Process to Hire, Train & Support a Parent Support Partner in Your Community

STEP ONE:

Community Mental Health Agencies interested in bringing Parent Support Partner(s) to their community can begin the process by completing the following to start the process:

• PSP Organizational Readiness Plan

The completed, saved document should then be forward to Kelly Bailey, Parent Support Partner Statewide Coordinator at kbailey@acmh-mi.org.

After the Organizational Readiness Plan is received, reviewed and accepted the agency is approved to move on to step two.

Note: Communities hiring additional PSPs do not need to complete the Organizational Readiness Plan again unless there have been changes in model implementation or hiring practices. In this case, contact Kelly Bailey at  kbailey@acmh-mi.org to indicate interest in having additional Parent Support Partners in their community.

STEP TWO:

The following documents must be submitted in order to register your Parent Support Partner to attend the three-day training and start the certification process:

Forms to be completed & submitted by CMH personnel:

• PSP Registration Form
• PSP Supervisor Contact Information-fillable
• PSP-YPS Hiring Agreement

Forms to completed by each Parent Support Partner:

* An agency must hire the Parent Support Partner/s prior to the start of their certification process. If you need help with this step please contact Kelly Bailey at kbailey@acmh-mi.org. 

• Media Release Emergency Contact Form
  • This form should be submitted to ACMH at least two weeks prior to training
• PSP Timeline form w-directions_sample
  • Each PSP should complete this form and submit it to ACMH at least two weeks prior to training and bring a copy to the training.
• Parent Support Partner Pre-training Questionnaire
  • Each PSP should complete this form and submit it to ACMH at least two weeks prior to training.

What is involved in the PSP Certification process?

The Parent Support Partner certification model requires 100% attendance and participation in 5 full days of classroom training, 11 months of individual & group coaching, and a minimum of three Quarterly Professional Development/Technical Assistance (PD/TA) meetings by the PSP.

Classroom training topics include: Family Driven & Youth Guided Care, Cultural Competency, Confidentiality, Mandated Reporting, HIPAA, Boundaries, Roles and Function of Parent Support Partners, Benefits of the Service, SMART Goals, Parent-Professional Partnerships and System of Care and an overview of child and family service systems.

Monthly group coaching calls are facilitated by a member of the training and coaching team and offer an opportunity to teach, share, and demonstrate competencies through dialogue and consultation. Individual coaching is also available upon request from the PSP or recommendation from the Coach, PSP Statewide Coordinator, Family Organization Supervisor or CMH Supervisor. Individual coaching is used to refine skills in specific skill areas and provide targeted technical assistance related to particularly challenging need areas.

Professional Development & Technical Assistance Meetings are held quarterly and Parent Support Partners meet face to face for on-going learning. These quarterly meetings provide an opportunity for networking with other PSPs, technical assistance around barriers with implementation of the model with families and professionals.

Supervision of Parent Support Partners is provided by a CMH Qualified Mental Health Provider who:

• Has direct knowledge and contact with families receiving PSP services
• Provides clinical direction related to treatment goals
• Supports clinical staff to integrate PSPs into treatment team, development of goals, etc.

Expectations of Community Mental Health Service Provider who wish to employ Parent Support Partners:

• Employ directly or contract with a Family Organization to employ family members to become Parent Support Partners
• Identify a supervisor with the CMHSP to oversee the PSP
• Provide individual clinical supervision to the PSP
• Complete required paperwork and/or data collection/evaluation
• Training and on-going support and development for agency staff to integrate family members within the workforce
• Provide funds and resources necessary to implement PSP services including:
  • Transportation and lodging for trainings and quarterly PD/TA meetings
  • Personnel time for trainings, quarterly PD/TA meetings, coaching, and on-going evaluation
  • Access to computer with internet access, phone, copy machine and fax, workspace

Key Expectations of the Program:

The Parent Support Partner Service is an intervention-based service attached to a treatment goal.

Parent Support Partners will be integrated into the treatment team and be an identified service within the Person Centered Plan to provide support, information, skill development, and resources to families to accomplish the treatment goals being targeted.

Parent Support Partners will work in partnership with the therapist and treatment team to assist families, bridge the relationship between parent and professional and support family & youth voice.

If You Need More Information:

For information about upcoming training dates for Parent Support Partners click here. To learn more about the Parent Support Partner Certification process or to learn how to bring the Parent Support Partner service to your area, contact Kelly Bailey, Statewide Coordinator Parent Support Partner at kbailey@acmh-mi.org.