🎙️ David Timpanaro, owner of Step Up Family Services, featured on the Wraparound the World Podcast!
We’re excited to share that David Timpanaro, owner of Step Up Family Services, was recently featured on the Wraparound the World podcast — a leading platform for conversations that strengthen mental health systems through community, collaboration, and the wraparound philosophy.
👉 Listen to the full episode below (open Spotify app to watch a video of the podcast) Click here
In this episode, the Wrap Brothers sit down with Ken from Innovia Circle and David from Step Up Family Services, two passionate wraparound champions from New Jersey, to explore what it truly means to support our “at-promise” youth.
đź’¬ Key themes from the episode include:
How to build stronger, more sustainable support systems for youth and families
The importance of community-based solutions and kinship
Innovative technologies that can elevate care coordination
New ways the wraparound process can evolve to meet modern needs
David brings his experience, compassion, and forward-thinking approach to the conversation, offering meaningful insight into how we can uplift youth by empowering the families and communities around them.
A huge thank-you to the Wraparound the World team for highlighting the work happening here in New Jersey and for creating space for important conversations that move our systems of care forward.
Family Court and the Unethical Practices
What secrets are family courts hiding???
Dr. David Timpanaro, CEO of Step Up Family Services connects with Catherine Jones to discuss Family Court. Dr. Timpanaro has been involved in this area of the field for over two decades.
It starts in a courtroom with no cameras, no public transcripts, and no clear accountability. But, behind those closed doors, a quiet pattern is repeating itself. According to Dr. David Timpanaro, the CEO of Step Up Family Services in New Jersey, in recent years, mothers are losing custody, and “experts” are profiting. And children? Well, they’re caught in the middle of it all. Welcome to family court.
Please read and share if it hits for you:
Behind Closed Doors: What Family Court Doesn’t Want You to See
It starts in a courtroom with no cameras, no public transcripts, and no clear accountability. But, behind those closed doors, a quiet pattern is repeating itself. According to Dr. David Timpanaro, the CEO of Step Up Family Services in New Jersey, in recent years, mothers are losing custody, and “experts” are profiting. And children? Well, they’re caught in the middle of it all. Welcome to family court.
A System Built on Silence
Timpanaro says he’s been in the family court trenches for decades, as a professional working within the system. He holds a PhD in multidisciplinary human services, with a focus on what he calls “practices around children and families.” His job is to create what he describes as “a wraparound plan to ensure the success of that child and family,” pulling together court systems, therapists, schools, and psychiatrists who, he explains, often don’t communicate at all. But the courts are not working as planned. And he says that what he has seen from inside that system is deeply troubling.
“You have children and families that have court involvement, psychiatry involvement, psychology involvement, school and IEP involvement, private therapist involvement, and none of these entities talk to each other,” he says.
In fact, he says he has noticed a concerning and recurring issue in the past decade: the courts have turned against mothers. And that breakdown opens the door for unethical practices, often hurting the very people the system is designed to protect. What may seem shocking to the public is just routine in the family court world, he says. One example is a case unfolding in Jesup, Georgia, where a child has been removed from her mother’s home completely, without due process.
“It’s not unusual,” Timpanaro says.
Experts Without Oversight
Timpanaro believes real change must include transparency, retraining, and oversight. Because the stakes are too high. “These professionals thrive in a system that’s fractured,” he says.
“They can manipulate things, and there’s almost no oversight. Judges rely too heavily on their word, even when those so-called experts are acting unethically. That’s dangerous.”
The emotional toll runs deep, not only for the parents caught in the system, but for the children whose futures hang in the balance.
“When I entered family court, I believed it was about truth and justice. I quickly learned it was about business transactions,” Tina Swithin, founder of the advocacy organization One Mom’s Battle, writes. “To the system, your life is another case file, another hearing, another line on the docket. It is inhumane and calloused. … Expecting justice or fairness in family court is like searching for an avocado in a hardware store.”
The Rise of the Pink Sign Protest
Still, there is hope. Across the country, concerned mothers and other victims of family court are stepping out of the shadows. They’re showing up with hot pink signs and undeniable stories.
“There’s hope in that,” he says. “Once people start pulling back the curtain, it’s hard to unsee what’s really going on.”
The signs are part of a growing national, grassroots movement to bring awareness to the country’s family court system. Recently featured on the WPLG’s World News segment, the hot pink sign movement started with a handful of mothers demanding visibility and has since grown into a national symbol of protest and survival.
The Pink Signs That Say Everything
From front yards in Georgia to sidewalks in California, the hot pink signs with children’s photos are raising awareness, one family court case at a time. Much like the pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness, these signs are turning a spotlight on a crisis that has long remained hidden for years. Each sign carries the message that something is deeply wrong inside the nation’s family court system.
Timpanaro and a growing network of advocates believe these signs will awaken the public to the need for urgent reform. They see them as the start of a national reckoning. The hot pink signs force the country to ask a long-overdue question: what happens when the system meant to protect families becomes the one that tears them apart?
Collaborating for successful ABA and Mental Health goals!
The Power of Wraparound Collaboration: Transforming Mental Health and ABA Services
At Step Up Family Services, we believe that healing and growth don’t happen in isolation—they happen through connection. That’s why we champion the wraparound model: a collaborative, family-centered approach that brings together a team of professionals, caregivers, and community supports to create a unified plan for each individual’s success.
What Is Wraparound Collaboration?
Wraparound collaboration is more than just a buzzword—it’s a structured, holistic approach to care. Originally developed to support children with complex emotional and behavioral needs, the wraparound model ensures that all service providers—mental health therapists, ABA specialists, educators, and family members—work together toward shared goals 1.
At the heart of this model is a dedicated care coordinator who ensures communication flows smoothly between all parties. This person helps align strategies, track progress, and adjust plans as needed, ensuring that the individual’s needs remain front and center.
Why It Matters in Mental Health and ABA Services
Mental health and ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) services often intersect, especially for children and adolescents with autism, ADHD, anxiety, or trauma-related challenges. Without collaboration, these services can become fragmented—leading to confusion, inconsistent strategies, and missed opportunities for progress.
Here’s how wraparound collaboration makes a difference:
Consistency Across Environments: When ABA therapists and mental health counselors share insights and strategies, children receive consistent support at home, in school, and in therapy sessions.
Family Empowerment: Families are not just passive recipients of care—they’re active members of the team. Wraparound planning ensures their voices are heard and their strengths are leveraged.
Faster, More Sustainable Progress: Unified goals and coordinated interventions reduce redundancy and accelerate growth.
Crisis Prevention and Response: With a team in place, families have a built-in support network ready to respond to challenges before they escalate.
Real Impact, Real Stories
At Step Up Family Services, we’ve seen firsthand how wraparound collaboration transforms lives. Whether it’s a child learning to regulate emotions more effectively or a family finally feeling supported and understood, the outcomes speak for themselves.
One parent shared:
“My daughter currently receives services through Step Up and we could not be happier. They have gone above and beyond and consistently exceed our expectations. My team is amazing and I cannot thank them enough for their continued support.”
Our Commitment to Holistic, Family-Centered Care
With locations in Brick and Parsippany, NJ, our team of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), licensed therapists, and care coordinators are dedicated to providing personalized, wraparound support. Whether through in-home ABA therapy, outpatient counseling, or diagnostic services, we’re here to walk alongside you—every step of the way.
Ready to experience the difference of wraparound care?
Contact us today to learn how we can build a support team tailored to your family’s needs.
