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EMQ Children and Family Services Wrap Around

California—EMQ Children and Family Services Wrap Around
Using a combination of Federal title IV-E waiver and State funds, EMQ Children and Family Services worked with the Sacramento Department of Health and Human Services to move 30 youth from high-level group home placements to family-living settings; the youth were primarily over age 11.

Strategies. EMQ sought and supported family members to become permanent placements for these youth and recruited and supported foster families who helped facilitate family connections for the youth. Multidisciplinary teams provided wraparound services to support the family placements.

Outcomes. Within 6 months, all 30 youth stepped down to family living arrangements: 19 youth went to live with parents or extended family members, and 11 youth went to live with foster families who support their continuing search for relatives.

Lessons Learned. Some child welfare and group home staff were resistant to moving the youth out of the group home settings into families. Support for the philosophy of permanent families for teens, especially from public and private agency management, was reported to be critical to overcoming this resistance.

More Information on Model Programs for Youth Permanency
Read more about this and other model programs for youth permanency in Model Programs for Youth Permanency (PDF - 236 KB) by M.J. Louisell, from the California Partnership for Youth Project.

Updated on February 24, 2010