Chapter 45.Systems of Care, Wraparound Services, and Home-Based Services

Systems of care (SOCs) and wraparound services are philosophies of care rather than programs with specified elements of treatment. An SOC recognizes the importance of family, school, and the community in a child’s overall health. The SOC comprises the informal and formal supports available in a given community. The linkage of supports and coordinating access to services within the larger community is an integral part of an SOC. Wraparound services are one approach to working with families using an SOC philosophy. Wraparound “wraps” services in the community around a child and family according to the needs of the individual family. Wraparound has a specifically defined clinical and theoretical orientation and is concerned with the process of how a child and family are engaged to create a service plan that accesses and creates the relevant services in the community. Core features of wraparound and SOC services include engagement with the family from a strength-based and culturally competent perspective and respect for the family’s own perception of their needs and goals (Walker and Bruns 2006). When SOC programs first emerged, the wraparound process became the favored approach to implementing the SOC philosophy, and therefore the two terms are closely linked.