The Wraparound Process
Here's a Complete Overview for You

The Wraparound process is a team based planning process that follows a series of specific steps to help children and their families realize their hopes and dreams.

Circling the Wagons, a good visual aide

• A common mission and goal for all team members - To better support the family
• Maximum safety for all family members involved - Crisis plans that addresses real and legitimate concerns
• A unified strategy to work towards - Use every available resource to benefit the family
• Eliminates gaps in obtaining services and support - Team works with the family, not just the client
• More effective communication between the family and service providers - Smashes the prevalent "Silo Mentality"

Assembling the Team

Team members come from the whole family's life, and these can include:

Family members:

• Immediate family members
• Grandparents
• Cousins
• Aunts
• Uncles
• Step siblings

Professionals

• Counselor
• Therapists
• Law enforcement
• CPS
• Probation officer
• Social worker
• Special education teacher

Community members

• Neighbors
• Family friends
• Child's friends
• Boy/Girl Scout leader
• Coaches
• Big Brother/Big Sister
• Mentors
• Tutors
• Parks and recreation
• Boys/Girls club
• Youth group members
• Church personnel or staff

And a couple more members...

The Facilitator: Also known as the "Bus Driver Instructor", the facilitator is in charge of driving the bus (team) until the family is able to do it for themselves. By modeling how to manage the team effectively, the family learns how to continue the wraparound process, after the facilitator has left the team. This also empowers the family, since they are learning skills and techniques to keep the bus (wraparound process) on track and moving forward until the have accomplished their goal and mission.Duties of the facilitator include:

• Scheduling of the meetings
• assembles meeting notes and distributes them to all members
• keeps the meetings on track
• keeps the meetings on schedule
• maintains focus on the family's mission and goal
• follows up on team member's assigned tasks
• serves as the main contact point for family and team members

The Family Support Partner: Also known as the "Tour Guide", since they have traveled a similar route with their own family. Their actual life experience is critical to the success of the team and wraparound process, since they are aware of the potholes, familiar with detours, sections of rough road, and potential mishaps not easily visible to other team members. This life experience also assures that the family's voice and choice is maintained during the wraparound process. The FSP also makes sure that successes are celebrated along the way, which reinforces the family's progress towards their mission and goals. The FSP is also sometimes referred to as a parent partner, peer counselor, family liasion, support partner, etc. depending on what provider is assisting with the wraparound process.

Ten Principles of Wraparound

Family Voice and Choice: This is critical for the wraparound process to be successful. The family has the option to listen to suggestions and ideas from the team, and choose what they believe will work best for them. As team members, we must also be ready to allow the family to select the "wrong option". This can be difficult for many professionals, as they have the college education and the degree, so why wouldn't the family listen to them?

The family may not choose to listen because we must remember that the family knows themselves and their family dynamic, better than any team member possibly could. As suggested team options are tried out, many times the professionals are surprised by what does and doesn't work as expected. It is imperative to allow the family to make the ultimate decision of which course of action to follow. If it works, that is a success to celebrate, if it doesn't work, then the family may elect to follow another option that the wraparound process team has come up with.

Team Based: All decisions are made with input from all members, but the ultimate decision must lie with the family. The team needs to act more as a safety net for the family, instead of dictating what action to take. It is also important for the team to remember that if the family cannot attend the meeting, it MUST be rescheduled. The team never meets without the family, but the meeting can occur if another team member cannot attend. The facilitator would make sure that the team member who was absent is kept up to date, since they send out the meeting notes to all members. This team based model also assures that many different points of view are presented, and recognized. The more options the family has to choose from, the better they can decide what would work best for their situation, and the more successful outcomes are normally reported.

Natural Supports: These are critical for the family to continue to succeed after the professional support is gone, and the formal wraparound process has ended. Natural supports include people listed above, as well as who else the family might want to include. The goal is to expand the natural supports beyond those who sit on the team, so the family has a larger support group. Sometimes having a chat with the postman a couple of times a week, can help establish tools and skill sets for reaching out to others. It is also common for local support group members to become natural supports over time. They are dealing with similar issues, and can be a great resource for ideas and strategies as well.

Collaboration: By getting all of the different systems sitting at the table together, many individual requirements for these agencies can be streamlined, reducing the stress on the family. As an example, let's say we have a youth who is involved in the juvenile justice system, and has a mental health diagnosis. So each agency has a list of tasks for the family to accomplish, to meet their agency requirements. When they all sit down together, it is clear that they have similar goals and requirements to be fulfilled. The team can can make sure each agency's requirements are met, but in many instances, the duplicate tasks can be eliminated.

Remember the phrase, "killing two birds with one stone"? If juvenile justice and mental health are both requiring counseling, the two may be combined somehow. This eliminates duplicate counseling sessions, which is less appointments to get to, less issues for travel and daycare for other children in the home. This reduces the to-do lists to a single manageable list, and the family is likely experience less stress and upheaval in the home, and more likely to be able to meet all the agency requirements they have to comply with. This "streamlining" will also make it easier for the family to experience success. With success comes increased confidence, followed closely by more empowerment, both are required for the wraparound process to be truly successful.

Community Based: By using this approach, the family can utilize programs, services, and individuals in their area. If services are available locally, they are easier to access, again reducing the stress and associated problems that come with traveling out of the area, expenses, time off from work, daycare issues, and even pulling kids out school, can all be avoided. Another key point here is that is services and supports are local, they can easily grow into the role of a natural support over time. Again, this makes the transition for relying on systems, to relying on themselves easier and smoother for the family. This contributes to the successes the family experiences, and also promotes continued self efficacy and self advocacy.

Culturally Competent: Another key element for success is that the team understand, observe, and respect the family's culture. Needless to say, this includes the family's ethnic background, since there are different customs for different ethnicities. But we also must be sure to respect the culture that is unique to every family. Some families attend church regularly, others may never attend. Other families may have a large extended family, and for some it might just be mom, dad and the kids. Some are happy if there is enough money to cover rent and necessities, while others are planning college and/or retirement savings. There is no one example that is true and correct, so we must be prepared to accept, and work within their family culture, and not to try to and change it, for what we feel would be best for them.

Individualized Each family is to have their own plan for a successful outcome. We must not try to mold the family into a plan that worked for another family, or a particular model that we feel would be best. Some families may find success with therapy or counseling, but that is not the answer for every family. Others may elect not to use some sort of medication for treatment, so we must find another way to assist them. Maybe a parenting skills class, de-escalation skills, problem solving techniques, a mentor, a Big Brother or Sister, are all options to be considered and explored. Each family is unique, and they must have the plan that is right for them, in order to have a truly successful outcome.

Strengths Based It is also critical to focus on the strengths of the family, and its members, instead of the negative. We must remember that the diagnosis does not define who we are. People define who they are by their actions and words. If we only focus on the negative, the family will not find success, or empowerment from the wraparound process. Almost any negative statement or fact can be reframed to reflect the positive. Most families will not have experienced this reframing technique before, and that is why it is such a positive tool.

Persistence It is imperative that the wraparound team learn to be persistent. We may need to suggest a technique or skill several times, before the family will try it for themselves. We also need to to be sure that the family tries it for a reasonable amount of time, before deciding it is not working for them. Team members need to celebrate the successes, no matter how small, so the family can see they are moving forward toward success. We still do not want to force the family to do something, but we want be persistent that they try it before dismissing the idea.

Outcome Based Outcomes monitoring allows the team to regularly assess the effectiveness of plan as a whole, as wellas the strategies included within the plan, and to determine when the plan needs revision. It is normal for the plan to be modified as certain goals are met, and also when certain goals cannot be met by the current plan. Tracking progress also helps the team maintain hope, cohesiveness, and efficacy. And maximizes the amount of success that a family can experience.

Phases of the Wraparound Process

There are four distinct and specific phases to wraparound. Here they are with a brief explanation of the steps involved.

Engagement and Team Preparation During this phase, the groundwork for trust and shared vision among the family and wraparound team members is established, so people are prepared to come to meetings and collaborate. During this phase, the tone is set for teamwork and team interactions that are consistent with the wraparound principles, particularly through the initial conversations about strengths, needs, and culture. In addition, this phase provides an opportunity to begin to shift the family’s orientation to one in which they understand they are an integral part of the process and their preferences are prioritized. The activities of this phase should be completed relatively quickly (within 1-2 weeks if possible), so that the team can begin meeting and establish ownership of the wraparound process as quickly as possible.

• Orient the family and youth to the wraparound process
• Stabilize any current or impending crises
• Facilitate conversations with family, to create a Strengths, Needs, and Culture Discovery
• Engage other team members, as selected by the family
• Make necessary meeting arrangements as required

Initial Plan Development During this phase, team trust and mutual respect are built while the team creates an initial plan of care using a high-quality planning process that reflects the wraparound principles. In particular, youth and family should feel, during this phase, that they are heard, that the needs chosen are ones they want to work on, and that the options chosen have a reasonable chance of helping them meet these needs. This phase should be completed during one or two meetings that take place within 1-2 weeks, a rapid time frame intended to promote team cohesion and shared responsibility toward achieving the team’s mission or overarching goal.

• Develop an initial plan of care using multiple perspectives from team members
• Develop an effective crisis and safety plan, and response plan
• Complete necessary notes, and address logistics issues for the team members

Implementation During this phase, the initial wraparound plan is implemented, progress and successes are continually reviewed, and changes are made to the plan and then implemented, all while maintaining or building team cohesiveness and mutual respect. The activities of this phase are repeated until the team’s mission is achieved and formal wraparound process is no longer needed.

• Monitor completion of action steps and strategies
• Revise and update the plan, incorporating successes and new strategies
• Maintain and build the team's cohesiveness and trust among one another
• Complete necessary documentation as to attendance, completion of action steps, and meeting notes

Transition During this phase, plans are made for a purposeful transition out of the formal wraparound process to a mix of formal and natural supports in the community (and, if appropriate, to services and supports in the adult system). The focus on transition is continual during the wraparound process, and the preparation for transition is apparent even during the initial engagement activities.

• Plan for formal cessation of wraparound team
• Create a "graduation" to celebrate the family's transition
• Follow up with family to ensure continuing success

Benefits of the Wraparound Process

• Family receives support and guidance, not just the identified "client"
• Natural supports help ensure continuing success
• Less transitions for the family and child to work through
• Child's academic and social life are not interrupted
• Siblings' concerns are heard and addressed as well
• Family's home life is less disrupted
• Outside perspectives offer new ideas and suggestions
• Family is empowered to make decisions, becoming part of process
• Helps to break the stigma, and to end family isolation
• More successful outcomes, and less crisis situations

For more information, please visit

The National Wraparound Initiative

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