TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORK™ OF NORTH CAROLINA AFFILIATE PROGRAMS - provided to Family Support Network Affiliate programs to build the capacity of regional, community-based family support programs to serve families through formal and informal services and supports.

CONSULTATION ON PARENT-TO-PARENT MATCHING/PARENT CONNECTIONS - The Parent-to-Parent (P2P) model matches two individuals with similar concerns (parents or caregivers with children who have special needs) but different levels of experience, so that Referral Parents can benefit from the experience and knowledge of trained Support Parents.

The Parent-to-Parent Match components:

• Parents with children who have a developmental disability and who wish to serve as a Support or Referral Parent are recruited for participation in the Program
• Support Parents are provided with six hours of training using the FSN-NC Support Parent Training Guide
• The Trained Support Parent is matched with another parent with a child who has special needs based on the concerns, needs, and priorities of the Referral Parent
• The initial contact between the Support Parent and the Referral Parent is made within 48 hours of the request for a match
• Staff provide on-going support and guidance to both the Support Parent and the Referral Parent
• A minimum of four contacts takes place between the matched parents within the first eight weeks of the match

Matches for rare diagnoses are facilitated through a national listserv with 29 participating state parent-to-parent programs that are members of P2P USA.
Benefits for Families and Service Providers:

• Families are able to connect with each other for social, emotional support
• Service providers are able to refer parents for parent matches as a means of decreasing isolation and fostering support for families

CONSULTATION ON MODEL PROJECTS AND FAMILY SUPPORT- Program development expertise and technical assistance is available to develop PREP Emergency Preparedness and OneStop Family Support projects. Customers receive consultation in needs assessment, organizational readiness, integration with existing services, program planning and implementation, training and technical assistance, evaluation and model fidelity.