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Wraparound Principles of Safe at Home West Virginia – Team Based

KVC West Virginia is participating in the new Title IV-E waiver initiative titled Safe at Home West Virginia. This initiative utilizes the 10 wraparound principles put forth by the National Wraparound Initiative. In an effort to better understand these principles, KVC West Virginia is writing about each principle and how they affect the implementation of Safe at Home West Virginia. You can read more about the first principle here. This is the second in a series about the 10 wraparound principles.

PRINCIPLE NUMBER TWO – TEAM BASED

The National Wraparound Initiative describes the principle of being Team Based as:

  • “The wraparound team consists of individuals agreed upon by the family and committed to the family through informal, formal, and community support and service relationships.”

What this means for families – the family is not alone. Receiving services from an outside agency can be a scary situation. There are many new people in and out of the home. They all report being there to help, but sometimes it is unclear as to who does what, how long they will be in the home, and what is expected. This is where the Team Based approach can be helpful for a family. The team is comprised of professionals who are there to support the family, but the family also decides about other team members who are important to them.

These team members can be nearly anyone – extended family members, neighbors, church members, or even a child’s softball coach. Team members can also consist of people with whom the family is familiar and works with in the community- a child’s doctor, teacher’s aide, or even an AA sponsor. Team members can know the family in a variety of ways, and don’t necessarily have to be extremely close to the youth or family. As long as they are a positive support and committed to helping the family, they are a welcome member of the team.

Having those with whom the family has a prior relationship lessens anxiety about outside involvement while also giving additional perspectives and strength based knowledge about the youth and family. As KVC implements Safe at Home West Virginia, we are looking for a variety of community agencies and groups to partner and to learn more about ways we can successfully bring youth in out of home care back to our communities. Please contact us if you would like more information. Together we can form a positive team to support youth and families in West Virginia.

Read about the next principle –  Wraparound Principle Number Three: Natural Supports.