Connection Is at the Core of Wraparound

Both/And: Two things can often be true at the same time.

While I’m excited about the steps our state is taking to ensure children and youth have access to high-quality High Fidelity Wraparound, I’m also aware of the pressure county agencies and service providers are under to make this happen. It’s both exciting and stressful.

But the stress is still there: You can hear it in the deadline-driven keyboard clicks as counties and providers enter information into the HFW for Aftercare Approval and Certification Portal.

At the same time, DHCS draft HFW policy guidance for the launch of Medi-Cal High Fidelity Wraparound under BH-CONNECT is close. Both stressful and exciting! As part of California’s Behavioral Health Services Transformation, BH-CONNECT aims to expand access to HFW statewide so youth with significant behavioral health needs can access programs with consistent standards and defined fidelity expectations. Access should not depend on geography. 

But what’s not changing is this: Outcomes depend on fidelity. Research consistently shows that when Wraparound is implemented with fidelity, youth experience reductions in residential and psychiatric placements, improved functioning, greater school stability, and lower recidivism compared to traditional services (Suter & Bruns, 2009; Bruns et al., 2010; Olson et al., 2021) with stronger outcomes observed in programs demonstrating higher fidelity and implementation quality (Olson et al., 2021).

This issue of Wraparound Connections focuses on the engagement phase, where the work begins with youth and families. Engagement sets tone, clarifies expectations and establishes partnership. When engagement is intentional and relational, families are more likely to feel respected, staff feel supported and teams are better prepared to collaborate with shared purpose. When families feel respected and heard from the start, teams function differently. Plans are clearer. Collaboration is stronger. Outcomes follow.

Throughout this issue, one message is clear: Connection, like the name of this newsletter, is the thread that holds our work together. Engagement isn’t a single activity, but a series of intentional interactions that create readiness, trust and shared ownership. Whether we are welcoming families into the process, supporting staff, partnering across systems or clarifying expectations, the relationships we cultivate during engagement shape everything that follows. 

I hope you find encouragement in the stories and strategies shared here. May they reinforce the importance of beginning well and remind us that when connection is at the center, Wraparound has the strongest possible foundation to support youth and families. Engagement is not separate from fidelity. It is where fidelity starts and lives.

Both things are true: The pressure for High Fidelity Wraparound is real. And so is the opportunity.