Peer Partners is the overarching term that encompasses youth partners, parent partners and peers with lived experience. However, each county uses different terms for these peer roles. There are various terms and titles used to describe the roles and individuals who align and partner with parents, family members, Tribes, caregivers, resource parents, and youth to provide support, advocacy, and encouragement.
Peer Partners in Systems of Care
Peer partners are individuals with lived experience in systems of care such as child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health and behavioral health. They are essential members of service teams, working alongside families, youth and professionals to provide support, guidance and advocacy. Their unique perspective, gained through personal experiences, allows them to foster trust, empower individuals and promote positive outcomes.
- What is a Peer Partner?
- A peer partner is someone who has navigated one or more public systems of care and now uses their firsthand experience to support others going through similar challenges. Peer partners serve as mentors, advocates and guides, offering emotional support and practical advice to those they work with. Their role is rooted in empathy, understanding and a shared journey, allowing them to build meaningful connections with families and youth.
Peer partners come in various roles, including youth partners and parent partners, each with their distinct focus but unified by their commitment to family-driven and youth-guided care. - What is a Youth Partner?
- Youth partners are young adults who have personally experienced systems like child welfare, juvenile justice, or mental health services. They bring their knowledge and insights from navigating these systems to support and empower other youth facing similar challenges. Youth partners provide a voice for young people in service planning, ensuring that their perspectives are heard and respected.
Youth partners work closely with youth to help them identify and express their needs, advocate for their rights, and engage actively in their own care plans. Through mentorship, they assist in developing life skills, building resilience, and fostering self-advocacy. Their role is not just about guidance; it’s about partnership, working alongside youth to help them navigate systems and reach their full potential.
In addition to personal experience, youth partners may serve in a variety role such as organizational leadership, training facilitation, mentorship, direct service, program development, bill analysis, ongoing professional trainings, and direction/feedback for continuous quality improvement. - What is a Parent Partner?
- Parent partners are caregivers, often mothers or fathers, who have firsthand experience in navigating systems such as child welfare, juvenile probation, or behavioral health services. They have successfully navigated these systems and now use their experiences to support other parents who are currently involved in them. Parent Partners understand the challenges and emotions parents face when engaging with these systems and provide valuable guidance, empathy, and support.
Parent partners work directly with families to help them understand and navigate the services available to them. They offer insights into how systems operate and help families build on their strengths to create successful outcomes for their children. Parent partners are key advocates for family-focused care, ensuring that families have a voice in decision-making and that their needs are addressed in a respectful and supportive manner.
Parent partners are crucial in promoting collaboration between families and service providers, helping to bridge gaps in communication and understanding, and ensuring that family-centered principles are embedded in all aspects of care.
Learn More and Explore
Courses
The Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice peer partner program provides a variety of trainings designed to train professional peer representatives in Wraparound programs, child welfare and child abuse prevention.
ECHO Peer Partner
The ECHO model is a collaborative learning approach that values the collective wisdom of participants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. In this model, individuals come together to share their knowledge, insights and ideas, creating a supportive environment where everyone can both teach and learn. Through facilitated discussions, case-based learning and peer-to-peer interactions, participants collaborate to enhance their expertise and problem-solving skills, empowering them to lead positive, sustainable change in their communities.
Coaching and Technical Assistance
The California Department of Social Services, in partnership with the Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice, offers best practice implementation consultation to county agencies and service providers who are part of the California Children and Youth System of Care.
Focused Sessions: Peer Certification
If you are interested in, or are currently seeking Peer Certification, please consider attending a Peer Certification Focused Session! These sessions provide a structured space to ask questions, receive guidance, and collaborate with your peers. Previous attendees have gained test-taking skills and learned how to unpack questions to find the right answers, which ultimately helped them pass their certification. Our peer instructor is also available to answer questions and assist in navigating the certification process itself, providing direct support throughout your journey.
These sessions are led by an experienced instructor who has successfully navigated and passed the certification process. Lorena Molina is an experienced professional in behavioral health, child welfare and parent support. She is an Instructor at UC Davis and a senior parent partner at Riverside University Health Systems Behavioral Health. Drawing from her personal experience raising three children with behavioral challenges, she advocates for individualized family support and services. Certified as a Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist and holding an AA in Substance Abuse Counseling, Molina actively participates in state and county committees. She also volunteers as a youth minister, emphasizing her commitment to supporting families and communities within the child welfare and mental health systems.
The Peer Support Specialist Certification Act of 2020 establishes statewide training standards for peer support specialists and recognizes peer services as eligible for Medi-Cal reimbursement, enabling participating counties to receive matching federal funds through county mental health plans and substance use disorder plans (behavioral health plans).
These Focused Sessions are sponsored by the UC Davis Parent Partner Advisory Committee, in partnership with the California Department of Social Services.
Focused Sessions: Peer Certification (2024):
These sessions are designed for full attendance during the entire two-hour timeframe. Participants will engage in direct instruction, gain valuable tools and tips, participate in a Q&A segment and receive real-time technical support. Your full presence ensures you can fully benefit from all aspects of the session, from the initial guidance to the hands-on assistance provided throughout.