Juvenile Justice Bulletin. This article describes the application of treatment foster care to the prevention of juvenile delinquency. Treatment foster care provides an alternative to incarceration and group care for adolescent offenders. Foster parents recruited from the community are considered part of the treatment team and are responsible for implementing a structured plan of rules and expectations. The intensive intervention is delivered constantly throughout the youth's daily activities at home, school, and in the community.
Restrictions gradually decrease as the youth reaches certain phases in the program.
Four evaluations of the OSLC model have found the program to be more cost effective than other residential treatment models. Community treatment reduced rates of subsequent incarceration and improved the behavior of participants. The article reviews considerations for foster parent recruitment and training and describes planning and funding arrangements. Feldman, M. A. Journal Article Copyright October 1998 Infants and Young Children. Inc. Professional Sales Dept.