Parent to Parent USA
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Research 

National Study to Determine the Effectiveness of Parent to Parent
parent imageIn response to requests from parents and program directors of Parent to Parent programs for efficacy data on Parent to Parent, a participatory action research team of parents and researchers conducted a 3-year national study to determine the effectiveness of parent to parent support for referred parents. Parents and researchers worked together to design the study, write the grant application; and carry out this important study involving 400 parents nationally. Dr. George Singer was the director of the study, and the results indicate that parent to parent support increases parents' acceptance of their situation and their sense of being able to cope. Moreover, parent to parent support helps parents to make progress on the need they present when they first contact a Parent to Parent program, and over 80% of the parents found parent to parent support to be helpful. In fact, the data indicate a direct correlation between the number of contacts referred parents have with their supporting parent and how satisfied referred parents are with the support they receive, the greater the number of contacts, the greater the satisfaction. Interviews with parents suggest that the kind of support Parent to Parent offers is unique and cannot come from any other source. Based upon these significant data, the research team recommends that Parent to Parent support should be an essential component of a comprehensive family support system.

The Quality Standards endorsed and promoted by Parent to Parent USA resulted from this National Study.
View the following Quality Standards in pdf format:

Survey of Statewide Parent to Parent Programs
parent imageIn 35 states, there are not only local Parent to Parent programs, but established state-wide Parent to Parent networks. The Beach Center conducted a survey of these statewide Parent to Parent programs to learn more about the services they provide to parents and local programs, how they are funded and staffed, their organizational structure, and program developed materials they have to share. The state-wide programs often provide training and technical assistance to the local programs in a variety of different ways, and make it possible for parents to be matched statewide when a local match isn't available. In some states, the statewide Parent to Parent Organizations also serves as the federally-funded Parent Training and Information Center and/or Family to Family Health Information Center.
The Beach Center
parent imageThe Beach Center on Disability has conducted research for and with families on family and policy issues related to disability - including research about Parent to Parent. To learn more about the Beach Center, its research, and its products and resources, visit their webpage at www.beachcenter.org

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