What is a Parent Partner?
Parent partners are assigned to work with the parents of children and youth who receive Wraparound services. They are mothers and fathers who have first-hand experience with the Child Welfare system, and they have come away stronger and more resilient. They have an appreciation of what it takes to be successful and have exhibited exceptional qualities in their own efforts to develop workable permanency plans for their children and they understand how the Child Welfare system works.
They find their voice in child abuse prevention programs, public child welfare, juvenile probation or mental health agencies. Regardless of the system, they build upon their personal experience to achieve better outcomes for all children and families they serve. In California, each individual agency or county department determines how parent partners can best serves their community.
Parent partners are key to family-focused, family-driven services. Families are recognized for their strengths and have a primary decision-making role in the care of their own children, as well as the policies and procedures governing care for all children. Parent partners work by directly engaging and supporting families. Parent partners convey information on how systems and programs can instill the family-centered and family-driven philosophy and principles into practice both internally and collaboratively with community partners.
Learn more about our parent partner support and training.
Focused Sessions: Peer Certification
If you are interested in, or are currently seeking Peer Certification, please consider attending a Peer Certification Focused Session! These sessions provide a structured space to ask questions, receive guidance, and collaborate with your peers. Previous attendees have gained test-taking skills and learned how to unpack questions to find the right answers, which ultimately helped them pass their certification. Our peer instructor is also available to answer questions and assist in navigating the certification process itself, providing direct support throughout your journey.
These sessions are led by an experienced instructor who has successfully navigated and passed the certification process. Lorena Molina is an experienced professional in behavioral health, child welfare and parent support. She is an Instructor at UC Davis and a senior parent partner at Riverside University Health Systems Behavioral Health. Drawing from her personal experience raising three children with behavioral challenges, she advocates for individualized family support and services. Certified as a Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist and holding an AA in Substance Abuse Counseling, Molina actively participates in state and county committees. She also volunteers as a youth minister, emphasizing her commitment to supporting families and communities within the child welfare and mental health systems.
The Peer Support Specialist Certification Act of 2020 establishes statewide training standards for peer support specialists and recognizes peer services as eligible for Medi-Cal reimbursement, enabling participating counties to receive matching federal funds through county mental health plans and substance use disorder plans (behavioral health plans).
These Focused Sessions are sponsored by the UC Davis Parent Partner Advisory Committee, in partnership with the California Department of Social Services.
Focused Sessions: Peer Certification (2024):
These sessions are designed for full attendance during the entire two-hour timeframe. Participants will engage in direct instruction, gain valuable tools and tips, participate in a Q&A segment and receive real-time technical support. Your full presence ensures you can fully benefit from all aspects of the session, from the initial guidance to the hands-on assistance provided throughout.