organizational structure
The NWI is housed at two univsersities—Portland State University and the University of Washington in Seattle. Portland State University serves as the primary institutional host and fiscal agent for the NWI. Janet Walker and Eric Bruns serve as co-directors of the NWI.
Community of Practice
All members of the National Wraparound Initiative are considered to be part of the NWI's community of practice. Through the NWI's community of practice, members collaborate to develop and share resources, and to generate knowledge about wraparound practice and implementation.
Members with high levels of expertise about wraparound may choose to become part of the Core Group within the Community of Practice. This expertise can be rooted in experience in any role(s) connected to wraparound, including, of course, experience as a family member or young person receiving services. Core Group members will participate in the formal consensus processes through which the NWI creates key products. Key products that were produced through this process in the past include the Ten Principles of the Wraparound Process, the Phases and Activities of Wraparound, and How Family Partners Contribute to the Phases and Activities of the Wraparound Process. Members who are interested in joining the core group should consult the Core Group FAQ.
Board of Advisors
The NWI is pleased to have assembled a Board of Advisors that provides programmatic and fiscal guidance to the NWI and its Co-Coordinators. Beginning in early 2010, the Advisory Board will meet by web conference on a quarterly basis. Current Advisors include:
- Jane Adams, youth and family advocate, Director of Kansas Keys for Networking, and a former member of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
- Beth Stroul, co-author of the groundbreaking Systems of Care monograph, Vice President and co-founder of Management & Training Innovations, Inc., and faculty member at the Georgetown University Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health
- Trina W. Osher, youth and family advocate, founding member of the NWI, co-author of the Application of the 10 principles of Wraparound to the Role of the Family Partner, and President of Huff Osher Consulting, Inc.
- Neil Brown, nationally renowned wraparound trainer and consultant and longstanding advisor to the NWI.
- Brittany Couch, Youth Involvement Content Specialist, National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health and Technical Assistance Partnership for Children and Family Mental Health
- Robert Friedman, Professor at the University of South Florida's Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, Director of the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health, and co-author with Beth Stroul of the groundbreaking Systems of Care monograph.
- Michelle Zabel, Director, Maryland Child and Adolescent Innovations Institute, University of Maryland, Baltimore. Innovations Institute was created to assist the State of Maryland’s efforts in designing integrated systems of care in Maryland through its training, technical assistance, evaluation, and practice improvement efforts, with an emphasis on evidence-based and effective practices.
- Mary Jo Meyers, Deputy Director and a Founding Manager of Wraparound Milwaukee, a system of care designed for the families of Milwaukee County to provide the help they need and desire so their children can grow up in their homes and communities.
- Sheila A. Pires, national expert in system design and financing, author of Building Systems of Care: A Primer, and Founding Partner, Human Service Collaborative.
Funding
Initial funding for the NWI came from the Maryland Governor’s Office for Children. For the past several years, primary support has come from the Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch of the Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA. These funds have been used to: (1) support approximately 20% of the Co-Directors’ time to oversee the NWI’s work, (2) provide small stipends to dozens of NWI advisors to travel to meetings, write articles and create other NWI products, and (3) support percentages of UW and PSU staff time to provide administrative and research support.
To develop greater capacity to achieve its mission, vision, and expanded functions, the NWI is moving toward becoming a membership organization that seeks annual dues from individual and organizational members. The NWI will also integrate the Wraparound Evaluation and Research Team, which oversees dissemination of the Wraparound Fidelity Assessment System (WFAS) instruments, into its operations. This will allow the NWI to be viewed as a locus of wraparound implementation accountability for state and local initiatives across North America and enhance the sustainability of the NWI. The NWI will also seek enhanced support from foundations and via research grant funding.
Future Organizational Structure
It is anticipated that within the next five years, the National Wraparound Initiative will transition from its current structure to an independent nonprofit corporation with an elected Board of Directors. This nonprofit designation will allow NWI to raise funds and develop a more formal organizational structure to accommodate increased demand for wraparound implementation technical assistance.