Under Adult Services, the Family Solutions Wraparound Process is a unified resource team guiding families towards successful independence.

What is Wraparound?

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) describes Wraparound as a strengths-based planning process that occurs in a team setting to engage with children, youth, and their families. Wraparound shifts focus away from a traditional service-driven, problem-based approach to care and instead follows a strengths-based, needs-driven approach. The intent is to build on individual and family strengths to help families achieve positive goals and improve well-being. Wraparound is also a team-driven process. From the start, a child and family team is formed and works directly with the family as they identify their own needs and strengths. The team develops a service plan that describes specific strategies for meeting the needs identified by the family. The service plan is individualized, with strategies that reflect the child and family's culture and preferences. California Wraparound is intended to allow children to live and grow up in a safe, stable, permanent family environment. For children and families in the foster care system, the Wraparound process can:

  • Enhance strengths by creating a strength-based intervention plan with a child and family team;
  • Promote youth and parent involvement with family voice, choice, and preference;
  • Use community-based services;
  • Create independence and stability;
  • Provide services that fit a child and family's identified needs, culture, and preferences;
  • Create one plan to coordinate responses in all life domains; and
  • Focus on achieving positive goals.

Background History

In 1997, Wraparound was established in California under Senate Bill (SB) 163 (Chapter 795, Statutes of 1997) which allows California counties to develop a Wraparound Services program using State and county Aid to Families with Dependent Children -Foster Care (AFDC-FC) dollars.This legislation permits counties to use the funding for planning and service delivery instead of for placing children/youth in high-level group homes. The intent of the legislation was to return children and youth in group home care to their homes and communities or help children at imminent risk of placement in high-end group homes to remain in their homes. Wraparound may also be used for children who are eligible for Adoption Assistance Program benefits.

The SB 163 Legislation requires Wraparound services to:

  • Be family centered, individualized, culturally relevant, and strength based;
  • Be team and community based;
  • Identify and rely on a family's natural & community supports,
  • Develop a child and family team plan to identify service needs;
  • Place child in the least restrictive environment;
  • Track and evaluate outcomes;
  • Reinvest cost saving into child welfare programs.

In 2010, Assembly Bill (AB) 1758 (Chaptered 561, Statutes of 2010) updated statue to established that Wraparound was no longer a pilot project, but an optional statewide program. AB 1758 also made clear that being in Wraparound does not, by itself, change the child’s eligibility for Medi-Cal.

In 2017, Assembly Bill (AB) 404 (Chaptered 732, Statutes of 2017) updated statute to reflect the rate for Wraparound services to be equal to the rate for short-term residential therapeutic programs, less the cost of any concurrent out-of-home placement. AB 404 also revised the definition of an eligible child to mean (1) A child or nonminor dependent who has been adjudicated as either a dependent, transition dependent, or ward of the juvenile court pursuant to Section 300, 450, 601, or 602, (2) A child who is the subject of a petition filed pursuant to Section 602 and who is participating in a program described in Section 654.2, 725, or 790, and is at risk of placement in out-of-home care, (3) A child or nonminor dependent who is currently, or who would be, placed in out-of-home care, or (4) A child who is eligible for adoption assistance program benefits when the responsible public agency has approved the provision of wraparound services in lieu of out-of-home care.

To review the current Wraparound statue, please visit California Welfare and Institutions Code sections 18250 – 18258.

The Wraparound process can eliminate barriers to service delivery by supporting and strengthening families. In addition, Wraparound can reduce the risk of out-of-home placement and recidivism by bringing individuals, agencies, and the community together as a decision-making team with the central focus on meeting the needs of the child and family.