About Te Kahu Tōī Intensive Wraparound Service

The wraparound process uses a team approach, with the whānau | family and young person at the centre. A Te Kahu Tōī facilitator and psychologist helps the family identify others who they would like on their team. The facilitator guides the team to write, implement and regularly review a wraparound plan.

Every Te Kahu Tōī plan is unique. It includes a range of actions or approaches to support the student and their family at school, at home and in their community.

Te Kahu Tōī is based on the National Wraparound Initiative (NWI). Wraparound is an evidence-based planning process based on clear principles. These are set out on the NWI website.

National Wraparound Initiative

Who Te Kahu Tōī is for

Te Kahu Tōī is for a small number of children and young people in Years 0 to 10 who have highly complex behaviour, emotional, social and/or learning needs. These students need support not just at school but also at home and in their community.

They will already have received comprehensive support from local services. This will be one or more of:

• our learning support services
• the Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) service
• day specialist schools and other Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) fundholders.

What happens in Te Kahu Tōī

Te Kahu Tōī starts with an engagement stage. The family and young person are supported to identify:

• their vision for the future
• their strengths and supports
• their story.

The family are helped to identify potential team members, including those from the family's wider community.

The team then works together to identify the underlying needs that are to be addressed. They will prioritise needs based on:

• the family vision and story
• an IWS psychologist's assessment
• other relevant information.

The facilitator helps the team collaboratively write the wraparound plan. The plan will:

• address each prioritised need
• establish measurable goals
• set strategies across settings to meet these goals.

The team continues to meet regularly to review the plan and adjust as needed. Each team member, including family members, has a role in implementing the plan.

Referrals to Te Kahu Tōī

Applications for Te Kahu Tōi must come from a support service that is already working with the child or young person and the school. Referrals can come from:

• Ministry of Education learning support staff
• the RTLB service
• day specialist schools or other Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) fundholders.

If you have a student at your school who you think might benefit from Te Kahu Tōī, talk to the service who is working with them.

The referrer will always discuss the referral with the school, parents, family or caregivers before submitting an application. Everyone needs to agree that Te Kahu Tōī is the right approach for the family and understand the level of commitment needed.

Review process for applications

An IWS prioritisation panel meets at least once each school term to review applications. Applications that meet all criteria will then be prioritised for service according to spaces available.

What happens when Te Kahu Tōī ends

Children or young people and their family can be in Te Kahu Tōī for up to 2 years. When the process is complete, the local services who referred the child or young person continue to provide support.

Te Kahu Tōī outcomes

Te Kahu Tōī works intensively to improve the child or young person’s outcomes in 5 key areas:

• self-control of behaviours and emotions
• social skills
• attitudes and beliefs
• relationships with others

access to safe environments and achievement in the home, the school and the community.