Purpose:  Community-based services (CBS) for children are relatively new among services offered by community mental health centers (CMHCs). The State of Kansas expects services to be provided based on a strengths-oriented, family-centered, wraparound model.  The purpose of this study was to evaluate progress toward meeting this expectation and outcomes according to the degree of progression.

Method:  This paper will report findings of a program implementation evaluation and outcomes for 145 children living with serious emotional disturbance, ages 6 to 18, compared by types of services received.  Two data sets were combined: random client record reviews and Client Status Reports from eight CMHCs. Quantitative analyses included chi square and paired t-tests to answer the following questions:  Do programs practice from a family-centered, wraparound model?  Are the goals established consistent with the reasons parents sought help?  Are therapist goals consistent with team goals?  Do outcomes for children provided family-centered services differ from those who are not?  Do outcomes for children who have teams differ from those who do not?

Results:  Examiners found documentation of wraparound teams in the majority of cases. Goals established and reasons parents sought help ranged in consistency from 68.2% to 97.7%.  Consistency between therapist goals and team goals ranged from 78.2% to 97.9%.  Outcomes were better for youth who received family-centered services than for those who did not, particularly on academic performance, school attendance, and CBCL scores, with significant improvement on Externalizing scores. Outcomes were better for youth with teams than for youth without teams, including significant improvement on Externalizing CBCL scores.

Implications:  Findings indicate that children who receive family-centered services and wraparound services experience better outcomes than children who do not, which is a valuable tool for informed policy decisions.  Additionally, these findings about what constitutes “best practices” should guide model utilization when serving children and families.