Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health

OCTOBER2002

Q: Why is the wraparound process such an important tool for use with seriously emotionally disturbed youth in the Juvenile Justice System?

As stated in many of my previous FAQ's, the number of youths with mental health problems involved with the justice system is growing at an alarming rate. At least 20% of the 1 million children who come in contact with the formal juvenile justice system each year also have mental health problems (Corrections Today, 1997; Cocozza, 1999). Knowing that the numbers are growing, it is important to look at processes and practices that have produced positive outcomes for this population of young people. When we move away from the discussions about who is responsible for the financial payment for services, we see that research-based interventions like Multi-Systemic Therapy, Functional Family Therapy, and Multi-Dimensional Therapeutic Foster Care work well with the population. All three rely on a wraparound process that endorses access to the particular services and supports a particular youth and family need. Evidence-based interventions are also effective with most, if not all, of the mental health disorders seen in the juvenile justice population. It is important that treatment be made available for all youth presenting with any mental health disorder, including those presenting with DSM IV diagnoses of conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder and their singular diagnosis.

Wraparound is defined as a planning process involving the child and family, along with a team of professionals and others identified by the family in question, that results in a unique set of services and supports that facilitates the achievement of the goals they set. The child and family hold a very powerful position on the planning team. Plans are developed by a team that has attachments to the particular family (social workers, probation officers, friends, co-worker/supervisor of a parent, a neighbor, clinicians). All members of the team offer resources that can be accessed in the community to support keeping the young person at home and involved in services that are community based. Having a team that is chosen by the family insures the possibility of a strengths-based plan for the family.

The high social and financial costs of institutional placement, high recidivism rates, other marginal outcomes, and low connection to the home communities of children traditionally held in institutions should be enough to justify having policymakers look to wraparound as a way to meet the youth and family's needs. Transition does not become a problem because one of the tenets of wraparound is reliance on linkages to nontraditional and nonprofessional services for meeting youth and family needs. The tenet does not mean the youth will not have access to the necessary professional services, but that there important services and supports will be provided by the normal child-serving entities in the home communities and others who care about the young person and his/her family.

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	OCTOBER2002 Q: Why is the wraparound process such an important tool for use with seriously emotionally disturbed youth in the Juvenile Justice System? As stated in many of my previous FAQ's, the number of youths with mental health problems involved with the justice system is growing at an alarming rate. At least 20% of the 1 million children who come in contact with the formal juvenile justice system each year also have mental health problems (Corrections Today, 1997; Cocozza, 1999). Knowing that the numbers are growing, it is important to look at processes and practices that have produced positive outcomes for this population of young people. When we move away from the discussions about who is responsible for the financial payment for services, we see that research-based interventions like Multi-Systemic Therapy, Functional Family Therapy, and Multi-Dimensional Therapeutic Foster Care work well with the population. All three rely on a wraparound process that endorses access to the particular services and supports a particular youth and family need. Evidence-based interventions are also effective with most, if not all, of the mental health disorders seen in the juvenile justice population. It is important that treatment be made available for all youth presenting with any mental health disorder, including those presenting with DSM IV diagnoses of conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder and their singular diagnosis. Wraparound is defined as a planning process involving the child and family, along with a team of professionals and others identified by the family in question, that results in a unique set of services and supports that facilitates the achievement of the goals they set. The child and family hold a very powerful position on the planning team. Plans are developed by a team that has attachments to the particular family (social workers, probation officers, friends, co-worker/supervisor of a parent, a neighbor, clinicians). All members of the team offer resources that can be accessed in the community to support keeping the young person at home and involved in services that are community based. Having a team that is chosen by the family insures the possibility of a strengths-based plan for the family. The high social and financial costs of institutional placement, high recidivism rates, other marginal outcomes, and low connection to the home communities of children traditionally held in institutions should be enough to justify having policymakers look to wraparound as a way to meet the youth and family's needs. Transition does not become a problem because one of the tenets of wraparound is reliance on linkages to nontraditional and nonprofessional services for meeting youth and family needs. The tenet does not mean the youth will not have access to the necessary professional services, but that there important services and supports will be provided by the normal child-serving entities in the home communities and others who care about the young person and his/her family.

Juvenile Justice and Systems of Care Frequently Asked Questions