Family Care Network Annual Report

Wraparound
Our Wraparound program began
in San Luis Obispo County on
July 1, 2000. Designed to keep
families together whenever
possible, Wraparound is familycentered,
strength-based, needsdriven
and solutions-focused,
integrating a family’s unique
culture into their individualized
treatment plan. As an alternative
to institutional care for children/
youth, services can be provided
in a parent/caregiver’s home, a
foster home, a transitional host
family or in a transitional living
setting with a Residential Advisor.
Since the program’s inception,
1,544 children/youth and their
families have been served
and 93% of the program days
provided to our clients were
successful based on:
• Family Stability
• Diversion from a more
restrictive placement
2017-2018 Outcomes
Youth/Families Served 131
Total Program Days 24,891
Successful Program Days 92%
Millie & Theo
Millie* knew how turbulent life could be. At only 10, she and her younger
brother, Theo, were placed in foster care after their older sister, who they had
been living with, dropped them off at a friend’s house and never returned.
Millie’s father had passed away years earlier and she had never met her
mom, so in care, Millie started to panic that she’d never see any of her family
again. Growing more fearful and untrusting while in care, Millie’s emotions
started coming out as anger, often misdirected at Theo or her foster parents.
Millie also became more secretive, hiding food, shoplifting and getting into
trouble at school. Her fears were quickly taking over her life.
To develop a plan for Millie and Theo, their team reached out to their
mother. Having been unwillingly separated from her children, Millie’s mom
expressed a strong desire to reunify with them. While reunification could
not be immediate for many reasons, the family did start with Wraparound
services so they could tackle some of the obstacles that lay before them;
namely, Millie’s fears and all of the trauma they had each experienced.
Initial team meetings were difficult—Millie’s untrust made her reluctant to
participate, and her mom felt unworthy of the second chance she was being
given. To help build their relationship, the family engaged in family therapy
sessions, and Millie was matched with an individual therapist. Building trust
and positive communication between them all was essential.
No Wraparound family gets an instant fix. The siblings and their mom had
a lot of challenges facing them outside of just their emotional ones. The
family needed affordable housing and reliable transportation, Millie and
Theo both needed help in school, and their mom needed to learn how to be
a more responsible and present parent. All of these i ssues required time and
a lot of patience—more than what the family always wanted to give. But
their team continued to be a positive force for them, pushing them forward
by celebrating their successes, listening when things went sideways, and
encouraging them when things felt overwhelming. It took everyone being
hopeful and helpful for the family to finally realize their goal of reunification.
*Names and photos of clients are
fictitious to protect their identity.
Millie and Theo no longer live in fear of the unknown, and their mother no
longer doubts her ability to care for them. They are a family, living under one
roof and thriving. They faced their challenges head on, and grew stronger
and more resilient for it.
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