Parent to Parent

"Parent to parent support offers families the opportunity to not be alone. To find answers and support from others who have been there ahead of them".

         Jennifer, Reir's Mom

Caring for a child who has special health care needs or a disability is an experience that few parents anticipate and plan for and one that comes with many strong emotional responses and day-to-day challenges. 

  

Parent to Parent can be a valuable source of assistance and information for many parents of children with disabilities. It offers a unique form of assistance that is not typically met by the formal service system.  

Family Voices of Minnesota connects families with one another through one-to-one matches as a helpful method of providing support and information about needed services.  



If you would like to be connected to a trained support parent or become a Volunteer Support Parent please contact us here or by e-mail: P2P@familyvoicesofminnesota.org, or phone:  1-866-334-8444.

    

Research has shown that parent to parent peer support is an evidence based, essential component of health care. Several research studies attest to the efficacy of parent to parent   peer support as part of a program of comprehensive care for children and youth with special health care needs   or disabilities (CYSHCN).

 

Read more about the research of Parent to Parent.



Download
What Does the Research Say.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [165.9 KB]

What do parents say about Parent to Parent?

 

 

"The first time I felt less scared in this new world of specials needs was when we were connected to another family."

 

 

 

 

"There is empathy but not sympathy.  There is understanding but not pity."  

Download
The Importance of Parent to Parent.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [238.3 KB]

 

Family Voices of Minnesota's Parent to Parent program is the Minnesota member of the Parent to Parent USA Alliance.  We are committed to using the Parent to Parent USA endorsed practices for providing parent to parent support and information, based on over 30 years of parent to parent research.  To learn more about Parent to Parent USA:  http://www.p2pusa.org/p2pusa/sitepages/p2p-home.aspx.