Wraparound Blog

Applying Implementation Science to Wraparound: What Should We Measure?

July 21, 2020 | Maria Hermsen-Kritz

Since early on in its history, the NWI has been promoting the idea that, in order for Wraparound to flourish at the level of child and family teams, numerous supportive conditions needed to be provided, not just within the “host” organization, but also by other collaborating organizations and within the larger system of care within which Wraparound “lives.” Over time, the NWI has renewed its focus on this issue and provided updates on recent research and tools relevant to this work.

The July 2020 webinar, “Applying Implementation Science to Wraparound: What Should We Measure,” is the latest such update. The webinar uses the lens of implementation science to describe key types of implementation support for Wraparound. Presenters also describe a full suite of assessments that can be used to gauge the extent to which key implementation supports are in place. These include well-known assessments such as the WFI-EZ, DART and TOM as well as newly-developed assessments to measure organization and systems support. Together, this represents a comprehensive assessment package that any Wraparound initiative can use to help ensure best outcomes for children and families. Along with the recording of the webinar and slides, we’ve posted a number of helpful resources for understanding Wraparound implementation supports and how to assess them. If you haven’t had an update on implementation issues and Wraparound recently, this set of materials is a good place to get one.