Parent Partner Program Services

The County of San Mateo’s Human Services Agency’s (HSA) aims to enhance the well-being of children, adults, and families by providing professional, responsive, caring, and supportive services. HSA's Children and Family Services (CFS) programs protect the welfare of children, improve the lifelong stability of children and youth, and improve the health and strength of families. CFS helps families understand and solve the issues that lead to child neglect, abuse, or exploitation, and includes services in adoption, foster care, childcare, foster youth transition support, and child protection services. CFS recognizes a critical need for additional support to parents currently navigating the child welfare system. The identified challenge is the limited availability of resources and guidance for these parents, potentially hindering their ability to enhance parenting skills, achieve family reunification, and reduce the risk of future abuse or neglect. The proposed solution is the implementation of a “parent partner” program that leverages the expertise of individuals who have successfully overcome similar challenges. Parent partners have four key functions: (1) to ensure parents are equal partners, if not leaders, in the development and implementation of their behaviorally-based service plans, case plans, and treatment plans; (2) to represent the needs and perspectives of parents to internal and external stakeholders and decision makers within the system of care; (3) to ensure that parents have access to a comprehensive array of prevention and support services that meet their individual needs and increase family engagement; and (4) to ensure that these services are family-centered; easily accessible; respectful of cultural, ethnic, and other community characteristics; and stigma free. Parent partners instill hope, promote self-advocacy, connect families to services, and promote an agency culture shift to one that engages authentically with families. Evidence is emerging that parent partner programs are effective in helping families to reunify more quickly and help in reducing incidents of re-entry. Parent partner programs are an essential strategy to promote engagement and increase reunification among families and children that are involved in the child welfare system. The principal goal of Parent partners is to help parent clients gain awareness of their rights and responsibilities, and to assist parents toward reunification with their children.