The Trail to High Fidelity Wraparound

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wraparound’s history is perhaps best described as organized anarchy - the interplay of bright ideas, fortunate coincidences, and who showed up to the meeting. The National Wraparound Initiative (2019) described Wraparound’s development as “shaped by a unique combination of local, state, and federal innovations; contributions from individual consultants and researchers; influential local, state, and national family organizations; new federal law; and key lawsuits”. As such, it would be altogether too lengthy and arduous to give a complete history of Wraparound’s development in this brief article. Instead, here are some highlights that have influenced California’s Wraparound implementation over the years:

The Roots of Wraparound (Pre-1990)

Wraparound’s earliest roots came from movements in Canada and Europe seeking to provide needs-based, individualized, and unconditional services to keep children living in the community. Elements of these movements were then utilized by Karl Dennis in designing the Kaleidoscope program in Chicago in 1975, which later informed the development of the Alaska Youth Initiative in 1985 (National Wraparound Initiative, 2019). The Alaska Youth Initiative played a major role in returning to Alaska almost all youth with complex needs who had been placed out of state. Seeing Alaska's success, other states began to attempt to replicate the process, and Wraparound implementation began to grow in the United States.

The 1990s

In 1991, EMQ began brought the Wraparound philosophy to California without an official funding stream or state system to support it. Around the same time in the early 1990s, a series of national Wraparound conferences were held in San Jose, Pittsburg, Chicago, and Vermont. Through EMQ’s efforts and partnership with CDSS, SB 163 Legislation was passed in 1997 providing statewide funding for California counties to design and implement a Wraparound pilot project, thus launching the statewide Wraparound process that we continue to implement today. In 1999, the first California Wraparound Standards were released.

The 2000s

In Santa Clara, a second provider joined EMQ to provide Wraparound support to youth in foster care. More counties followed, and by 2000 seven counties had started Wraparound programs. Many of these counties came to EMQ to observe and be trained in the model developed in Santa Clara County. Eventually, Santa Clara’s model was replicated in Los Angeles, Orange, and Sacramento Counties. By 2005, 29 California counties had introduced Wraparound into their System of Care. In 2010, AB 1758 changed Wraparound from a pilot project to a full-fledged service.

As Wraparound practice grew nationally, the need for a clear definition of “Wraparound” was becoming increasingly evident both to support practice efforts and to establish evidence of Wraparound’s effectiveness. The National Wraparound Initiative was formed in 2003 to address this need and identify necessary guidance to promote quality Wraparound. California saw growth in definition and support as well during this time, and in Los Angeles County five organizations initiated a Wraparound training collaborative to continually train staff in the model’s principles, phases, and best practices. This type of collaborative training environment continues to be implemented and encouraged in California today.

The 2010s

In July 2014, the California Wraparound Advisory Committee (CWAC) established a workgroup of Wraparound experts from the state, counties, providers, and families to review the California Wraparound Standards. This review resulted in revised standards that were released in ICIN I-28-99 in 2015. That same year, AB 404 improved Wraparound funding across the state, encouraging more counties to introduce the model. In early 2017, Continuum of Care Reform implementation began, integrating elements of Wraparound to increase system collaboration and decrease use of congregate care.

2020

In July 2020, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and UC Davis Human Service’s Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice (RCFFP) partnered to convene the first California Wraparound Steering Committee with a purpose statement to “develop a collaborative California Wraparound community that seeks to build continuity in practice and improve equitable safety, well-being and permanency outcomes for children and families through the provision of high-fidelity Wraparound programs.” Among other tasks, the steering committee began working on a new draft of the California Wraparound Standards to support high-fidelity implementation across the state.

2021

In September 2021, CDSS and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) adopted High-Fidelity Wraparound to meet the aftercare requirements for the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Part IV and announces its plans for Wraparound provider certification in ACL 1-73-21/BHIN 21-055.

2022

On January 25th, 2022, High-Fidelity Wraparound was added as a promising practice in the Prevention Services Clearinghouse. To support high-fidelity Wraparound implementation, the UC Davis RCFFP launched the California Wraparound Toolkit, which provides open access to resources, articles, and the new draft Wraparound standards. Throughout 2022, three Wraparound Workgroups (Fidelity and Outcomes, Fiscal and Organizational Leadership, and Workforce Development) worked in partnership with CDSS, UC Davis, and the Wraparound Steering Committee to make many resources available to the Wraparound community in the Toolkit. By 2022, 42 of 58 California counties had some form of Wraparound.

2023-2024

As we expand, it becomes ever more important to ensure that all Wraparound programs have the opportunity to trailblaze and innovate so their implementation of the model works for their county’s unique needs, while maintaining fidelity to Wraparound’s foundational principles. CDSS, UC Davis RCFFP, and the Wraparound Steering Committee continue their work of supporting high-fidelity Wraparound implementation through ongoing collaboration with the System of Care community and the development of more resources, webinars, and guidance in preparation for the pending California Wraparound County Approval and Provider Certification process and corresponding All County Letter- coming soon!

 

There's So Much More on Wraparound

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