TRAFFORD’S Multi Systemic Therapy team (MST) awarded the prestigious ‘Whatever it Takes’ International Team of the Year award at the MST international conference in South Carolina, America.

The team was nominated from omore than 500 worldwide MST teams and had to demonstrate to a panel of experts they were providing an outstanding service, before being chosen as the winner.

Trafford was one of the Government’s 10 national trailblazing authorities of the MST programme - a family and community based treatment programme for young people with complex clinical, social and educational problems.

It is made up of staff from both the council and local NHS.

Since then the team has been committed to deliver the programme with some outstanding results which have created interest both at home and abroad.

Trafford was part of a national independent research study, START, commissioned by the Department of Health, to evaluate the effectiveness of MST in the UK.

MST supports young people who are at risk of developing early personality disorder, chronic offending and perhaps anti-social behaviour, who may also be at risk of going into care. It enables them to remain living with their families in the community.

Invited guest, programme supervisor Aisling Woods was supported by MST UK to attend the Conference where she received the award from Marshall Swenson, vice president of mst services and manager of programme development.

Executive councillor Linda Blackburn said: “The council is committed to providing the most effective support to local families. This gives them the best chances of dealing with problems they are facing to enable them to remain living together.

“To receive this prestigious international award is testament to the hard work, dedication and excellent outcomes the team have been able to demonstrate.

“I would like to offer my personal congratulations to everyone involved and look forward to continuing to see the a