Summary of Position
A Parent Mentor is a trained volunteer parent of a child with special needs. He/she will perform those duties that are outlined below.
Family Support
Parent Mentors will be utilized by the regional Parent Liaisons for the sole purpose of providing peer support to families. We define peer support as encouragement, moral support and empathetic sharing between the trained Parent Mentor and the referred family. Our hope is to help families feel less isolated and more confident about themselves though the relationship that is established. This approach assumes that families who have experienced disability can better understand and relate to individuals trying to deal with their own family member's disability.
As a Parent Mentor, beyond your one-on-one conversations, you may refer families to other forms of peer support such as:
- Local Support Groups
- Play Groups
- Parent's Nights Out
- Special Needs Ministries
Outreach
As leaders in your community, you likely have many opportunities to connect with families formally and informally through your family's daily life. As a Parent Mentor you will be asked to refer other parents from your community, who would benefit from information and support, to the Parent Liaison serving your cluster. This referral will be made by giving contact information for the Parent Liaison serving the local area. As a result of the family's contact with a Parent Liaison, families may be referred back to you or to another Parent Mentor to offer peer support if this is something that is requested or needed.
Reporting
Parent Mentors will be asked to report when a match is progressing. No other reporting will be required.