EMQ FamiliesFirst and Wraparound Give Leyla the Tools She Needs for a Stable Family Life Now and in the Future

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--By the time she was referred to EMQ FamiliesFirst http://www.emqff.org/about/index.shtml for the Wraparound program, http://www.emqff.org/services/wraparound.shtml, 17 year-old Leyla was in danger of becoming just another statistic – a single mother on public assistance with little chance of an optimistic future. She was rebellious, skipping school and being defiant and uncooperative at home. She had a history of substance abuse and sexually risky behavior. In fact, she had recently had a child just prior to starting the program. Things were tough at home even before her mother was deported to Mexico. Then Leyla was placed into a foster home. That’s when she was referred to EMQ FamiliesFirst, California’s largest children’s services agency.

Her life in the foster home proved to be somewhat helpful. Now she had some structure and was living with a family who held her accountable for her behavior. But she had a long way to go to get on the right track. While she had had some services in the past, nothing had seemed to work. Leyla was referred for the Wraparound program for family reunification when her mother returned from Mexico. As the name implies, Wraparound virtually wraps a family in services designed to support children and adolescents with serious emotional and behavioral issues. The goal is to keep them safe at home, in school and out of trouble.

Once she was enrolled into the program, Leyla offered no resistance. Closing in on adulthood, she had come to realize that she needed to put herself and her baby on a better track in life. She worked diligently on her treatment goals, which were increasing her independent living skills, increasing positive decision-making and following adult directives in the home and community. She actively participated in her weekly child and family team meetings as well as weekly rehabilitation sessions with her family specialist who was now mentoring her as she learned job-seeking skills.

Through the Wraparound program Leyla was encouraged to seek positive influences. She completed an adolescent substance abuse treatment program through CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). She also completed a parenting class through First 5 of San Bernardino County http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/sbkids/Default.aspx.

At this time, Leyla identified as a Christian and became very passionate about, and active in, her faith. She became involved in her local church and it proved to be a very positive influence.

Leyla developed positive coping skills, and learned to accept the supports of her church, her social worker, her mother and her Wraparound team at EMQ FamiliesFirst. She stayed successfully clean and developed a healthy relationship with her family.

Part of the Wraparound process is to identify a person’s goals and show them what options are available to help them reach those goals. Leyla decided that to save child care costs, she would complete her high school courses at home. She also decided that to better support her child she needed to work, so she applied for Job Corps and learned interview techniques.

After five months in the Wraparound program, Leyla’s graduation party was a happy occasion. When asked what she had learned from EMQ FamiliesFirst, she replied “I can go to college.”

About EMQ FamiliesFirst

EMQ FamiliesFirst, http://www.emqff.org/about/agency/backgrounder.shtml formerly known as EMQ Children and Family Services and Eastfield Ming Quong, does whatever it takes to help children and families in crisis. The agency is recognized for innovative mental health treatment, foster care and social services that help families recover from trauma, abuse and addiction, and rebuild their lives. EMQ FamiliesFirst fights for sustainable change and advocates for improvements in the local, state and federal systems that serve children in need. For more information, please visit http://www.emqff.org.