When a youth is facing emotional or behavioral challenges, no single person has all the answers. The High Fidelity Wraparound system recognizes this. One of the principles the model is built on is being team-based, rooted in the understanding that families are strongest when responsibility, insight, and support are shared.
What is “Team-Based”
In Wraparound, the team includes the family, natural supports (such as friends, relatives, faith leaders, or coaches), and service providers. The child and family’s strengths, culture, and voice remain at the center, while the team is intentionally built with people the family trusts and wants involved.
Why a Team-Based Approach Is Beneficial
- Shared perspective
Each team member brings a different perspective. A teacher may notice patterns at school. A grandparent may understand family dynamics. A clinician may bring tools for regulation or coping. Together, those perspectives create a more accurate picture of what the youth and family need. - Shared responsibility
Tasks and follow-through are distributed across the team, reducing burnout and increasing consistency. - Consistency across settings
When home, school, and community are aligned, youth experience clearer expectations and more reliable support. - Family leadership
Families lead their team deciding who is involved, what matters most, and how the plan moves forward.
What The Team-based Principle Looks Like in Practice
- Team formation: The facilitator partners with the family to identify who should be involved, prioritizing natural supports alongside professionals.
- Regular meetings: The team meets consistently to review what’s working, address concerns, and adjust the plan as needed.
- Strengths-based planning: The team actively identifies strengths and builds from them.
- Shared decision-making: Plans are developed collaboratively so they feel realistic, respectful, and aligned with the family’s values and culture.
By bringing together trusted natural supports and professional expertise, High Fidelity Wraparound creates a coordinated, family-led system where support is shared and progress is sustainable.
SOURCES Bruns, E. J., & Walker, J. S. (2010). Defining practice: Flexibility, individuality, and effectiveness in wraparound services for children and families. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(3), 310–320.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-009-9326-4 Bruns, E. J., Suter, J. C., & Leverentz-Brady, K. (2008). Is it wraparound yet? Setting quality standards for implementation of the wraparound process. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 35(3), 240–252.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-008-9111-3Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdfSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2020). National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care. https://www.samhsa.govWalker, J. S., & Bruns, E. J. (2006). Building on practice-based evidence: Using expert perspectives to define the wraparound process. Psychiatric Services, 57(11), 1579–1585.
https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2006.57.11.1579Institute of Medicine. (2015). Psychosocial Interventions for Mental and Substance Use Disorders: A Framework for Establishing Evidence-Based Standards. National Academies Press.
https://doi.org/10.17226/19013American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016). Patient- and family-centered care and the pediatrician’s role. Pediatrics, 129(2), 394–404.
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-3084<Hodges, S., Ferreira, K., Israel, N., & Mazza, J. (2010). Components of effective wraparound practice. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(3), 316–327.World Health Organization. (2016). Framework on Integrated, People-Centred Health Services. https://www.who.int
