Why MiiWrap Matters: A Better Way to Support Youth and Families
In children’s mental health, we’ve long known what doesn’t work: disconnected services, overwhelmed staff, and families left out of the decision-making process. Too often, the systems designed to help are so rigid, so reactive, that they unintentionally push families toward crisis before they can access real support.
MiiWrap offers a different path.
Rooted in motivational interviewing and built on the foundation of high-fidelity Wraparound, MiiWrap is more than a service model, it’s a shift in how we relate to the people we serve. It’s a way to engage youth and families as partners, not problems to be solved. It empowers staff to build relationships that create real movement. And it helps systems deliver results without sacrificing humanity.
When done well, MiiWrap strengthens outcomes and relationships. Youth stay in their homes and communities. Families develop confidence and capacity. And staff feel equipped, supported, and aligned around a common purpose.
A Model That Works for Families and Staff
One of the most powerful elements of MiiWrap is its dual impact: it creates better outcomes for families and a better experience for the professionals who serve them.
Staff trained in MiiWrap learn how to:
- Engage families using empathy and collaboration, not authority
- Motivate change from within, rather than pushing compliance
- Navigate complexity using clear structure and shared purpose
- Strengthen family systems with sustainable plans and real-world supports
This doesn’t just help families. It helps case managers find more joy and meaning in their work. It reduces burnout. It increases alignment across agencies. And it helps systems move from reactive services to proactive, strengths-based care coordination.
Hennepin County’s story is a powerful example of what’s possible when MiiWrap is done well.
Hennepin County: Building a Stronger System with MiiWrap
Before MiiWrap: A Model with Good Intentions and Gaps
Prior to adopting MiiWrap, Hennepin County delivered Children’s Mental Health Targeted Case Management services using traditional approaches. While the model provided necessary supports, staff and families alike faced recurring challenges:
- Youth often entered out-of-home placements for extended periods
- Families felt underprepared to manage transitions and maintain progress
- Discharges from services often left families unsure of next steps
- Case managers lacked a structured, strengths-based process to engage families
The system was working, but not as well as it could. Something needed to change.
Enter MiiWrap: A New Approach to Engagement and Outcomes
When Hennepin County adopted MiiWrap, case managers gained more than a new set of tools – they gained a new way of working with families. Motivational interviewing became the core method for connecting with youth and caregivers, building trust, and helping them develop the capacity to solve problems together.
With MiiWrap, staff began to:
- Engage families more deeply and consistently
- Motivate sustainable change by tapping into families’ own values and hopes
- Build natural supports and real-world skills that lasted beyond the life of the case
- Transition families successfully—not just from services, but toward greater confidence
Families reported feeling more empowered. Youth were more likely to remain in their communities. And case managers felt more effective and supported in their role.
The Results:
Real Progress, Real Lives Changed
In 2024, Hennepin County used MiiWrap as the care coordination model for 72 families. The impact was clear:
- 51% of families transitioned within one year
- 89% of families had successful case closures
- 100% of youth remained out of placement for at least six months post-transition
These numbers don’t just reflect program success, they reflect lives changed. Families left services stronger than they entered. Youth stayed connected to their communities. And staff saw the impact of their work in real time.
Investing in Sustainability: Coaches, Mentors, and Future Growth
Change like this doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t sustain without leadership. That’s why Hennepin County is investing in internal capacity to grow MiiWrap from the inside out:
- Ashley Linegar Fink is a certified coach and is now pursuing her Wraparound Process Mentor (WPM) certification
- Denise Fahl is working toward coach certification to deepen support for care coordinators
- Six care coordinators are fully certified, with six more in the pipeline
- The county plans to certify two additional coaches and expand support for transition-age youth and juvenile justice-involved youth in the coming year
This is a long-term investment. Not just in a model, but in people and systems. With a growing bench of certified staff and an expanding vision for care coordination, Hennepin County is building the infrastructure to make MiiWrap a permanent pillar of its children’s mental health strategy.
A System That Works for Everyone
MiiWrap isn’t a quick fix. It’s a commitment: to better relationships, stronger families, and smarter systems. Hennepin County’s transformation shows what’s possible when staff are trained, families are empowered, and leadership is invested.
This is the kind of change that lasts. And it’s only just beginning. If you want to learn how to create this kind of change at your organization, start here.