FAQ

To make WIN Georgia as helpful and effective as possible we need parent input. An evaluation by EMSTAR Research is being conducted to find out how WIN is doing at being family-friendly, sensitive to your values and culture and meeting the needs that brought you to us. Your perspective is the most valuable information we have to tell us how we’re doing and how services can be improved. EMSTAR will be getting in touch with you shortly after you enroll to discuss the evaluation in more detail.

You should expect to remain in WIN Georgia for a minimum of 18 months. Before you “graduate” you will have the skills necessary to continue your valuable Wrap experience indefinitely.

Once enrolled in WIN Georgia you will attend a 2-hour Family Orientation that will explain the Wraparound process. You will learn about leadership opportunities, Family Fun Days and other activities your family can become involved in. It is our hope that you will leave orientation with a clear understanding of the commitment that you will need to make in order to be successful in Wraparound.

• Families who have children between birth and age 21 with serious behavioral or emotional issues
• Families who live in the 15 counties of Northwest Georgia: Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker and Whitfield

Your first thought might be that you don’t know anyone who could help you. With the help of your Care Coordinator, you will learn you have resources you never considered. Your Wraparound team might include:

• professionals who are providing services for your child,
• close friends, understanding relatives,
• teachers, school counselors, religious leaders, your

Wraparound Initiative Northwest (WIN) Georgia is a regional effort designed to develop a mental health care system that works better for families and their loved ones. As a part of the program, WIN Georgia is serving families whose children have behavioral and emotional issues through “Wraparound.”

All children behave badly sometimes. If they didn’t, they would not be developing properly. However, if you child’s behavior is regularly disrupting your home or school life, you and your family may decide you need extra help. That’s where WIN Georgia enters the picture.

Some children are born with an illness or develop one within their first few years that seriously affect their behavior and emotions. There are many reasons a child might have severe emotional or behavioral problems, including:

• Genetics (an illness that is inherited)
• The brain’s chemistry
• Damage to the child’s central nervous system
• Loss of loved ones through death, divorce or broken relationships
• Exposure to violence
• Abuse or neglect

Wraparound is a process that helps your family handle your child’s behavior. If you decide to participate in Wraparound, you will receive help finding the services your child needs. Some families are already receiving services, often from multiple agencies. Wraparound will make sure the different resources are communicating with each other.

WIN Georgia helps your family build a Wraparound team. A Care Coordinator will work with you to develop goals and develop a plan to meet those goals based on your family’s strengths and culture. Your ideas and concerns are very important to this process. No plan can work unless it truly meets your family’s specific needs.

WIN Georgia can even help match you with a “Family Navigator.” Family Navigators are parents who have successfully graduated from the Wraparound process. These “parent peers” have been where you are and can be very helpful in guiding you to reaching your goals. Wraparound is provided in both English and Spanish.