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Latest Statewide News
March 12, 2008
County Family Advocacy Spotlight- The Advocacy Alliance Starts Family Peer Advocacy Program
Founded as a Mental Health Association in Lackawanna County in 1955 the Advocacy Alliance presently provides an array of community based programs and supports for individuals, families, professionals and others in over 30 counties in Northeastern, Eastern and Central Pennsylvania. Their mission is to promote mental well-being, support Recovery for adults who have a mental illness, Resiliency in children and adolescents who have emotional disorders and Everyday Lives for persons who have mental retardation and other developmental disabilities and provide to them advocacy and culturally competent services. The Alliance is committed to consumer and family empowerment and has started the Family Peer Advocacy Program in Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wayne Counties to increase families’ access to advocacy, especially peer advocacy. The children’s advocacy staff at the Alliance developed this program based on the model that PA uses for adult Certified Peer Specialists, which is now a Medical Assistance funded mental health service.
What are Family Peer Advocates?
The Family Peer Advocates (FPAs) are adult family members of children with behavioral health needs who are trained and paid by the Advocacy Alliance to support other families advocating for their children’s needs in the Children’s Systems of Care. Donna Tuttle, a family advocate who joined the Advocacy Alliance originally to do Family Satisfaction Surveys, was the first Family Peer Advocate and has now been joined by Mary Sherwin.
The Alliance provides all trainings, ongoing supervision and support for parents/guardians to become FPAs. The families bring their own expertise and understanding in addition to the specific trainings provided by the Alliance. These trainings include: advocacy; child serving systems; education law; mediation skills; meeting facilitation; and how to represent families. FPAs provide one on one support to parents/guardians, helping them understand PA’s children’s mental health system, as well as other child systems that interact with children and they can accompany families to interagency and school meetings as requested, or just assist and support someone by phone. FPAs are supported by the Alliance’s Children’s and Family Mental Health Advocate. FPAs also work at the system level, representing the family’s perspective at meetings and trainings. For example, FPAs have provided trainings for the Shawnee Children’s Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility and for Regional Children and Youth new staff. The FPAs also participate on the Alliance’s "Family Advisory Board" to review HealthChoices Consumer/Family Satisfaction Team surveys and reports.
Why are Family Peer Advocates Important?
Many parents and guardians become quite skilled in understanding the children’s systems' by the time their children are in the mental health system for a few years, and families know best what support families need. Family Peer Advocates can use their experiences and knowledge to help other families navigate the complex children’s system of care- mental health, juvenile justice, children and youth, drug and alcohol, and educational services. Additionally, parents of children receiving such services are key to the advisory process for the child serving systems of care in Pennsylvania. The Family Peer Advocates Program supports families with training and funding to effectively participate in systems level planning.
Ongoing Recruitment
To recruit families and introduce the FPA program, the Advocacy Alliance presented at public trainings for parents/guardians, the Lackawanna- Susquehanna CASSP County Committee meeting and Children and Youth Services. There is an ongoing need for parent recruits, and they do public training every about 6 months. They have also opened their training to other counties who do not have family peer advocates.
Families interested in becoming a Peer Advocate should contact Donna Tuttle at the Advocacy Alliance for more information. Families must be able to have a child abuse clearance, an interest in helping others (even providers) and be a team player. The FPAs may work from home by phone, and do not have to drive, but they must attend training and staffing. The Advocacy Alliance has a mission of respect, so applicants need to be non-confrontational, interested in learning the child serving systems and committed to being a resource for the community.
How to Access the Program
The Family Peer Advocates are part of the larger advocacy services offered to families from the Advocacy Alliance. The Alliance has a toll free phone number, 1-877-315-6855 so anyone in the state may call and get information, support and referrals, but their advocates only attend meetings in Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wayne Counties. You can visit their website for more information at www.theadvocacyalliance.org.
There are no eligibility requirements or cost for people to use these services, which are also open to agencies.
County Supportis Critical
The Lackawanna – Susquehanna County Mental Health/Mental Retardation Program is primarily responsible for the Family Peer Advocacy Program and is consistently supportive of the Alliance’s children’s advocacy. Wayne County also is a funding source for part of the Child and Family Advocacy Program.