The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has invested £3.5 million to pilot a therapeutic approach to protect vulnerable children across four local authority areas in England and Wales. 

The intensive, home-based therapeutic programme – called Multi-Systemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect (MST-CAN) – works with the whole family to reduce risks to children and support safe and effective parenting. 

During the pilot, support will be given to families in Leeds, Sandwell, Wrexham and Flintshire where children aged 6-17 years are at risk of going into care due to physical abuse and/or neglect.  Trained therapists will work directly with families in their homes to address current safety concerns as well as underlying issues, such as trauma and substance misuse, that may be contributing to harm, using a range of evidence-based approaches. 

Children at risk of abuse or neglect often face a complex mix of challenges, and their families may struggle to access the right support. MST-CAN is designed to provide holistic, wrap-around care that helps families navigate these difficulties and build the capacity to care for their children safely. 

The programme will take place over 6-9 months and will be delivered by the  Multisystemic Therapy UK and Ireland team at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with Leeds City Council, Flintshire Council, Wrexham Borough Council and Sandwell Children’s Trust MST-UKI and evaluated by the University of Kent in collaboration with Teesside University. 

This pilot is part of YEF’s wider commitment to building the evidence base around what works to keep children safe from harm and ensure that children can grow up in stable, supportive homes.   

Ciaran Thapar, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at YEF said: “The aim of this work is to increase safety for children, enhance parenting skills and address underlying issues for adults and children.  Early evidence is promising, and the pilot will help us understand more about the potential impact of this approach.” 

Craig Macleod, Chief Officer Social Services from Flintshire County Council said: “Flintshire local authority is proud to be part of this important pilot project, which will research and develop our understanding of how we can work with children and families, so they are supported to make, and sustain, positive change. Our involvement shows our strong commitment to helping families through timely and effective support. We are looking forward to working closely with families and learning from the research to guide how we can offer the best possible support.” 

Nicola Holmes, Intervention Hub Manager from Sandwell Children’s Trust said: “We are delighted that Sandwell Children’s Trust is part of the Youth Endowment Fund grant. We know the impact on children who have been neglected or physically abused can be massive and getting the right services to support children and their families at the right time is so important and can lead to positive change and better outcomes.  The research will look at the services already in Sandwell, along with the new MST-CAN team to see what works best for children and their families. For families in Sandwell, we believe that the grant will really make a difference. 

The MST-CAN team are working alongside a wide range of services and building important partnerships to best support children and their families. They are already working with a number of families in Sandwell, and we look forward to seeing the results of the study and most importantly the outcomes for our families.” 

Cllr Rob Walsh, Lead Member for Children’s Services from Wrexham County Borough Council said: “Wrexham are excited to be part of this innovative pilot which has enabled us to expand our Multi-systemic Therapy offer for families to include MST-CAN. The hope is that this will further support families and enable children to safely remain in the care of their families.” 

Professor Simon Coulter from the University of Kent said: “I am delighted to be leading the research team on the evaluation of this important project which is working in co-production with YEF and the Local Authorities to carry out this work.” 

More information is available here.