Executive Summary
The Treatment and Care for Kids (TrACK) program is a therapeutic home-based care program providing intensive intervention for children and young people with complex needs. TrACK is implemented as a partnership between the Australian Childhood Foundation and Anglicare Victoria and funded by the Eastern Division of the Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria. Its original ambition was to provide an evidence-informed and cost effective alternative pathway to entering into or moving out of residential care for children and young people with complex needs and challenging behavior. As a program pioneering therapeutic practice with children in out-of-home care in Victoria, it is informed by research and theory pertaining to interpersonal neurobiology and trauma theory. TrACK has operated since 2002.
Evaluation questions
This evaluation was commissioned to investigate how effective the TrACK program has been (and continues to be) in improving the developmental outcomes for children and young people who had experienced severe trauma, exhibited complex behavior, and as a result had extensive histories of placement disruption. It examined the outcomes for children and young people as a result of the support and care provided to them in the TrACK program. The evaluation of the program sought to answer the following two questions:
1. Is TrACK an effective program to create stability?
2. Does TrACK positively impact on children’s projected life trajectory?
The evaluation used a mixed method approach incorporating a qualitative and quantitative design. Client file data from two agencies spanning 15 years was interrogated. In-depth individual interviews with foster care staff and care leavers were conducted, and focus group interviews with carers and staff were undertaken to ensure the stories of young people, carers and other professionals were documented and included in this important research. Ethics approval to conduct the evaluation was granted by both Southern Cross University and Anglicare Victoria.
Key Findings
There is compelling evidence to suggest that TrACK is a program worth investing in. The findings of this evaluation demonstrate that TrACK produces tangible and lasting results for children. Children who had experienced many placements and years of threat and deprivation before they entered TrACK were almost always able to achieve stability as a result of TrACK. Clearly, TrACK can prevent young people from entering residential care, or as an alternative pathway supporting young people to leave residential care, and to be looked after in family-based care.
