Wrap Around Milwaulkee was created 14 years ago, developing partnerships across health, social care, education and youth justice system, pooling resources and budgets to create an intensively managed system of care to support children and families with highly complex needs. Care managers create individual intensive individual packages of care, drawing on 80 providers of community services, and only when necessary use residential or inpatient services. Packages of care address the needs of the family as well as child or youth, and also draw on resources from the extended family and wider community. Services include 24/7 crisis intervention, and there is a shared information system which allows providers immediate access to care plans and critical information about the child and family. Clinical scores incorporating feedback from young people, families and clinicians note an average 20 point improvement of clinical health indicators. As well as positive outcomes, the programme reports significant cost savings. In 2007, the average monthly cost to place a youth at a traditional Wisconsin treatment center was over $8,000. Due to Wraparound's lessened use of residential options, Wraparound's average care cost was nearly $4,000 over the same period.
- Wraparound cites a drop in residential placements since its inception: from 375 youth placements in 1996 to 90 placements in 2008.
- The program argues such reduced use of costly inpatient and often last-resort services allows mental health workers to focus more on improved treatment.
"Wraparound Milwaukee makes the seemingly impossible, possible," said Bruce Kamradt, director, Children's Mental Health Services, Milwaukee County and director, Wraparound Milwaukee. "The program integrates services and funding across child serving systems to achieve the best possible outcomes for children with serious emotional and mental health needs. Through its very individualized, strength-based, comprehensive services and focus on family involvement , Wraparound demonstrates that even children with the most complex needs can be effectively and safely cared for in their homes instead of institutions."
Our sincere thanks go to Bruce and colleagues at Wraparound Milwaukee for sharing this information and assisting in posting this film on to the NMHDU website.
Read more about Wraparound Milwaukee on their website
Further information on NMHDU resources on Children and Young People is available here