Wraparound

Listening to a bunch of acronyms can feel like trying to make sense of a bowl of alphabet soup! Once too many unfamiliar acronyms get strung together, the output becomes a murky, confusing mess where the letters don't quite spell out anything we understand. 

As we bid farewell to one of our most cherished team members, Jenit Chadha, we are filled with both pride and a touch of sadness. 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Yolanda and Robert, experienced Resource Parents, about their journey of adopting their two girls through the foster care system. It was evident right from the start that this family was determined to make it.

Siblings, Isabella (14), and Sophia (10) were placed with Yolanda and Robert two and half years ago. At the offset, the girls had difficulty with the transition. The girls had come from a previous placement that didn’t work out, and their behaviors at times placed them in dangerous situations. 

I was lost, confused, and afraid. I reached into the darkness of my mind and grasped at thoughts for understanding. Instead, my fingers were gummed up with chaos. It was Friday night, and the police had placed me in custody as a victim of child abuse. 

It has truly been an honor to serve as a California Wraparound Steering Committee member and to partner with its diverse team of leaders dedicated to improving the quality of Wraparound services for the children, youth, and families across the state of California. As I reflect on my professional journey of 30+ years in San Luis Obispo County, I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to serve in the fields of Behavioral Health, San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services, Juvenile Probation and Family Care Network.

A parent partner is someone who has lived experiences that they share with other parents who are going through similar difficult circumstances. Parent partners have the heart to share their struggles and their mistakes to strengthen and provide hope to those who otherwise may feel hopeless. 

It all started when a probation officer offered Wraparound to Pam as an option for her grandson, Diego. Pam said she felt inspired to try it, particularly because it was inclusive for grandparents and it was a team-based approach to put together a plan for a their needs. Also, after 27 years in recovery and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Pam saw similarities in Wraparound that felt like it overlapped with AA in a positive manner.

The California Department of Social Services is excited to announce the updated California Wraparound Standards (DRAFT) as part of the CA Wraparound Standards Toolkit! The Standards are intended to clarify practice expectations with the goal of improving Wraparound fidelity across California.  

Wraparound to me are those first meetings. The long days being in crisis with families that we’ve built strong connections with, the countless phone calls from kiddos because they feel comfortable calling to talk through challenges they might be facing, or the one-on-one interventions we do to help shape a more positive outcome.  That “all in” mentality that every single wraparound staff has is one of the many reasons why I have become as passionate about Wraparound as a whole.

Specialized permanency services, now required by law in the state of California (AB 1006), are designed to help ensure children and youth (including nonminor dependents) achieve a permanent, loving family—a sense of belonging.

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) are launching the Center for Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement and Support (Center) to support county child welfare agency efforts to keep youth linked with their family members.

The Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice at UC Davis Human Services is please to share a new resource for parent partners.

By listening and learning from others’ experiences, creating a trauma-informed system of care becomes more attainable in a way that strengthens the voice of the child, youth and family. Hosted by UC Davis Human Services, the Partnerships for Well-Being Institute provided a valuable opportunity for providers and professionals serving children and families to share perspectives. More than 620 people attended the conference, including practitioners in child welfare, behavioral health, early childhood, education and probation as well as other specialists serving children and families.

Have you heard the good news about  High Fidelity Wraparound-Intensive Care Coordination?

By Nancy Hafer, M.S., Director, Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice

Victor smiles as he, his wife Lucy and their kids Yuriah, age 10, and Aubrey, age 7, begin to describe their experience with Wraparound.

By Janine LeSieur, Program Analyst, Family Centered Practice Unit, California Department of Social Services

Healthy behavior is linked to improved well-being for individuals, families and communities.  The challenge of addressing unhealthy behavior can be complex and often depends on sustained behavior change at the individual level. Motivational Interviewing is a counseling approach that can help people identify their feelings about behavior change, resolve inconsistencies with how they feel about making behavior change(s), and then make a plan to follow and update as needed.

The January newsletter theme, change, inspired us to contact expert Dr. Melinda Hohman about motivational interviewing (MI).  Dr. Hohman’s background as a clinician, educator and author contribute considerable knowledge and insight about making life changes.

By Kat Baysmore, Lead Parent Partner, Olive Crest

My name is Katherine Baysmore, but my friends, peers and clients call me Kat. I have three amazing children. My youngest has special needs, and I can say he has taught me the most about advocacy, patience and understanding needs without spoken words.

Submitted by Erin Houston, Seneca Youth Partner, in September 2021

Emmy Werner and Ruth Smith, Resiliency research pioneers, define Resilience as “In the context of exposure to significant adversity, whether psychological, environmental or both, resilience is both the capacity of individuals to navigate their way to health-sustaining resources, including opportunities to experience feelings of wellbeing, and a condition of the individual’s family, community and culture to provide these health resources and experience in culturally meaningful ways" (Ungar, 2008).

By Danielle Martinez, Parent Partner, San Diego Center for Children, Wrap Works

When my son was young and in the process of being diagnosed, I was trying to figure out what to do to help my son and keep him in public school. I had questions like “What does this diagnosis mean? And will he be ok?”

By Manpreet Singh, Program Analyst, Family Centered Practice Unit, California Department of Social Services

Despite the challenges that COVID-19 brought, the Partnerships for Well-Being Institute successfully wrapped up its final day as a virtual conference on June 3, 2021. Though it was initially scheduled as a three-day in-person conference in June 2020, UC Davis Human Services quickly pivoted and revamped it into a three-part series of one-day virtual conferences in June 2020, December 2020 and June 2021. More than 1,600 people attended at least one of the virtual Institutes, breaking the record for attendance at any past conference.

Hosted by the California Department of Social Services and the Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice at UC Davis Human Services, this free webinar will walk participants through County Fiscal Letter (CFL) 20/21-94 entitled Updated Comprehensive Claiming Instructions for the Wraparound Program. Content to be covered includes claiming Wraparound expenses via the County Expense Claim (CEC) and County Assistance Claim (CA-800) processes.

On June 3, 2021, the Partnerships for Well-Being Institute honored individuals and organizations who embody the Integrated Core Practice Model and are making a profound impact on the lives of children and families in California. We are pleased to announce the 20/21 award winners and share their nomination videos.

Parent Partners Award Winners 
Cheryl Barrett - Contra Costa County, Children and Family Services
James Thyssen - Stanford Sierra Youth and Families

In various contexts, we all heard, and may have even experienced, the proverb “It takes a village…”. I can’t think of a child and family serving community that embodies this sentiment more that California Wraparound. It takes a village to heal and uplift the children and families we serve, and likewise, it takes a village to support our Wraparound community.

By Nancy Hafer, Program Director, Human Services

Colleagues and friends,

 In the Spring of 2019 the Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice, in partnership with the California Department of Social Services, completed a national review of High-Fidelity Wraparound Service practices across the United States and published results in the document “Recommendation for HF Wraparound Services in California,” reviewing key findings of this project.

Sandra remarked after Wraparound came into her family’s life.

By Timothy Hunter, Family Advocate with the Wraparound program, Uplift Family Services, Sacramento

Hi! We are Yolanda King and Jeannette Thomas and we are Parent Partners with Aspiranet Wraparound. We have been Parent Partners for almost 9 years and would like to tell you about our Parent Café.  We have been doing Parent Café at our office for the past year following training on implementation for our families.

Our names are Kristin and Daisy, and we began to receive services from Wraparound at the ages of 17 and 15 years old. Wraparound had a big impact in our lives, and we hope that sharing our experience with others will shed light on the great resources and services this program offers. Before our family was introduced to Wraparound services, we were both placed in foster care, resulting in constant placement changes. After a year of moving from home to home, we both were granted to go and live with our older sister Enedina.

By Andrea Sebreros

When the International Association of Social Workers developed the following definition for social workers, we think they had our own Lynne Jones in mind.

“Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work.”

The California Wraparound Hubs are regional groups that share information, collaborative practices, and discuss topics relevant to Wraparound. There are currently three Hubs: Northern, Southern and Central. The Hubs meet quarterly, in person and via virtual platform. They are hosted by local Wraparound providers and the meeting locations regularly change. Each Hub sets its own agenda, typically providing significant time for county updates, sharing and networking, as well as inviting members to provide more in-depth presentations on relevant topics.

That’s what Kristen, then a foster mom, told the social worker about Katie when things in the home seemed overwhelming. Katie, now 5 ½, came to them after others couldn’t manage or meet her needs, but Kristen’s family made a commitment to make things work. But they soon realized they needed help.

On October 30, 2019, the California Department of Social Services alongside Casey Family Programs and UC Davis Human Services’ Northern Academy hosted an End of Title IV-E Waiver Celebration for all wavier counties, which highlighted all the phenomenal work provided to the children and families served during the California Well-Being Project.

The Hubs have been active the past several months! Below we provide updates on the key focus areas of the Hub meetings and provide general updates. If you would like more detailed meeting minutes from a specific Hub meeting please email Nancy Hafer nshafer@ucdavis.edu, or the chairs of each Hub:

By Nancy Hafer, Program Director, Human Services

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, wisely said, “Change is the only constant in life.” And, as many of you are aware, change is something the Resource Center for Family-Focused practice has embraced in the last few months. We are proud to be celebrating our 20th anniversary this summer, and in honor of that, we renew our commitment to Wraparound and its 10 principles.  

By Erica Jacquez, Youth Partner, Apriranet Kern County

The Hubs have been active the past several months! Below we provide updates on the key focus areas of the Hub meetings and provide general updates. As those of you who attend the Hub can attest, the Hub is a wonderful place to connect with colleagues and share the ups and downs of Wraparound work.

While every participant shares agency updates, this newsletter will only share updates that have regional impact.