Spring
2002 Newsletter | to Bottom of page Links
Family Support Updates
The future belongs
to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
In 1976,
a small group of parents gathered in a Chittenden County living room to
support each other and share in the dream of creating a peer support network
for parents of children with special health needs in Vermont. This
same dream was shared by parents in living rooms across the country and
sparked the first Parent to Parent conference 25 years ago. Currently,
there are over 650 local and statewide Parent to Parent programs in the
U.S. serving over 100,000 families. Four of our staff members attended
the 11th Biennial International Conference in Philadelphia in April and
had an opportunity to see firsthand the growth of Parent to Parent programs
around the world and see where we fit into this evolution.
Parent
to Parent of Vermont is one of the oldest Parent to Parent programs in
the country serving over 3,400 families and 239 Supporting Parents statewide.
At the heart of Parent to Parent of Vermont are the trained and experienced
Supporting Parents who are carefully matched in one-to-one relationships
with parents who are newly referred to the program. The Supporting
Parents are able to provide a unique form of support that only another
parent who "has been there" can. A good match based on diagnosis,
age of the child, and/or interest can help the parent being supported feel
less stressed, more confident, less isolated, and more hopeful about the
future (Singer, et al, 1999).
What is now proved was once
only imagined.
- William Blake
Parent
to Parent programs have made great strides from the early days. National
surveys have provided programs with a snapshot of the services offered
to families, the scope of support, information about staffing and budgets,
and numbers of families served each year. The efficacy of Parent
to Parent support has been evaluated in a 3-year national study.
Vermont was one of five sites chosen to participate in this study of 400
parents. The study found that Parent to Parent support increases
parents' acceptance of their situation and their sense of being able to
cope. It also indicates that the more contacts Referred Parents have
with their Supporting Parents the more satisfied they are with the support
they receive. Based on this national study, Parent to Parent of Vermont
continues to stress the importance of "perceived sameness" between the
parents and at least four contacts with the Referred Parent in all of our
training of Supporting Parents. After being inspired at the International
Conference, we are exploring new and innovative ways to recruit, train
and support our Supporting Parents.
At first dreams seem impossible,
then improbable, then inevitable.
- Christopher Reeve
Now,
26 years after that first gathering of families, Parent to Parent of Vermont
has a strong network of peer support. Hundreds of families call our
central office each month for information and referrals to local resources,
guidance in navigating the healthcare financing system, assistance with
conference funding or flexible funding from The Brookes Baker Family Support
Fund, peer support from our Family Support coordinators, or a one-to-one
match with a Supporting Parent. ª
Parent Focus:
Supporting
Parents often move on to become a member of our Family Faculty, our local
contact for outlying regions of the state, or our "go to" person when we
are conducting trainings or parent evenings around the state. One
such "go to" parent in our network is Betty Morse of Franklin County.
Betty has been connected with Parent to Parent of Vermont for at least
five years and has been a Supporting Parent for four years. Like
so many of our Supporting Parents, Betty is closely involved in many activities
within her community. Although she is funded for 10 hours per week
as a Family Support Parent of the Family Center of Northwest Vermont, Betty
easily tops 40 hours per week with community work. In addition to
acting as a Supporting Parent, Betty is the Parent Co-Chair of the Franklin
County Early Childhood Advisory Council, the Parent Chair of the
CUPS project in Franklin/ Grand Isle, participates on the Continuum of
Care Task Force at the Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen, participates
in the Joshua Project and on the FITP Regional Team for Franklin/Grand
Isle. In addition to all of the community work, Betty parents her
beautiful daughter, Caitlyn.
Betty
recently participated in a pilot project of Parent to Parent when she co-led
a Supporting Parent Training. Recognizing the importance of having
a local presence when we are in the community, the Family Support team
has created an opportunity for a long-time Supporting Parent to co-lead
a training. When we identified the St. Albans training as the one
at which to have a Supporting Parent as a co-facilitator, Betty was a natural
choice. The St. Albans training was a success and the presence of
a local Supporting Parent brought a fresh perspective. Betty had
an instant connection with many parents in the room, she brought a higher
level of knowledge of the local resources, and was a role model for all
Supporting Parents with regards to leadership. It is parents like
Betty who bring the depth and richness of our work alive each day. ©
Reunited!
In
1998, Betty Morse (left) and Jody Sherr-Dulude were connected in what both
agree was a great match. On March 13th, they were reunited at the Supporting
Parent training in Williston. Their initial excitement at seeing each other
quickly settled into a time to catch up and reminisce about their match.
Betty and Jody's special bond and story highlight the importance of our
peer support match program. ©
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