4 Tips for Fidelity Coaches

Longtime fidelity coaches Tiffany Adomey and Kim Stokem share four tips for others serving children and families in this vital High Fidelity Wraparound role.

1. Remember Your Role's Value

“A big part of coaching is helping, and I think what's important about the fidelity coach is they are not necessarily direct-facing all the time—they're doing a lot on the back end to support the really good work with the youth and families. For instance, a fidelity coach may join a child and family team meeting, but they’re mostly there to observe, see how things are going and provide support for the team—whether it’s with the family, staff or service providers. When fidelity coaches bring their role and experience into the room, they're comfortable talking with everyone, asking important questions, ensuring everyone is heard and speaking up for youth and families if needed.” — Kim Stokem

“How each Wraparound role delivers service to families and interacts with their fellow providers is an art form. For fidelity coaches, even if you have all the knowledge of Wraparound and have served several roles, the challenge is understanding how the particular adults you’re coaching learn, process feedback and translate knowledge into practice. You become that trusted individual who has proactively prepared an arsenal of strategies for staff to handle what might come their way. Knowing that you are there with your ideas and insight, while providing a space for them to be vulnerable with their practice, is incredibly valuable.” – Tiffani Adomey

2. Know the Wraparound Standards

“Each Wraparound standard is either to a Wraparound principle, process or phase. So, have them up in your office; carry them around in your backpacks with laptops. If these principles aren’t visible and alive at all times, that’s where gaps will come in.” – Kim Stokem

“As Kim mentioned, fidelity coaches help ensure children, youth and families receive high-quality Wraparound, and they may never see your face or know your name. Know the standards well and hold on to the ones that speak to your practice as a coach. Whether you are addressing challenges, checking in on a regular schedule or reviewing safety and care plans, filter your work through the principles. Are the principles and phases obvious at each point?”  — Tiffani Adomey

3. Listen for the Family Voice

“If I pick up a plan of care and I look at it, can I hear the family's voice? Or does this plan of care look just like four others that this facilitator is doing? If they look all the same, then that's concerning, because we've moved away from about five of our Wraparound principles right there. And also remember to utilize the CANS [Child and Adolescent Teens and Strengths Assessment Tool]. Coaches can use multiple tools, and we’d go through the CANS together to see what was going on with the team.” – Kim Stokem

“If you can hear the family talking through the plan of care, safety plan and transition plan, the team is making a great effort toward Individualized care and Family Voice and Choice. Their priorities, perspective and especially their own words on those pages can tell you a great deal about the fidelity of the work.” – Tiffani Adomey

4. Expand the Long-Term Team

“Hone in on helping the staff understand how to get in natural supports: how to go through all of the potential obstacles that families may have in getting their natural supports, and be able to give them expert skills of how to overcome those obstacles. Is there a youth pastor? Is there a coach? Is there somebody at Boys and Girls Club? Can we move this to a natural community informal support? That transition’s a big part of helping that team.” – Kim Stokem 

"A hallmark of your teams’ success in High Fidelity Wraparound is that families have actively incorporated their communities and their natural supports before transitioning to closing. Fidelity coaches can monitor whether a family’s formal support is heading toward being outnumbered by their natural and community support. Be prepared to equip staff with ways to overcome as many of the possible obstacles standing in the way of this goal as you can. Your support in this is indispensable to nearly everyone involved.” – Tiffani Adomey