Parent Peer Specialist Program
Wisconsin Family Ties Parent Peer Program links trained parent peer specialists (PPSs) with parents who, for a variety of reasons, need help and hope. Our PPSs are parents or primary caregivers of children with social, emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges. They use their experience and training to help families navigate the complex systems that serve children.

Parent Peer Support Works
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Percentage of parents who indicate that they are better advocates for their child since connecting with the parent peer specialist
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Percentage of parents who note that they are more capable of dealing with service systems since connecting with the parent peer specialist
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Percentage of parents who indicate that the peer specialist effectively advocates for the child [models behavior]
Wide Array of Services
Parent peer specialist provide comprehensive services designed to meet a family’s needs. These services are distinctly different and extend beyond those provided by other county or school-based services like parent coach, family navigator parent aide, or other forms of family support. The wide array of services provided by our Parent Peer Specialists may include:
- Supplying information so families can better understand and participate in the systems serving their children
- Helping families get their needs met
- Giving emotional support and guidance through a maze of services
- Helping families to identify strategies that they can use in their homes to reduce conflict and encourage prosocial behavior
- Helping families to identify and implement strategies to develop collaborative working relationships with the systems that serve them
- Acting as an objective liaison between families, schools, case managers and service providers
- Advocating for filling gaps in services and supports that can help a child flourish
- Ensuring that school plans are effective and appropriate
- Providing telephone support at times needed by families
- Offering hope and encouragement in challenging times
- Helping families become better advocates for their children
Fostering Empowerment
The Parent Peer Specialist Program supports parents raising children with emotional / behavioral challenges by fostering parent empowerment. Increased parent empowerment1 is correlated with improved child behavior and academic outcomes, enhanced child-parent relations, improved mental health treatment completion, and decreased parental stress2.
The Parent Peer Specialist program fosters empowerment through the creation of a one-to-one relationship between a parent-in-need and a trained veteran parent who understands the parent’s needs due to shared experiences. Support and information are provided; independence is fostered.
1Empowerment: “…the ongoing capacity of individuals or groups to act on their own behalf to achieve a greater measure of control over their lives and destinies” (Staples, 1990, p. 30) within the dimensions of levels and expressions (Koren, DeChillo, & Friesen, 1992).
2E.g. (Chacko et al., 2009; Kazdin & Wassell, 2000; Ruffolo, Kuhn, & Evans, 2006.)
Parent Peer Specialist Code of Ethics
The primary responsibilities of parent peer specialists are to promote the wellbeing of the families with whom they work, to promote family-driven practices that focus on strengths as part of the solution, and to ensure families and youth participate as partners in all aspects of their care. Our code of ethics serves to guide them in their roles, relationships, and professional responsibilities.
Request Services
If you or someone you know can benefit from the support we provide, please know that anyone can make a referral for our services. Simply complete our Request WFT Services online form or contact our Connection Coordinator and we will make every effort to reply within two to three business days.
Connections Coordinator
connect@wifamilyties.org
Phone: 608-267-6800, Ext. 1
Address
Wisconsin Family Ties
16 N. Carroll St., Ste. 230
Madison, WI 53703
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Supporting families & changing lives by improving children's mental health.
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Supporting families & changing lives by improving children's mental health.
Address
Wisconsin Family Ties
16 N. Carroll St., Ste. 230
Madison, WI 53703