Wraparound Fidelity Assessment System
Click here for a sample copy of the WFI version 4.Description
Overview. The Wraparound Fidelity Assessment System (WFAS) is a multi-method approach to assessing the quality of individualized care planning and management for children and youth with complex needs and their families. WFAS instruments include interviews with multiple stakeholders, a team observation measure, a document review form, and an instrument to assess the level of system support for wraparound. The instruments that comprise the WFAS can be used individually or, to provide a more comprehensive assessment, in combination with one another.
The measures that comprise the WFAS include:
- The Wraparound Fidelity Index, v. 4
- The Team Observation Measure
- The Document Review Measure
- The Community Supports for Wraparound Inventory
Uses. Fidelity measurement is a core implementation support to evidence-based practices. The WFAS provides
a method for conducting fidelity measurement for the wraparound process, as specified by the National
Wraparound Initiative.
As a fidelity measurement system, WFAS instruments were designed to support both program improvement as well as research. With respect to program improvement, sites or programs delivering services via the wraparound process can generate profiles, organized by the prescribed activities of the wraparound process or the 10 principles of wraparound, to illuminate areas of relative strength and weakness. This information can be used to guide program planning, training, and quality assurance.
With respect to research, data from WFAS instruments can help evaluate whether the wraparound process has been adequately implemented, and thus aid interpretation of outcomes. In addition, researchers on youth and family services may wish to use WFAS instruments to measure the relationship between adherence to the wraparound model and outcomes, as a way to explore which aspects of service delivery are most important to child and family well-being.
Other uses. Although the WFAS instruments were not intended originally for use on the individual family level, this type of analysis could provide useful guidance to wraparound teams around the quality of implementation for a specific family. However, great care would have to be undertaken in order to insure confidentiality of the family and staff persons involved. Finally, though WFAS instruments have not been used widely as a standards conformance or certification assessment, there has been some interest in adapting the WFAS tools for this purpose. Local communities and jurisdictions will need to carefully examine their own practice model, local standards, and/or requirements in order to determine whether WFAS tools are adequately in alignment to be used as a support to compliance or accreditation.
Click here for frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) regarding the WFAS.