Two national groups, the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health (FFCMH) and the United States Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) have joined together to study the effectiveness and design of family advocacy work, which was first introduced 30 years ago, across the country.  At the end of their study, they will provide recommendations for protecting and expanding the best of family-to-family support work.

FFCMH and SAMSHA have created the Nation Initiative for Parent Support Providers to conduct research on family peer advocacy providers and what is needed to support this work. Please visit the Initiative website to review current activities, including analysis of recent research.

The Initiative has convened family advocates and researchers to form the Parent Partner Assessment Workgroup (PPAW).  This workgroup gathered information about the state of family-to-family support and found there is a significant lack of research and standardization of family peer advocacy, which makes it hard to determine:

  • Specific benefits of family peer advocacy services;
  • Understanding of what family peer advocacy services are;
  • The ability to determine if families peer advocates are providing quality, competent services.

Next Steps

Last spring, the Initiative announced the following goals:

  • To standardize basic eligibility criteria for Parent Support Partners;
  • To identify core competencies of Parent Support Partners;
  • To identify criteria for the interventions and services they provide;
  • To develop standards and capacity for national professional certification;
  • To see the establishment of a national association of Parent Support Providers;
  • To continue to contribute to the field’s capacity to evaluate family-to-family peer support services.

Based on these findings, SAMSHA has agreed to fund a new initiative to:

  • Convene and facilitate a Parent Support Partner Advisory Committee;
  • Develop and disseminate sample training materials and core job descriptions, roles and responsibilities for family peer advocates;
  • Develop basic eligibility criteria for family-to-family support providers;
  • Draft Parent Support Providers’ standards needed for national certification.

Editors Note:

Pennsylvania currently funds family advocate projects in 30 counties. These advocates receive training and support through a variety of formal and informal networks.  They provide multi-system advocacy to families and contribute to local and state level child policy planning and oversight. Almost all are staffed by family-peer advocates.  Additionally, there are two new family-peer support services being developed as part of demonstration projects in the state. The Hi-Fidelity Wraparound Initiatives have family-peer support and are being piloted in early implementer counties (Allegheny, Beaver, Bucks Chester, Erie, Fayette, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northumberland). The PA System of Care Partnership will also fund family-peer support in 15 counties to be chosen over the next few years as System of Care counties. Both of these new family-peer positions will be funded through Medical Assistance and will have training and oversight.