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Frequently Asked Questions for Parents & Caregivers |
We’ve gathered some frequently asked questions (FAQs) that families have asked over the years in order to ease some of the uncertainty that you may be feeling and to answer some of those basic questions that can ease your mind as you begin care coordination or you are considering whether to accept services.
The questions have been grouped by topical areas so if you don’t see your specific question below then click on the topic and it may appear as a follow-up question on that page. If you have any additional questions not covered in this portion of the website you may submit your question by contacting us directly.
What if my child is placed out of the home or is currently in out of home placement (for example, residential treatment or hospitalization)? Can we get Wraparound (also referred to as care coordination services?
Maybe your child had an admission at a hospital that will be ending soon, or maybe they had a stay at a group home, or residential treatment center, and will be returning back home (your place). Wraparound services in Erie County can also be helpful to families who have youth who have already been placed out of the home; in this case, the services help plan for a successful return to your home.
Care coordination will collaborate with professionals and community members, to help you build a CFT (Child Family Team). You and the members of your team will talk about what the transition home might look like and make it the best plan for a positive experience for your family. You will create both goals to work toward and a plan for how to respond if and when a crisis arises. You will also work toward the most suitable placement/plan for your child’s education and your CFT will help you identify local community resources that will help support your child and family throughout your plan of care and beyond.
What are some of the benefits of being in Wraparound (care coordination services)?
If you are currently receiving care coordination services or thinking about accepting services then you may be feeling hopeful because you’ve been told care coordination provides intensive services and it’s a better way of coordinating services for youth and their families (which achieves better outcomes) OR maybe you’re feeling less hopeful because your family was recently in crisis which is what brought you to care coordination, and it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Or, maybe you’re somewhere in between. Either way, the immediate thing you’ll find when you’re in care coordination is a sense of hope that families tell us they feel.
Aside from seeing improvements in their child’s behavior and/or improvements in how the family manages their child’s mental health challenges, the other benefit families tell us they get while in services include having a better relationship with their child that they didn’t think was possible because the family learned how to communicate better, and more openly, in order to solve conflicts before they happen (as a result of communication skills training).
Families also share that that they feel like they’re not alone because they’ve learned how to identify perhaps other friends and family members and local community resources for support – they’ve become less dependent on the system of care to help them solve a problem.
In Erie County, you have access to a variety of family support groups, for example Families’ Child Advocacy Network (www.fcanwny.org) has a monthly parent/caregiver roundtable meeting. The individuals who meet either have youth currently in one or more of the child-serving systems, and come together to talk about a variety of topics. Check out the list of other Community Resources <link to Community Resource page> for additional family supports.
Will I learn new ways of doing things to help my family?
In short, the answer is YES! Some of the things you will learn include:
- How to better manage and cope with family crisis.
- How to build on your family’s strengths.
- How to better link to community supports and resources.
Will being in care coordination improve my child’s schooling and educational attendance and performance?
We understand how important your child’s education is. If there are performance or social challenges in school (for example, your child is refusing to attend, is getting poor grades, having social problems with peers, etc.) or with the academic instruction and support your child is receiving (for example, a teacher is or appears to be unresponsive in working with you to manage your child’s behavior or the supportive services your child is receiving are having little affect, etc.) then your care coordinator, along with other CFT members, will work with you and your child to come up with the best solution for your child to be successful in a school setting.
Will I learn more about my child’s diagnosis and how to better cope and manage their symptoms and behavior?
You may or may not already have a mental health diagnosis for your child. A diagnosis is a report you would have received from a mental health professional (for examples, a therapist, psychiatrist, social worker, or counselor).
A diagnosis is determined by an evaluation that is conducted by a health professional. If you have not had one already then you may request that your child be evaluated during care coordination. This helps you, the parent/caregiver, better understand your child’s challenges, and/or seek treatment, potentially with a combination of therapy and medication.
If you currently have a care coordinator then please contact him/her with any questions you might have about your child’s diagnosis, symptoms, and medication management. They are equipped to answer your questions and refer you to other resources, as needed.
Will I learn more about my child’s emotional and behavioral issues and how to better cope and manage them?
Yes, but more importantly you will learn more about what may be causing your child’s emotional and behavioral issues and be able to identify patterns of behavior. This increased awareness can help families address a potential problem before it happens. Family members and the caregiver are able to apply some new techniques and skills that family members and the caregiver have learned (during care coordination services)
Sometimes a youth may be acting out behaviorally because they are depressed, or struggling to deal with tough emotions or difficult experiences. Being a young person, in this day and age, no matter what, is not easy. With more stress, more pressure, more access to others through technology, there is a lot for a young person to deal with, to navigate through.
You may not be aware of what is really difficult for the youth, for a variety of reasons. Or, you may be aware, but uncertain on how to best respond to what is happening with your youth, not sure how to support and help take care of them. You may be feeling burned out, or maybe feel you have no one who can help, no where to turn for guidance, assistance. Being enrolled in care coordination aims to be that support, that guidance, that link to community resources to help you and your family work through a variety of struggles and challenges.
You will learn more about your family, and better understand their needs and learn to build on their strengths. You will learn how, as a parent or caregiver, how to resolve challenges, how to reach out to others for assistance. You will learn how to better communicate, as a family, and so much more, to keep your family together.
What can I expect while my child and our family are in care coordination?
What is (care coordination) orientation and why should I attend?
The orientation is typically a one-time, group workshop where families who are new to Wraparound learn the basics of what it is, what care coordination is and how it works. Other topics include what are Child and Family Teams (CFT), plan of care, expectations and transition planning.
Having this information will help you get the best out of the services you receive. Registration is required and child care is available but must be reserved at the time of your registration or at least one week prior to the workshop.
To register please contact Debbie Slonecker with Families’ Child Advocacy Network at 716-884-2599 or, for more information visit their website at www.fcanwny.org
How long will we be in care coordination services?
Some families are surprised to learn that care coordination on average lasts about 12 months (some stays can be as short as 6 months but that is usually an exception to what is a typical length of stay). The length of stay (in services) really depends on the needs and goals of each family because each family’s plan is individualized.
Services can end sooner or go longer than 12 months. The decision to end early or stay longer is determined by your CFT with your care coordinator; a few of the criteria that are considered to make this decision include:
- Your child and family’s progress toward achieving your Child and Family Team goals
- The amount of reduction in your child’s risk of out of home placement (for example, placement into residential treatment or hospitalization stay, etc.)
- Any family related court orders you may have involving your child (i.e. child received appearance tickets related to behaviors in the community)
What role does my care coordinator play during the Wraparound process?
Your care coordinator plays a central role in the process so it’s very important that the relationship between the youth, family and care coordinator is based and built on trust and respect. We realize that doesn’t happen overnight and that it takes time.
The main responsibility of a care coordinator is to be an educator and a facilitator. It is their job to ensure the youth, family members, caregivers and other Child and Family Team members…
- understand what care coordination is,
- understand and practice the process used to deliver services (called Child and Family Team process),
- support the team toward achieving the goals and outcomes that the team has identified and reduce the risk for out of home placement.
Ideally over time and near the end of services, the facilitator role of the Child and Family Team becomes the parent/caregiver. One of the goals, once a family ends services, is for families to continue the Child and Family Team process independently.
What will be expected from us, my child and our family, while we’re in care coordination?
What’s my role, as mom or the primary caregiver?
Your role is very important. As the person closest to your child, and as the main family contact, the care coordinator will look to you for information and insight into your family history that might influence the plan that you’ll be creating together.
Once you and your team have developed a plan of care, it will be essential that you follow and support all of the things in your plan. Definitely reach out for assistance if you’re unable to follow-through on something. We understand that life can get hectic so be sure to reach out and get the support you need so that you can keep following your plan of care. Please visit the community resources and support section of our website for more information on who to reach out to.
Where and how do I get additional support and help while we’re in care coordination?
Supports can include someone from your Child and Family Team like, one of your natural supports (like, another family member, friend, pastor, youth worker, counselor, etc.), your care coordinator and/or your family advocate if you have one.
What youth groups, specifically for youth with emotional and behavioral issues, exist for my child?
What is YEL?
What do we do when we’ve finished services?
You should continue to work on the strengths and successes of your family and the things you have accomplished in care coordination. Continue to keep your linkages to your surrounding support network; whether they are your friends, loved ones, relatives and/or the larger community. Maintaining strong supports is important.
Also, be fair and realistic about life and its ups and downs; there will occasionally still be challenges, and issues that come up, but using the skills you have gained from care coordination will better equip you to manage and deal with them. Working to ensure your child is meeting his/her home, school, and life goals, along with the larger goals of your family, is a great plan.
What supports will we have once we leave care coordination services?
Some families are worried that when care coordination ends, things will go back to the way they were before or they worry they will “fall off a cliff.” Your care coordinator must ensure you have services and supports that remain in place with your family after formal care coordination ends.
This occurs, as your CFT (Child and Family Team) plans for the transition out of care coordination services. The supports you identify must be easily accessible for your family, affordable for your budget and fit in your daily life, while continuing to meet your family’s identified individual needs. Each family’s supports will be unique to their location, needs and strengths. Your CFT will help define who and what those supports are.
Who or where will we turn to if my child or I need help again?
You may reach out to a variety of people who can help you and your family. It could be the agency you were most recently in care coordination services with, it could be a therapist, or counselor.
Another good example would also include other family members or parent advocate. If you have not worked with a parent advocate in the past, you may call a family based organization and speak to someone about your situation, and/or speak to someone there who can answer your questions.
Here are a few family/parent friendly locations where you make seek more information:
- Families’ Child Advocacy Network: www.familiescanwny.org
- Mental Health Association: www.mha.org
- The Parent Network of Western New York: www.parentnetworkwny.org
- Joan A Male Family Support Center: www.joanamale.org
Other commonly asked questions.
What if I feel the supportive services or care coordination services aren’t working?
If you are uncertain, or unhappy with the current services you are receiving through care coordination, you have the option to discuss it with your care coordinator and/or their supervisor at their agency.
The agency providing services also has an internal grievance policy, so reach out to your agency (choose from the list below) to find out who to contact to voice your concerns:
- CATS (Child & Adolescent Treatment Services <hyperlink>
- CFS (Child & Family Services, Inc.) <hyperlink>
- Gateway-Longview<hyperlink>
- Mid-Erie Counseling and Treatment Services<hyperlink>
- New Directions Youth and Family Services<hyperlink>
How do I help my child get to school?
What if I need help and am having a crisis?
How can I help my child when my stress level is so high?
What do I do and/or where do we go if my child is also experiencing substance abuse issues?
What is Juvenile Justice or sometimes I’ve heard things like Family Court, PINS, JTC and Probation? What are these and how are they related?
What is DSS and DMH?
DSS is an acronym that stands for the Erie County Department of Social Services. <link to their depart on erie.gov>
DMH stands for the Erie County Department of Mental Health. <link to their depart on erie.gov>
Both of these departments serve and assist families in Erie County <hyperlink erie.gov> under what is often called the local Erie County System of Care. They offer a huge array of services and supports depending on the risks and needs people are experiencing. These departments often work together, and families may be involved with one, both, or more departments (i.e. Department of Probation <hyperlink to their depart on erie.gov>) within Erie County.
Additionally, these departments work strongly with community based service providers in the entire community in Erie County. There are a variety of non-profit, and community based service providers who are contracted with these departments to provide the best services and supports to meet the needs of Erie County residents. Furthermore, the Departments of Social Services and Mental Health are constantly striving to ensure the best services and supports are provided to families in Erie County. They review and analyze the programs and their outcomes to ensure we are meeting goals to best serve our community.
