Peer support

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Parent Coffee Break, Algoma Public Health Program description Parent Coffee Break (PCB) is a parent support/ education group for parents of children with any exceptionality in Sault Ste. Marie. It runs one evening each month from October to May from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. There is a brief topic and sometimes a guest speaker, as well as time for more casual discussions. The topics are chosen by the parents but usually include: parent stress and coping; the education system; respite; funding and paperwork; behaviour, etc. The group is run jointly between the Children’s Treatment Centre and the Infant and Child Development Program, and is offered at a downtown Best Start Hub family centre. Successes • Providing childcare • Agency facilitation • Including guest speakers • Downtown location • Paid facilitators • Very good attendance on nights when a speaker is attending • Weather • Some sessions have been offered through Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) to connect with district families, but generally families have reported they prefer to attend in-person Recommendations • Provide food/coffee • Provide childcare • Provide funding for transportation • Include paid facilitators to keep the amount of work involved for the parents to a minimum • Address issues/services specific to the population (e.g. Aboriginal population) Contact information Lori Lambert, Infant and Child Development Program, Algoma Public Health 705-942-4646 ext. 3028 llambert@algomapublichealth.com Challenges • Diagnosis specific groups were not as successful (with the exception of autism spectrum disorder) in the community, likely due to the small overall population (e.g. a session on equipment might be better attended by parents of a child with cerebral palsy, but sensory issues will draw parents of children with autism. Overall, ‘regulars’ come to all of the sessions and this is very supportive) 4 Peer support best practice toolkit
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Parent Support Program, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Program description In 2010, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre created the Parent Coordinator role to offer peer support to NICU families. The Parent Coordinator is a graduate of the NICU. The kind of peer support provided depends on the needs of the particular family; activities include, but are not limited to, one-to-one support, social events, support groups, craft sessions, and phone/online support. The Parent Coordinator is responsible for designing and creating educational materials for parents and families, working with outside agencies (i.e. public health) to offer expanded support to NICU families, and visiting (peer support) with parents-to-be in the High Risk Pregnancy Unit. Educating staff about patient and family centred care, representing the unit at conferences, and working with unit staff to ensure family perspectives are considered when creating new policies and procedures. Successes • The role has been very successful overall, as parents report high levels of satisfaction with their interactions with the Parent Coordinator • Since the role began, the unit has implemented many new programs to help support families. Examples include: weekly peer support groups, weekly education programs, outreach newsletter, new family centred Welcome Book, family welcome bags, parking support program, calendar of social events, monthly Dad Night Challenges • Finding funding for materials and food for social events. These activities are donorsupported and it is hard to sustain the same levels of service throughout the year without guaranteed funding • Burn out. The role is wonderful, but also exhausting. It is a part time role, and so it can be extremely challenging to keep the work confined to the hours scheduled Success AND Challenge • The role was intentionally designed to be very flexible and the tasks of the Parent Coordinator vary widely from day to day. This can be immensely rewarding and interesting, but also overwhelming Recommendations • If a parent is brought into the unit in a paid role, identify champions for the parent to connect with. Staff members should offer support on an ongoing basis and give the parent opportunities to debrief regularly • Ensure the parent isn’t being asked to do things that are not within the job description, and help champion the role with other staff members • Ensure adequate funding is in place for related programs, like events or support groups • Check in regularly to make sure the scope of the role is not growing more than it should • Make sure the parent receives appropriate training and support for all elements of the job (e.g. bereavement, public speaking, conflict resolution, communication training) • Before asking the parent representative to take on a task, determine if the task is an appropriate use of this person’s time. How would this task have previously been handled? Not all situations involving parents or family members should fall to the Parent Representative to solve. The Parent Representative is there to help everyone become better at patient and family centred care … not to do everything family-related by her- or himself Contact information Kate Robson, NICU Parent Coordinator Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre 416-480-6100 ext. 87815 kate.robson@sunnybrook.ca Section 2.0 Current programs in Ontario: Case studies 5
Page 1 and 2: Peer support best practice toolkit
Page 3 and 4: Conflict of interest declaration Th
Page 5 and 6: Introduction This section showcases
Page 7: Parent Talk, Holland Bloorview Kids
Page 11 and 12: Youth Sibling Support Group, Extend
Page 13 and 14: Parent Advocacy Link (PAL), THREE T
Page 15 and 16: Online Support Network for Families
Page 17: A teaching hospital fully affiliate

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