DESE/DDS Program

Wraparound Family Services, Inc. (WFS) is a contracted provider for the MA DESE/DDS Program. WFS facilitates support services to families with children with developmental disabilities (age 3-22) who have been assessed and approved by DDS for funding provided by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Department of Developmental Services (DESE/DDS) under Massachusetts State Law, Chapter 766.

Services are designed to assist families in supporting their child at home and in the community with the goal of teaching adaptive skills and increasing independence. WFS works with families to find and train appropriate staff, develop and monitor annual, measurable goals and coordinate services to help children thrive. Once DDS approves and assigns budget allocations, families work with WFS Navigators to develop annual budgets which include in-home teacher/trainer staffing and other educational and therapeutic services. WFS Navigators and support staff assist families throughout the year to follow DDS program guidelines and maintain effective home and community programming.

Program Administration
Initial discussions with the family focus on the needs of their child and the goals that they hope to achieve through this program. A Family Navigator then works with the family to write a support plan, annual goals and objectives, and to help the family select the most appropriate educational/therapeutic services for their child, based on the program guidelines.

Family Navigators work with the family to secure appropriate educators, therapists, and/or skills trainers to deliver services to their child in the home and community. Staff is required to have years of special education experience and training and a teaching degree in special education. Many families already know service providers they would like to use. For example, teachers who work with the child during the regular school day are often available after school to continue their work in the child’s home where they integrate skills learned in the classroom into their home life. WFS assists family who seek staff to find and train them.

WFS completes background checks (CORI's and soon, federal background checks including fingerprinting) and retains current resumes on file for all non-agency, skills trainers, consultants, and other support service staff. Workers are covered by Liability and Workers Compensation Insurance and are paid directly, via direct deposit, by WFS. WFS uses a state of the art, simple, online time sheet system that makes payments easy for workers and families. Reimbursement requests are processed by the Family Navigator and are paid via direct deposit every other week on the same date as payroll is processed. Reimbursement requests are sent either by fax, email, or through the mail.

Family Navigation Services
Family Navigation Services are not limited to, but include the following:

• Conducting home-visits to meet with families;
• Assisting families with assigning budget categories to already determined annual budgets in accordance with DDS guidelines;
• Workup and submission of budgets to DDS for approval;
• Preparation of goals for home support/training; 
• Verification of worker training and minimum qualifications for service provided;
• Documenting, tracking and updating family spending against budget categories;
• Processing payments and reimbursements for families using online banking; 
• Modification of budgets as needed per DDS approval;
• Monitor/supervision of the home program through contacts with family and staff as needed;
• Performing family navigation duties by assisting families with locating appropriate services and resources for their child;
• Offering guidance with staff recruitment;
• Preparation of annual mid and end of year progress reports and budgets for DDS;
• Updating DDS on pertinent issues as needed;
• Attending regional and local DESE/DDS provider meetings;
• Maintaining regular communication and working collaboratively with applicable DDS area offices.

Creating an Annual DESE/DDS Budget
An individual budget needs to include family navigation, administration fees, and account for a minimum of 3 hours per week of in-home skills training services; all other services are optional. WFS currently charges an 11% administrative fee on services, which covers the cost of Worker’s Compensation and Liability Insurance for staff working in a family’s home.

Click here for the DESE/DDS Guidelines.