter 2008, Issue 10, 5-8. http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/CAAC/Begin-Issue10.pdf

All MST-related publications can be located at: www.musc.edu/psychiatry/research/fsrc/pubs.htm

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MST Community Announcements & Updates

2008 Science and Service Awards Will Honor Implementation of Evidence-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse Interventions
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a call for applications for its 2008 Science and Service Awards, a national program that recognizes community-based organizations and coalitions that have shown exemplary implementation of evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions.
Download press release


Welcome New MST Teams
Welcome the following teams to the MST community of providers:

San Diego Unified School District	California
Highfields	Michigan
Pennsylvania Counseling Services	Pennsylvania
Catholic Charities of Buffalo, New York	New York
NFI Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Te Whatuiaputi Trust	New Zealand
Applewood Centers Inc.	Ohio
FJP De Viersprong	Netherlands
De Waag, Center for Community Forensic Psychiatry	Netherlands
Henry & Rilla White Foundation Inc.	Florida
Guidance Center of Lea County	New Mexico
Mesilla Valley Park	New Mexico
University of New Mexico MST Program	New Mexico
Parents and Children Together (PACT)	Hawaii
Childrens Institute Inc.	California
Hualapai Behavioral Health	Arizona

Annual "Whatever It Takes" Recipients
The following individuals received the annual "Whatever It Takes" award during the 2007 Network Partner workshop in October at the Mills House in Charleston, SC. These individuals, teams, or programs are those who have demonstrated creative, out-of-the-box thinking, persistence and dedication to do "whatever-it-takes" to accomplish a positive MST outcome for MST youth and their families. Congratulations to the following recipients!

MST Team Malmo
MST Malmo Sweden

Jamesena Carthen
Applewood Centers Inc

Gina Mollica
Parents and Children Together (PACT)

Joshua Chinitz
MST Services

Beth Kuhns
Adelphoi Village

Mary C. Winter
Onondaga County Probation Department

Winter 2007 Quarterly "Whatever It Takes" Recipients
"Whatever It Takes" Awards during the last quarter of 2007 were sent to:

Daniel Bachicha
MST Services

Laura Shortt
MST Services

Shirley Claytor
MST Services

Jennifer Sereico
Eckerd Youth Alternative Inc.

Each of these nominees received a letter of recognition and a Certificate of Merit. In addition, each will be considered for the Annual "Whatever It Takes" Award that will be presented at the 2009 International Conference in Charleston, South Carolina.


MST Jobs
Please remember to utilize the free MST jobs Web site, www.MSTjobs.com, as a part of your agency's staff recruitment strategy. You can post positions as well as review resumes of staff who are looking for MST-related opportunities and have posted their resumes on the site.