Parents of children with disabilities or chronic illness need extra support. The parents may feel ashamed, guilty or different from other people because they have a child with disabilities. These feelings can isolate them from their families and friends when they need their support most. The premise of Parent to Parent support is that veteran parents (called Parent Partners) of children with disabilities are trained and matched to provide emotional support to parents that have children just receiving a diagnosis.

Since 1985, Parent to Parent of Virginia has provided training to parents on how to be a Parent Partner, has promoted best practice in Parent to Parent support, and has provided technical assistance to parents, agencies and organizations that want to start a local Parent to Parent family support program. Today, there are hundreds of trained Parent Partners and many local Parent to Parent programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

When parents call Parent to Parent of Virginia seeking a parent to talk to, or an IEP advocate, they are first directed to their local Parent to Parent program. If none exists, Parent to Parent of Virginia staff will use all of their connections to contact existing parent networks and disability organizations to locate a parent match or match the parent with Parent to Parent of Virginia staff.

When a parent or agency requests assistance with starting a local Parent to Parent program, they are requested to pull together a planning team comprised of committed parents, agency staff, and key community leaders if appropriate. Organizational development materials are sent and once the planning team has had a chance to review them, Parent to Parent of Virginia staff meet with the planning team to map out steps to implement their program.

Best Practices for Parent to Parent Support

Parent to Parent of Virginia endorses the following best practices for Parent to Parent Support.

Glossary of Terms

• Matching - The act of formally connecting one parent to another parent for the purpose of receiving emotional and informational support. Formal matching involves connecting a parent to a support parent who has received training and ongoing support from a Parent Matching Program.
  
• Parent to Parent Matching Program - Programs that formally match a parent whose child has special needs to an experienced, veteran Parent Partner.
  
• Parent Partner - Parents with children or youth who have special needs who have participated in specific skill-building or training session(s) in preparation for their role as a veteran Parent Partner.
  
• Referred Parent - Parents with children or youth who have special needs who request to talk to another parent with similar experiences for the purpose of emotional and information support.
  

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  Best Practice
  Match

  • Criteria for the match are driven by the concerns, needs and priorities of the referred parent.
  • Matches are made within 24 hours of request*
  • The person facilitating the training coordinates the matches.
  • Parent Partner makes at least 4 contact within the first 8 weeks of receiving the match  

  Parent Matching Program

  • Directed/coordinated by parent(s) of child(ren) or youth who have special needs
  • Has the capacity and/or ability to match families with diverse experiences including but not limited to ethnicity, culture, race, language, socio-economic, disability and other child/family related factors.
  • Provides support to match as needed

  Parent Partner

  • Parent of child or youth with special needs
  • Completed skill-building parent partner training(s) (*see Parent to Parent of Virginia products below)
  • Complies with program requirements regarding availability to Support Program
  • Participates in program evaluation

  Referred Parent

  • Parent of a child or youth with special needs voluntarily comes to program requesting match
  • Determines criteria for match
  • Participates in program evaluation

  Components of Parent Partner Training

  • Self reflection to determine ability to support another
  • Active listening and supportive communication skills
  • Grief and adjustment cycle
  • Understanding of Community Resources
  • Understanding of parent matching program/protocol
  • Confidentiality
  • Role playing newly acquired skills

    *This is a best practice programs continue to strive for as promoted by Parent to Parent USA.

  Products developed by Parent to Parent of Virginia can be found below. More information on the Parent to Parent model and Parent to Parent programs across the country can be found at Parent to Parent USA's website (www.p2pusa.org). Parent to Parent of Virginia serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the national Parent to Parent office.
  

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  Products:
  

  • Guidelines to Starting a Parent to Parent Program (1999)
    Informational documentation for organizations considering family support program options. It includes the basics such as: Sponsorship, Funding, Leadership, Getting started, Recruitment and Training, Referring and Matching, and other important information. It also includes Sample Brochures, Budgets, Letters, and Forms from local Parent to Parent programs. TO ORDER
    
    
  • Parent to Parent: Train the Trainers Manual (Revised 2000) TO ORDER
    The original Parent to Parent, Parent Partner Training and Resource Manual. It contains information in eight sections:
    
    • Preparing for the parent to partner workshop
    • Introduction to Parent to Parent
    • Role of parent partners
    • The grief cycle
    • Maltreatment of children with special needs
    • Stress Management and coping skills
    • Communication skills
    • Resources and exercises

     

  • Parent to Parent: An Organizational Development Primer (2001) TO ORDER
    Once an organization has made the commitment to start a Parent to Parent program, the Organizational Development Primer is a guide for step-by-step process to develop their Parent to Parent program. It includes checklists and steps on vision and mission statements, board development, volunteer management, public relations, collaboration, fundraising, budgets and program evaluation.

Parent to Parent of Virginia provides training on a number of topics related to supporting families with children with disabilities. In addition to the Parent to Parent model, other topics include: sharing your family story; person-centered planning; understanding health insurance; the basics of Medicaid and Medicaid Waivers; preschool inclusion; IFSP/IEP advocacy; and self-determination. For more information, click here.

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