When youth and families face serious emotional or behavioral health challenges, solutions must be culturally grounded, community-based, and centered on family strengths. That’s where Wraparound comes in.
Wraparound is more than a service — it’s a philosophy and process that empowers & encourages families to lead their own healing journey.
The Heart of Wraparound
This word cloud captures the spirit of Wraparound:
Listening. Kindness. Connection. Support. Space. Being Seen. Advocacy.
These are not just words — they are actions that define how we show up for youth and families.
What is Wraparound?
Wraparound is a team-based, holistic approach to supporting youth with complex challenges. A care coordinator works with the youth, their family, and a support team –including extended family, community members, and professionals – to create a personalized plan built around the youth’s strengths, culture and goals.
This model is flexible, family-driven, and rooted in the belief that long-term success comes from honoring an individual & family’s cultural values and relationships.
Why It Matters for Tribal Communities
Wraparound aligns naturally with indigenous worldviews that value connection, balance, and collective care. When done well, it:
Centers youth and family voice
Lifts up traditional knowledge and healing
Strengthens cultural identity
Builds trust in helping systems
Helps prevent system involvement by offering early, community-based support
Wraparound isn’t a one-size-fits-all model—it’s designed to adapt to the unique strengths and cultural traditions of each youth & family, as well as their community.
Key Principles of Wraparound
Family & Youth Voice and Choice: Youth and caregivers define their goals. Their voices guide every decision.
Cultural & Community-Based Supports: Traditional healers, spiritual leaders, and extended family are included as part of the care team.
Strengths-Based Planning: Wraparound builds on what’s already working –language, ceremony, kinship, and more.
Natural Supports: Community members and trusted relatives are as important as professional providers.
Whole-Person Wellness: Plans reflect emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational health— not just treatment needs.
Final Thoughts
Wraparound creates a space for youth and families to define their own paths to healing —with culture, community, and connection at the center. By investing in strengths, not deficits, wraparound helps families reclaim wellness in ways that honor who they are.
A Note from the Tribal Youth Resource Center on the Wraparound Approach: The wraparound model enhances coordination between Tribal and non-Tribal service providers, ensuring that Native youth receive the comprehensive support they need to succeed academically and thrive socially and emotionally. This collaborative approach increases the likelihood of service providers working together effectively. For justice-involved Native youth, the wraparound model has demonstrated promising outcomes, including higher rates of case goal completion and reduced recidivism.