In this paper, it is asserted that successful interagency collaborations require commitment to a shared value base as the core dimension of the joint efforts. A rationale framework that places family-centered principles at the core is provided, and how these principles translate into specific behaviors, attitudes, and policies on all levels within and between organizations is outlined. This template can provide guidance to local and state policy makers involved in reforming systems of care.

This article summarizes literature about paraprofessionals who assist children or families in the areas of mental health, education, or early childhood education, and focuses on three main questions: How effective are paraprofessionals?; what are the common and appropriate roles and responsibilities of paraprofessionals?; and what qualifications, training, and supervision are needed for paraprofessionals? Implications are inferred for a burgeoning new form of paraprofessional services: attendant care in community based mental health services for children. Lessons from existing literature can help mental health administrators and clinical supervisors at state and local levels to select, train, supervise, and evaluate attendant care workers.

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Pressured to be a “proper profession,” social work often failed to attend to its ambiguous and improvisational nature. In this article, the author recasts social work in a performance framework and repositions the profession between traditional categories such as art or science. In an indeterminate “third space of the borderlands” the critical yet unrecognized improvisational arenas of social life and social work become visible. Exploring improvisation, the author discusses theater literature and provides insights as to how social work is an improvisational profession that always performs and re-forms various identities.

This article presents a systematic review of the effectiveness of wraparound, a value-guided, widely used service planning process and philosophy of care originally developed for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families. In contrast to conventional systematic reviews, which concentrate on the empirical literature, this article uses the multidimensional evidence-based practice approach, which adds professional knowledge and consumer perspectives to a value-critical analysis. The findings contextualize the limited empirical support for wraparound within a social work value frame, suggesting areas of improvement for the implementation of the wraparound model. A broader ecological frame for wraparound highlights the need to include more natural supports on teams, to ensure backing from higher level administrators, and to emphasize client self-determination. Youths and families should be afforded leadership roles on teams and be supported by parent advocates. To extend the empowerment idea of wraparound beyond the individual case level, a clear commitment to social justice by working toward systems changes must be added.

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