Practice Profile Overview
A Family Partner is a person who has the lived experience of raising and parenting a child with significant mental health needs and has been trained to provide a range of supports to caregivers of youth with similar needs. To succeed, a Family Partner must have extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of behavioral health service systems for youth. This knowledge is gained through the Family Partner’s own experience navigating service systems for their child, as well as through training and knowledge gained on the job. The shared life experience (or “peer experience”) between Family Partner and caregiver creates the foundation for a unique and powerful relationship that can have far-reaching positive impact on outcomes for youth and families.
The University of North Carolina National Implementation Research Network (nirn.fpg.unc.edu) defines a “practice profile” as a tool to help programs put the core elements of a service or practice in place. It breaks down large concepts, such as “engagement,” into separate skills and activities that can be taught, learned, and observed. This Family Partner Practice Profile describes the main practices that Family Partners use in their work with caregivers. Each practice is broken down into the skills and activities that are required to effectively implement the practice, i.e., what they are saying and doing when delivering Family Partner services. This Practice Profile describes the best or ideal practice for Family Partners — that is, what a Family Partner should aspire to in their work with caregivers and families. As more Family Partners join systems of care for youth and families, this Practice Profile is intended to provide clarity about their role and to deepen understanding of their important work.
The Family Partner Practice Profile was developed through a collaboration between the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), the MassHealth Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative, and stakeholders including Family Partners, Family Partner supervisors and trainers, caregivers, leaders in agencies that employ Family Partners, and DMH and MassHealth staff. At a series of stakeholder meetings held between January and April 2024, we received input, guidance, and feedback on the development of the Practice Profile. In May 2024, we sent out a survey to a second group of stakeholders to gain further insight on the content and readability of the Practice Profile.
