Wraparound Service: Working Outside the System

• In Event: Moving Toward Rehabilitative Approaches to Juvenile Justice

Abstract

Children and youth arrive at the doors of existing juvenile justice, mental health, substance abuse, and child welfare service systems with co-occurring needs. Youth and their families must overcome pervasive stigma to seek treatment, only to encounter a fragmented maze of providers with bewildering and sometimes contradictory eligibility, funding, and service requirements. The door at which children and youth arrive is often dictated by what happens to be available, rather than which services would meet their specific needs. Often, services are organized around the needs and values of providers—from hours and locations to the cultural sensitivity of professionals. Juvenile detention ends up being a catchall door especially for low-income youth of color. Children and their families need treatment options and providers that are aligned with real needs rather than bureaucratic necessity. This paper uses a unique case study to demonstrate the efficacy of community based naturally supported wraparound service to prevent youth from being institutionalized in private or public placements.

Author

• Nina Rose Fischer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice