UC Davis Selected as Center of Excellence for High Fidelity Wraparound

The Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice—part of Human Services at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education—has been selected by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to serve as the Center of Excellence for High Fidelity Wraparound Services, a major milestone in the state’s efforts to strengthen behavioral health care for children and youth.

The new Center of Excellence is part of DHCS’s Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) initiative, which seeks to build a more coordinated, family-centered system of care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries under age 21. Through BH-CONNECT, DHCS is expanding access to behavioral health services, ensuring youth and families receive evidence-based practices that promote healing and stability.

UC Davis joins a network of statewide Behavioral Health Centers of Excellence that will provide training, technical assistance and fidelity monitoring for their respective evidence-based practices. To coordinate these efforts, DHCS has partnered with Health Management Associates, Inc. as the Administrative Entity overseeing implementation and collaboration among the Centers of Excellence.

“We are both thrilled and humbled by this opportunity,” said Nancy Hafer, director of the Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice. “This work represents a powerful continuation of our commitment to children, youth and families across California. We look forward to helping translate new policies into practices that keep families at the center.”

Building upon a Strong Foundation

The Resource Center’s longstanding partnership with the California Department of Social Services and its leadership in the California High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) model will form a cornerstone of the new Center of Excellence. California’s Wraparound approach—centered on individualized, family-driven care—will continue as a single statewide model supporting vulnerable children and families.

Supporting Systemwide Change

Through BH-CONNECT, DHCS is supporting eight evidence-based practices, including High Fidelity Wraparound, to be implemented with fidelity across the state. The UC Davis Center of Excellence will guide counties and providers through this transformation, with three core goals:

• Expand access to High Fidelity Wraparound for all youth under 21 who need intensive, family-centered care, regardless of system involvement.
• Simplify billing and sustainability through a bundled rate model launching in July 2026.
• Ensure statewide fidelity to practice standards so services are consistent and effective statewide.

Full fidelity to the model will be phased in by 2029, allowing time for thoughtful and coordinated implementation.

Moving Forward Together

While much of the implementation is still taking shape, UC Davis Human Services’ Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice is already building capacity and preparing to support counties and providers in this exciting next phase.

“We do not have all the answers yet,” Hafer added. “But we are here, we are listening, and we are moving forward together.”

For more information about the Behavioral Health Centers of Excellence and the BH-CONNECT initiative, visit https://bhcoe.dhcs.ca.gov.

For 45 years, UC Davis CPE’s Human Services department has advanced the university’s outreach mission by equipping human services professionals and organizations with training, consultation and research. Through workforce development, it strengthens agencies’ ability to support vulnerable communities, improving outcomes for children, adults and families in California and across the U.S.

For more than 65 years, UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education has blended the distinctive academic expertise of UC Davis with practical training designed to improve capability and job performance. With nearly 60,000 annual enrollments, UC Davis CPE serves lifelong learners in the growing Sacramento region, all 50 states, and more than 100 countries.