The Benefits of Family Peer Support – Let’s Examine the Evidence
In this presentation, participants learned the definition of family peer support, the foundation of family peer support and how this practice has emerged over the years from a grass roots, volunteer service to a stand-alone, effective service for parents within any child-serving system. During this presentation, participants were exposed to research that has shown the benefits of family peer support as a service delivery component, its cost effectiveness, and the return on investment. Additionally, participants will understand the benefits of this type of support to parents raising children who are receiving services. Benefits of empowerment, increased self-efficacy, reduction of stress and increased capacity to handle the stressors of raising a child experiencing emotional, behavioral, mental, physical, and medical health care needs as well as the development of family networks, as families meet other families with similar circumstances will be explored. The presenters will share a variety of roles that family peers play in the support of families across the country.