What is Parent to Parent Matching?
Parent to Parent of NYS offers a parent of a person with a developmental disability or special health care need the opportunity to be connected one-to-one with another parent who knows first-hand about the feelings and realities that come with having a family member with a disability or chronic illness. Through the one-to-one match the experienced support parent provides emotional support to the referred parent and assists them in finding information and resources. Research on parent to parent programs indicates:
- Parent to Parent support increases parents’ sense of being able to cope.
- Parent to Parent support increases parents’ acceptance of their situation.
- Parent to Parent helps parents make progress on the need they present when they first contact a Parent to Parent program.
- Over 80% of parents find Parent to Parent support to be helpful.
Parents are matched, based on their request, with a trained Support Parent who has a child with a similar disability, chronic illness, health care concern or to help with parenting issues. Matches are available for those with young children and those parenting adult sons and daughters. Matches are also made for grandparent or sibling caregivers, foster/adoptive parents, and anyone involved in the care of someone with a disability. Over 1,200 parents have entered our statewide support parent network.
Parents and other primary family caregivers are offered the opportunity to connect one-to-one with a parent or caregiver of an individual with the same or similar disability or special health care need – someone who has “been there”.
If you live in New York State and would like to be matched with a Support Parent, you can request a match through this website or by contacting your Regional Office.
Parent to Parent of NYS receives Family Support Services funding from OPWDD.