
From Training to Infrastructure
Human service systems are under increasing pressure to demonstrate outcomes, retain staff, and implement evidence-informed models with fidelity. Yet most professional development systems were never...
Most agencies put a lot of faith in training. And it makes sense: training is structured, efficient, and feels like progress. But here’s the problem: most of what’s taught in training never makes it into real practice.
In fact, research consistently shows that as little as 10% of training content is applied on the job if it’s not followed up with coaching or other support mechanisms (Saks & Belcourt, 2006). That means 90% of the investment is lost, and more importantly, so is the opportunity for real change.
But when coaching is added? That number can climb to 80%. Coaching isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the bridge between knowing and doing. And in MiiWrap, like any evidence-based practice, that bridge is non-negotiable.
Training does its job: it introduces the model, explains the rationale, and offers a safe place to try new skills. But training happens in a vacuum. Once staff return to real work with real families, things get messy.
Stress, time pressure, and emotional complexity pull staff back into old habits. Even well-intentioned practitioners struggle to apply what they learned when they’re operating solo, under pressure.
That’s not a people problem. It’s a systems problem.
And the solution is built-in: coaching provides the structured, intentional support needed to move from head knowledge to heart-and-habit execution.
Coaching isn’t just follow-up. It’s where the learning actually happens. Let’s break down a few critical roles coaches play, and why they’re essential for high-fidelity practice:
We’ve seen it time and again: agencies invest in training, but skip the coaching, or treat it like supervision. The result?
But this isn’t about bad staff. It’s about broken systems. Without coaching, MiiWrap becomes just another thing on a long list. With coaching, it becomes the way we do the work
Our approach to coaching is specific and intentional. MiiWrap coaches are trained to:
This isn’t “checking in,” it’s building up.
One agency told us, “We thought we were doing MiiWrap well after training. But it wasn’t until our coaches started using the fidelity tools that we saw the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk.”
In less than six months, their implementation scores jumped, family engagement deepened, and staff turnover dropped.
What changed? Not their people. Their support system.
Training is a powerful starting point, but that’s all it is: a start. Real implementation lives in the day-to-day, and that’s where coaching shines.
When agencies commit to strong coaching, they stop spinning their wheels. They move from knowledge to confidence, from compliance to transformation.
Want MiiWrap to take root in your organization? Put your energy where the learning really happens: coaching.
We’re excited to announce that our first eLearning-based MiiWrap Coaching Cohort launches this July.
Until now, our facilitators have had access to deep, structured, and flexible learning: now coaches can get that same high-quality, nuanced learning experience, grounded in real-world application and built for long-term fidelity.
This isn’t surface-level training. It’s a complete learning journey that mirrors the coaching process itself: reflective, personalized, and powerful.
If you’re ready to build a team of coaches who can anchor MiiWrap with confidence and clarity, this is the place to start. Contact us if you’d like to learn more.

Human service systems are under increasing pressure to demonstrate outcomes, retain staff, and implement evidence-informed models with fidelity. Yet most professional development systems were never...

Across intensive services, one of the most common explanations for stalled progress is a familiar phrase: “They’re just not ready.” Not ready to engage, to...

In intensive services, support is often treated as an unquestioned good. When people struggle, the default response is to increase professional involvement, remove barriers,...

Engagement is one of the most talked-about problems in human services, and one of the least examined. Low engagement shows up everywhere: missed appointments, minimal...

In intensive service systems, help is often abundant. People are surrounded by professionals, plans, meetings, and supports designed to stabilize risk and improve outcomes. And...

Burnout among direct care staff is usually described in familiar terms: high caseloads, limited resources, secondary trauma, administrative burden. All of those are real, and...