The wraparound process for youth with severe emotional behavioural disorders

Abstract

The number of youth with serious emotional disorders has increased tremendously; unfortunately, meeting the needs of such children has been a challenge. In an effort to deal with the challenging behaviour exhibited by children and youths, expensive out‐of‐home placements such as juvenile justice centres and clinical and psychiatric hospitalisation, have been used. Unfortunately, these approaches have not been effective in reducing the rate of challenging and violent behaviours. Therefore, researchers continue seeking evidence‐based and cost‐effective strategies to use when dealing with children and youths with severe emotional disorders. One of the approaches that have emerged out of this search is the systems of care model, which places emphasis on shifting placement of individuals with severe emotional disturbance from restrictive institutional settings to less restrictive settings. Central to the systems of care model is the wraparound process. The approach involves providing a set of coordinated individualised services and natural supports to the child and family in their natural environment. The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature synthesis on the wraparound process.