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NWI Newsletter
October 28, 2025 |
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Greetings from the National Wraparound Initiative |
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SMART-Wrap Update, and Pilot Sites Still Needed
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SMART-Wrap Update, and Pilot Sites Still Needed
Short-Message Assisted Responsive Treatment for Wraparound (SMART-Wrap) is a tool that sends quick (4 items, 30 seconds to complete) and frequent (1-2 times per month) check-ins via text message to youth and families enrolled in Wraparound. This information helps care coordinators and teams to stay aware of how their families are doing, and provides useful data for quality assurance. This month’s blog presents some findings from the early pilot sites, and describes the opportunity for additional sites to join the next phase of piloting the tool.
Read the blog »
The Wraparound Community Gathers (and Has a Trivia Contest)
The Innovations Institute at UConn School of Social Work hosted our field’s first Training Institutes since 2018 in Washington DC this past July. During the Institutes, more than fifty Wraparound champions gathered at a reception, during which Ira Lourie paid tribute in memory of Karl Dennis, who passed away on June 20, 2025. Attendees also got a chance to compete at Wraparound trivia.
Read about the reception, and see the Wraparound trivia »
New Research: Adapting Wraparound For Use in Schools
A new article reports on a federally-funded study to adapt and test a Wraparound care coordination model for the education context. This first paper, accessible without charge, presents results from an expert consensus process, with recommendations for how to adapt materials for community-based Wraparound so they are feasible and acceptable for the school setting.
Access the free, full-text article »
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The following are NWI staff selections of recent news items of interest to the Wraparound community:
- Medicaid and Children’s Health: Issues to Watch Amid Recent Federal Changes
- Health Secretary Wants to End Mental Health Screening in Schools
- Senate Testimony on AI Chatbots and Suicide
- New Program Keeps Youth Out of Court and Lowers Recidivism
- Study Explores the Personal Lives of Foster Parents
- COVID-19 Era Toddlers Had Lower Emotional, Behavioral Problems
View these and other news items » |
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Webinar: The Student Loan Crisis: Policy, Burden, and Borrower Well-Being
Date/Time:October 29, 2025, 11am PT / 2pm ET
The total amount owed in federal student loans has more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2020, up from $387 billion to around $1.8 trillion. This soaring student loan debt and the increasing cost of higher education in the United States necessitates critical conversations and research into its societal impacts. This webinar will explore the experiences of borrowers, covering key themes such as the demographic characteristics of participants, their financial circumstances compared to traditional repayment plans, and measures of subjective well-being.
Register »
Podcast: Child Benefits: A Smart Investment for America’s Future
The United States is one of the only middle- to high-income countries that does not provide some type of universal child benefit to families. For this episode, Dr. Jane Waldfogel joins us to discuss her recently published book, titled, “Child Benefits: A Smart Investment for America’s Future.” She shares her extensive research on the structure and efficacy of child benefits around the world and makes a case for implementing a similar program in the US.
Listen »
Institute: Parent Peer Support Institute 2026 Call for Proposals
Submission Deadline:November 3, 2025, 11am PT / 2pm ET
Proposals are invited for the 2026 Parent Peer Support Institute, April 14-16, 2026. This annual event supports the workforce that is the front line to families and their communities, the agencies that employ them, and state agencies and healthcare management organizations that provide funding.
Submit proposal »
Recorded Webinar: The Power of Community: Strengthening Family Stability and Collective Well-Being
Strong, connected communities are the foundation of child and family well-being. Yet families often face barriers—like limited access to child care, mental health services, and parenting supports—that make stability difficult to achieve. This webinar described an initiative that has built partnerships with communities across four states to overcome these challenges through Wraparound and evidence-based programs that center families’ needs. Presenters shared a practical framework for community mobilization based on five guiding principles: people-driven collaboration, asset-based partnerships, capacity building, shared leadership, and collaborative evaluation.
Watch »
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Order Publications from the NWI
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Printed copies of the following publications can be ordered from the NWI:
- Wraparound Process User's Guide: A Handbook for Families (2024 Edition)
- Guía del usuario del proceso de Wraparound: un manual para las familias (Spanish Version of The Wraparound Process User's Guide: A Handbook for Families, 2024 Edition)
Order print publications » |
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Mission
"The NWI works to promote understanding about the components and benefits of Wraparound, and to provide the field with resources to facilitate high quality and consistent Wraparound implementation." |
Funding / support
The NWI would like to thank the individuals and organizations that make our work possible through collaboration and other forms of support. |
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2025, National Wraparound Initiative, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR, 97207-0751.
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