FAQ

QUESTIONS FROM PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS AND CAREGIVERS

How is Cuyahoga Tapestry System of Care different?

Cuyahoga Tapestry System of Care, also known as “Tapestry” uses a Wraparound process as a way to plan and implement services and supports for your child and family. The Wraparound process also helps to make sure children and youth grow up in their homes and communities. It is a planning process that values the importance of social networks and “natural” supports, bringing people together from different parts of the whole family’s life.  Furthermore, Wraparound is:

• Based on the strengths of you, your family and your neighborhood.
• Something that your family “does,” not something that you are “given”
• A team effort, with your child, family, professionals, community and neighborhood supports working together toward a common goal
• A process where team members decide to “never give up,” and continue to provide the care, support and commitment necessary to achieve the goal
• A process that respects who you are, with teams that are sensitive and responsive to your family’s culture, language and community

Who does Tapestry serve?

Tapestry currently serves families with children between the ages of 5 and 18 years who are:

1. Involved with the Department of Children and Family Services
2. Involved with the Juvenile Court
3. Connected to one of the Neighborhood Collaboratives

The children who are enrolled with Tapestry often:

• Have serious emotional and mental health needs that severely disrupt their relationships and daily activities
• Have needs that require many more sources of support than are usually provided by traditional mental health services
• Are between the ages of 5 and 18 years when referred
• Are residents of Cuyahoga County
• Are at risk of more intense involvement with Cuyahoga County’s child-serving systems due to their unmet emotional and behavioral health needs

What is the first step to getting services for my child and family?

There are three ways that your family can start receiving services from Tapestry.  The first is through a referral from a social worker at the Department of Children and Family Services.  The second is through a referral from a probation officer or other staff at Juvenile Court.  And the third is through a referral from a System of Care supervisor at the family’s local Neighborhood Collaborative.  Some signs that your child may benefit from Tapestry include:

• Your child is having trouble at home, at school and in your neighborhood
• Your child is involved with or at risk of becoming involved with child welfare or juvenile court
• Your child is under 18 years of age and a resident of Cuyahoga County

If you have questions about whether or not your child may be eligible, please contact the Tapestry office at (216) 443-6067. 

What do I need to know about the Tapestry referral process?

As previously stated, your family can start to receive services once a referral from DCFS, Juvenile Court or the Neighborhood Collaborative is complete.  You should expect to receive a phone call from an Intake Coordinator at Tapestry to provide information about what to expect.  The Intake Coordinator will review important information with you including the names of your Care Coordinator and Lead Parent Advocate.  The Care Coordinator (sometimes referred to as Tapestry Care Coordinator, Community Wrap Specialists, Care Manager or Wraparound Facilitator) will help you to begin the Wraparound team process. The Lead Parent Advocate is available as a resource in your community and will help you in connecting with other supports that can help you and your child. 

What can I do to prepare for my first meeting with someone from Tapestry?

Every attempt will be made to schedule the first meeting at a time that is convenient for you and your child, and in a location where you will be most comfortable sharing personal information. If you would like, bring along someone you trust such as a friend or family member. It may also be helpful for you to bring the following things:

• Information about other services and supports you’ve tried in the past
• A copy of your child’s social security number
• A copy of Medicaid or medical insurance card
• Income information
• A list of any questions you might have

Also remember to:

• Answer questions honestly and give accurate information about your child and family’s strengths, what they like and do well, as well as their needs.
• Request information and ask anything you want to know more about or do not understand; there is no such thing as a dumb or foolish question.
• Ask for the name of another parent of someone who has been through the process who is willing to share their experience with you.
• Write down the answers to your questions and the names and phone numbers of people you may want to call later.
• Ask for copies of brochures and other information, or bring a pen and paper to write down information that may be shared during the Wraparound team meeting.
• Request a written explanation if you are told that your child and family are not eligible for services and ask for a referral to another service or program that could help you.

What can I expect to happen during my first meeting with someone from Tapestry?

At the first meeting with someone from Tapestry, you will be asked a lot of questions about your child and family. The reason for asking all of these questions is to make sure that we can do our very best in helping you and your child.  You may be asked:

• What is prompting you to ask for services and supports from Tapestry at this time?
• Who and what has been helpful to your child or your family in the past as well as who cares about what happens to you?
• What your child and members of your family like or do well?
• How does your child’s needs affect your family?
• What supports and services are you receiving now or have received in the past?
• What are your goals and how you believe Tapestry can help you achieve them?

You will probably be asked to sign a lot of forms, and it is okay if you feel tired and a bit stressed when the first visit is over.  Some of the forms that you may be asked to sign are:

• Permission for your child to participate in Tapestry
• Permission to gather or share information with others (also known as a Release of Information)
• An explanation of the program’s privacy, ethics and grievance policies
• Financial information

Who is on the child and family teams?

Tapestry will work with your family to identify who should be on your child and family team (also known as a Wraparound team). Members of the child and family team usually include people who are providing services to your family as well as persons who are supportive to your child and family. A typical team might include:

• The child for whom services were requested
• Parents and/or Caregivers
• Legal Guardian if the child is in the custody of the county
• Care Coordinator (also referred to as a Care Manager or Wraparound Facilitator)
• A Parent Advocate (this is someone who has been through the process and is willing to support you and your family)
• Youth Advocate (this is someone who makes sure the youth concerns are addressed)
• Family, members of the faith community, friends and neighbors who you would like to participate in the process
• Formal supports, those professionals like teachers, therapists, child protective service workers, probation officers, etc., who work with your child and family

What are the steps in the team process?

The Care Coordinator will work with you and your child to convene a team that can support you through the Wraparound process.  The Care Coordinator will talk to you about the Wraparound process and how it can be used to help you meet your child’s emotional needs.  The Care Coordinator will make sure that the team listens to your family’s story, including your needs, hopes, dreams, strengths and vision for the future.  The team will also help you:

• Come up with a Mission Statement about what everyone on the team will be working on
• Develop a crisis plan
• Develop a wraparound plan which identifies and builds on your family’s strengths, as well as looking at needs and ways to address these needs
• Agree on who will take on different tasks on the wraparound plan
• Meet regularly to review accomplishments, make sure the wraparound plan is working, makes changes and assign new tasks as necessary
• Plan for the time when your family is ready to move on and no longer needs to meet regularly with the team

What does a Care Coordinator do?

A Care Coordinator provides mental health services to your child and family.   As mentioned above, the Care Coordinator will help you in developing and facilitating your child and family team and the wraparound plan.  Some other things that the Care Coordinator can do to support you and your family are:

• Coordinating the Wraparound process for your family
• Helping you share with the team your family’s strengths and needs so that you can use your strengths to accomplish your goals
• Facilitating team meetings
• Making sure your family voice is heard in team meetings
• Summarizing the team’s wraparound plan in writing and distributing it to team members so that each team member is clear about what action steps he or she is responsible to complete
• Actively following up with team members about the success of actions steps in between meetings
• Making sure that you are connected to a Parent Advocate or Youth Advocate

What does a Parent Advocate do?

A Parent Advocate is someone who has been where you are, and has agreed to help support other families that need help through Tapestry.  Some of these things that they can do are:

• Share their experience as a parent or caregiver of a child who has gone through the Wraparound process
• Help you identify your family’s strengths and needs and share them with other team members
• Support you in expressing yourself during team meetings
• Work with you, the wraparound facilitator and other team members to identify community resources to assist you in meeting the needs of your family.
• Work with you to complete action steps included in your wraparound plan

What does a Youth Advocate do?

A Youth Advocate provides support and assistance with system navigation to youth involved with Tapestry.  Some of these things that they can do are:

• Participate on child and family teams with the youth
• Attend transition meetings to share information about opportunities available to the youth in their community
• Conduct home visits to complete tasks assigned by the team
• Identify traditional and non-traditional services that can help meet the needs of youth according to the wraparound plan and team meetings
• Facilitate monthly support groups for youth
• Plan and implement activities for youth

What is my role on the child and family child team?

You are a critical part of the child and family team process.  Some of the things that you will be asked to do are:

• Develop a team of individuals in your life who are supportive and want you to succeed
• Identify your family’s strengths and needs
• Consider using the services of the parent and youth advocate and attending support groups
• Invite friends and family members to participate on your family team meetings scheduled at times that meet your needs
• Develop child and family wraparound and crisis plans with your team and, if enrolled in Tapestry, develop a mental health service plan with your care coordinator and members of your team
• Complete the action steps you agree to during team meetings
• Evaluate the effectiveness of your child and family wraparound plan and mental health service plan with your team
• Become more knowledgeable about your child’s emotional and/or behavioral needs and approaches for assisting him or her in meeting those needs
• Ask questions if something is not clear

What is my child’s role?

Depending on your child’s age, he or she will be asked to:

• Share his or her goals
• Share his or her strengths, including skills, talents, interests and people he or she finds to be supportive
• Participate in team meetings and the development of wraparound, crisis and, mental health service plans
• Be honest with team members and express his or her limits
• Complete the action steps he or she agrees to during team meetings
• Ask for help when he or she needs it
• Ask questions if something is not clear

Who will work with my family, and what will we do together?

Possible team members might include the following:

• the Care Coordinator,
• a Parent Advocate,
• a Youth Advocate,
• supports like a mentor, families members, and anyone else that you identify.  

The team that you and your Care Coordinator develop will work together to create a wraparound plan, also known as a Plan of Care.  This plan is specifically designed to meet the needs of your child and family’s needs.  The team will meet regularly to make sure that the plan is working, and share information about completed tasks on the Plan of Care.  The Plan of Care should include things like:

• Your child and family’s goals for the future (vision) and what your team will be working on together (team mission)
• Strategies to meet your family’s needs and that match your family’s strengths
• Action steps to implement those strategies
• Assignment of tasks to members of the team who will take responsibility for specific actions
• Services and supports provided as close to home as possible;
• Services and supports that match your family’s lifestyle and culture

Will my Care Coordination respect my opinion, culture and values?

You are the expert. You know your child and family best. You can disagree with your Care Coordinator or other service providers.  You can also ask for a second opinion or reject a service provider’s advice. Your family’s language, spiritual beliefs, and cultural values must be considered and respected when choosing services and providers. You should have the opportunity to speak up, be listened to with respect, and not be judged.  Some other ideas to remember are:

• Most service providers will talk to you and your child in a clear, courteous, respectful, and sensitive manner in the language you use at home. If members of your team do not speak the language you use, ask for an interpreter—do not let your children translate for you.
• Service providers who work with your child may have a different view of your child and family from yours. Carefully consider the evidence for what they say before reacting. Most service providers are just as eager to see progress as you are.
• Insist that service providers meet when and where your child and family feel comfortable.
• Service providers may ask for your feedback and suggestions. Be honest when you reply.
• Most service providers will help you advocate for the services and supports that will help your child and family achieve goals that you set.
• You may be asked to sign that you agree to the service plan and are accepting the services offered. You can refuse to sign if you do not agree with the plan. Ask for a copy of the service plan if it is not given to you.

What questions can I ask a care coordinator when we start working together?

You can ask anything at any time. Some good questions to start with are:

• How will the services and supports in the plan help my child and family?
• What are the service provider’s qualifications? Does he or she have special training, and a track record of working with children and families like mine?
• Can I call service providers at any time of the day or night if there is a crisis?
• How do I change services or providers if things aren’t working out as planned?

What should I think about when developing my team?

It is important that you are an active part of your Child and Family Team, and that you pick your team members carefully.  Remember to choose people who:

• Respect and trust you
• Know your child and family and have been supportive
• Have a track record of success dealing with the kinds of challenges you are facing
• Know about services in the community

Share the future you envision for your child and explain how others can help achieve that desire. Let service providers know your child and family’s strengths, needs, wants, and expectations, and tell them about your family’s preferences and priorities. You could talk with someone you trust before the meeting so you are confident about what you say.

What rights do I have as a parent, grandparent or caregiver?

In a System of Care, your child and family have specific rights and responsibilities. Other families as well as advocates and providers can tell you about these and help you understand how and when to use them. Here are some things that are important to know as you become a stronger advocate for your child and family:

• Discrimination in the provision of services on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, or disability is illegal.
• If your child is being evaluated for special education, you have special rights and responsibilities. Ask the school to tell you about these and get a copy of these in writing.
• You can choose service providers that respect and value your language, culture, and spiritual beliefs.
• Services and supports need to be provided in your community so that your child and family can be involved with others from your neighborhood.
• You can refuse any service offered to you without being penalized. Get help from family advocates if you are penalized for making a legitimate complaint or refusing services that could harm your child or family.
• Responsible providers will notify you before they change or stop providing any service. Ask for a written notice and explanation of the change if you are not given one.
• You are also entitled to review your child’s and family’s records, have your privacy protected, and file a complaint if the situation warrants it.

What can I do to protect my rights?

• Get to know and understand your rights and all the terms or conditions that apply to the services your child and family are using.
• Read everything carefully. Be sure that you understand and really do agree with anything that you are given before you sign it.
• Remember that although you may be under a lot of stress, you are your child’s best advocate. Clearly, you should listen to the advice of others on your service planning team who know something about your child’s need. Ultimately, you must decide what help is needed, where you want to go for it, and when and how often you need to have a service.
• Take control of the flow of information about your child and family. Carefully consider what reports go to which person, agency, school, and so forth. Think about this before you sign permission for information to be collected or given out.
• Resolve disputes promptly. If you disagree with a decision, speak first to the person most immediately involved. If that doesn’t solve the problem, speak to your service coordinator or the provider’s supervisor before you file a complaint.
• Request help from advocates who know the rules, understand the system of care, and have experience with the providers who are working with you and your family.

What are Neighborhood Collaboratives?

Neighborhood Collaboratives are groups of social service agencies, settlement houses, children’s services agencies, schools and neighborhood leaders who provide an array of formal and informal services and supports.  These services and supports for children and families include such things as: after-school programs, daycare, recreation, mental health services, tutoring, etc.  The parent Advocates that we talked about in a section above are connected to the Neighborhood Collaboratives, and can help connect your family with neighborhood--based services and supports.

What support is there within Cuyahoga Tapestry System of Care for parents, grandparents, caregivers and youth?

In addition to the services and supports provided through your team, several groups exist to support the health and wellbeing of your family, including support groups that are offered through the Neighborhood Collaboratives. These support groups meet in various community locations and at various times to accommodate your schedule. A schedule of the support groups is available on the Tapestry website at www.cuyahogatapestry.org.  Some of the benefits of the support groups are:

• Offers an opportunity for parents and youth who are new to Tapestry to meet other families and youth affected by mental health concerns within their neighborhoods
• Offers an introduction to the concept of peer support, and allows for Parent and Youth Advocates to share how they provide support from their own unique perspective
• Offers educational opportunities regarding children’s mental health concerns
• Offers the chance to connect families to informal supports within their own community

Family Orientation Workshop:

In addition to the monthly support groups, a Family Orientation is available to all parents and caregivers to educate them about what to expect once enrolled in Tapestry. By sharing information on the phases of wraparound and the role of each team member families will learn about how they can make an informed choice on how to best help their child and family, and the commitment needed for success.  Additionally the Family Orientation will:

• Help families identify the four stages of wraparound
• Help families understand what a Crisis Plan is and why its important to have one
• Help families understand what the Strengths, Needs, and Culture Discovery  document is and why its important to share accurate information
• Help families understand the important of inviting family members and friends to be a part of their family team
• Help families understand the role of each team member

GENERAL QUESTIONS

What is Cuyahoga Tapestry System of Care?

Cuyahoga Tapestry System of Care, also known as “Tapestry” is a partnership of the county child-serving systems and community and neighborhood provider organizations that uses a seamless wraparound process to provide the children and families of Cuyahoga County with personalized, compassionate and relevant supports and services.

What is a “System of Care”?

A “System of Care” is a coordinated network of community-based services and supports that is organized to meet the challenges of children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families. Families and youth work in partnership with public systems and private organizations so services and supports are effective, build on the strengths of individuals, and address each person’s cultural and linguistic needs. A system of care helps children, youth, and families function better at home, in school, in the community, and throughout life.

Cuyahoga Tapestry System of Care utilizes a “wraparound” service process that focuses on the strengths and culture of each family, resulting in a unique set of community services and natural supports. Families, along with their wraparound care coordinator, develop a team of people who can address each family’s individual needs with innovative and non-traditional solutions.

Who are Tapestry’s partners within the System of Care?

Tapestry works with numerous partners to promote System of Care in Cuyahoga County.  These partners work together to provide services for youth who experience emotional and behavioral issues and may be at risk for becoming involved with multiple services like juvenile justice and child welfare.  Find our more about our partners on the Partners page.

What are the goals of Tapestry?

Tapestry was originally developed to increase access to services for children with mental health needs and their families, as well as increase the capacity of the mental health system to provide recovery resources to this group.

Tapestry continues dedicate its resources to integrating services for youth who are multi-system involved or at risk of these involvement and have emotional and behavioral issues.  Each year tapestry serves more than 600 youth through care coordination, family advocacy and flexible wrap supports.  The four primary outcomes goals that Tapestry is committed to are:

1. Improve youth and family functioning
2. Reduced recidivism in juvenile justice
3. Reduced recidivism in child welfare
4. Increased efficiency and effectives in service delivery

Why are Tapestry and a System of Care needed?

Five to nine percent of children and youth between ages 9 and 17 have serious emotional disturbances that cause substantial functional impairment, and many do not receive the supports and services they need to reach their full potential at home, at school, and in their communities.

Families with children and youth with serious mental health needs utilize supports and services from many different family and child-serving agencies and organizations. Often, these agencies and organizations are serving the same children, youth, and families. By creating partnerships among these child-serving systems, the System of Care is able to coordinate services and supports that meet the ever-changing needs of each child, youth, and family. Coordinated services and a seamless approach utilizing a wraparound team process can lead to improved outcomes and help prevent the duplication of services for authorized care among child-serving systems.

How did the Tapestry begin?

Cuyahoga Tapestry System of Care, “Tapestry” as it is called by families, continues to evolve in its goal of serving children with emotional difficulties and their families.  Building on a grant received from the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 2003 to develop a system of care, Tapestry employs a community wraparound process which services more than 600 families each year through both care coordination and family and youth advocacy. 

Using a community wraparound process, the focus in Cuyahoga County is on discovering the strengths, needs and culture of each individual family, while also tapping into close-to-home community services and natural supports that can sustain the family during the process and beyond.  Families, along with their Care Coordinator, develop a team of people who can address each family’s individual needs with innovative and non-traditional solutions. 

Under its original name of “Project Tapestry,” the goal was to adopt the nationally recognized wraparound approach to increase access to services, as well as increase the capacity and integration of mental health services to help an additional 1,200 children and youth. As a result, the effectiveness of the four major child-serving systems of child welfare, education, juvenile justice and substance abuse would also improve. Goals would be accomplished through the integration of the wraparound model with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Family-to-Family initiative in the neighborhood settlement house tradition.

Integration of systems of care would be accomplished through collaboration with our public system partners including:

• Cuyahoga County Board of County Commissioners
• Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services
• Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court
• Family & Children First Council
• Cuyahoga County Department of Justice Affairs
• Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County
• Local Schools
• Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities

Where can I get more information about child and adolescent mental health on the internet?

Visit our Links section for a complete list of online resources.

Who can I contact for more information about Cuyahoga Tapestry System of Care?

If you have a question that you think should be added to our list, e-mail it to TSOC-CONF@cuyahogacounty.us.