As Safe at Home West Virginia, the state’s Title IV-E waiver demonstration project continues to gain momentum, KVC wants to highlight the Wraparound Principles that are being utilized in this project.  These 10 principles were created by the National Wraparound Initiative and put forth as part of the framework being utilized by Safe at Home West Virginia. You can find out about other Wraparound Principles here. This is the third principle in the series.

PRINCIPLE NUMBER THREE – NATURAL SUPPORTS

The National Wraparound Initiative describes the principle of Natural Support as:

• “The team actively seeks out and encourages the full participation of team members drawn from family members’ networks of interpersonal and community relationships.  The wraparound plan reflects activities and interventions that draw on sources of natural support.”

What this means for families – they garner support from those that they know and trust. Youth and families who are part of the Safe at Home West Virginia initiative will gain initial support from the Safe at Home West Virginia providers. These supports are known as formal supports. However, formal supports are meant to be short term for the youth and family. They need someone who will be available to them for needs once the Safe at Home intervention ends. This is where natural supports come into place. These are people whom the family knows outside of any sort of professional capacity.

Natural supports can be family members, neighbors, family friends, or members of a child’s soccer team. They can also be church youth groups, classmates from school, or co-workers. If a family has limited natural supports (whether due to being disconnected from previous supports or being in a new community), Safe at Home West Virginia is ready to link families with new natural supports. As children return home from out of state placement, they can learn about natural supports who can reinforce their strengths (via music lessons or an art club) or learn new skills (via Girl Scouts or Boys and Girls Clubs). They can gain natural supports from getting a part time job in the community or participating in the school academic team. The possibilities are exciting!

If you would like more information about getting your organization involved with Safe at Home West Virginia, click here. Read about the next principle –  Wraparound Principle Number Four: Collaboration.