The purpose of this study, the Family Experience Study, was to record experiences of families not captured by standard quantitative measures utilizing open-ended questions that allowed families to tell their stories in their own words. This qualitative study was conceived and carried out by family members who received wraparound services and participated in a Community Evaluation Team with the guidance and support of professional evaluators. Trained family members conducted structured interviews with 40 caregivers of children who completed wraparound through a collaborative community initiative aimed at creating a sustainable system of care for families with children affected by serious emotional disturbance. Interviews were recorded on audiotape, transcribed, and subjected to qualitative analysis. Key factors important to families emerged from these interviews that parallel and support the underlying principles of system of care such as collaborative, strengths based, youth and family driven, community based, individualized, and culturally competent.