FAMILY ADVOCACY NETWORK: Supporting Families to Strengthen Advocacy Skills and Connect to Resources
Families in poverty face many barriers to participation in services, education, and employment. The Family Advocacy Network, developed for the Wisconsin Promise* project, is an innovative and culturally relevant approach to engage families in programs, share important disability-related information with them, and support them to take action and advocate effectively for their families.
The Family Advocacy Network supports families in four areas:
Provide information to families about the transition process and employment planning to build knowledge, expectations, and advocacy skills (Family Advocacy Training) Support youth to complete a self-advocacy curriculum Connect families to local resources and support them to navigate systems Engage families not currently active with the project
The Family Advocacy Network is unique to other services because Family Advocates are individuals with:
Lived experience with disability; during hiring, this is prioritized over professional experience Local experience in the areas they serve; they are familiar with communities and local services The ability to meet families in their homes Flexibility to focus on what the family identifies as their greatest need
These elements foster trust and credibility with families, leading to greater family engagement and participation in programs.
Importance and Impact of Family Expectations High family expectations for children with disabilities leads to better outcomes. Research shows that youth with significant disabilities with families who expect that they will work during high school are five times more likely to have paid work after high school (Carter, 2015). This is true for youth with high-incidence disabilities as well (Doren, 2012). Focusing support systems on helping families ‘dream big’ for their children pays off for both families and children with disabilities. *Wisconsin Promise is a federally-funded grant led by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development with the Division for Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) as the lead and DVR counselors as the case managers.
Impact of the Family Advocacy Network
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Increased family expectations that their child with a disability will work in community-based employment Prior to completing the Family Advocacy training, 46% of families responded that they believe their child could work in a regular job where people with and without disabilities work. After completing the training, 59% believe their child could work in a regular job.
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Family perception that having a Family Advocate has increased the number of possibilities they believe their child has after school 86% of families surveyed agreed having a Family Advocate or Family Advocacy Training has increased the number of future possibilities they envision for their child.
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Identifying services and programs families report the Family Advocate helped them access Family advocates have helped families connect to DVR/employment services, adult and children’s long-term support, mental health services, and housing resources.
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Advocacy actions increase because of having a Family Advocate Families report advocacy actions they have taken because of having a Family Advocate including making calls to ask a question about the child’s education/ services, applying for services or programs, and speaking up for one’s child or family to get something needed.
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Honestly - having an advocate has made me feel better about where we are at…path we are on. She is an amazing, much needed esteem support.
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While the Family Advocacy Network is young (April 2016), the impact of their role has great potential. We are measuring impact in the following ways:
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Re-connecting unengaged families to their DVR counselor Approximately 70 families have been re-connected to their counselor.
An Unexpected and Essential Role: The Informal Mediator The Family Advocates also serve informally as a mediator between families and service providers, helping to solve communication difficulties and misunderstandings that arise. Many families struggle to connect and stay engaged with schools and service systems for reasons that are often perceived as lack of engagement, such as literacy difficulties, transportation, miscommunication, significant frustration and exhaustion, and ongoing crises related to disability or poverty. The Family Advocates serve as a liaison to service systems for families, helping them organize their thoughts and concerns so that they are prepared to communicate their perspective productively and advocate with confidence for their family. The role of the Family Advocate has great potential to raise family expectations, to connect families to services, and to build advocacy skills that impact the family for years to come. As one family stated, “Honestly - having an advocate has made me feel better about where we are at…path we are on. She is an amazing, much needed esteem support.”
I wish my families in regular VR had access to a family advocate. --VR counselor
Carter, E. W. (2015). What matters most: Research on elevating parent expectations. Boston, MA: Institute for Community Inclusion. Doren, B., Grau, J. M., & Lindstrom, L. E. (2012). The relationship between parent expectations and postschool outcomes of adolescents with disabilities. Exceptional Children, 79, 7–23.