Youth Peer Advocates (YPAs) are individuals between 18-30 years of age who self-identify as a person with first-hand experience with a social, emotional, medical, developmental, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges as a young person or have received services in any one of the child-serving systems (juvenile justice, foster care, special education, or addiction recovery). YPAs use their lived experience to promote resiliency, recovery, wellness, and self-efficacy in young people and promote the practice of youth-guided and family-driven approaches.
Family Peer Advocates (FPAs) have ‘lived-experience’ as the parent (biological, foster, adoptive) or primary caregiver of a child/youth with a social, emotional, behavioral, mental health, or developmental disability). They receive training to develop skills and strategies to empower and support other families. They foster effective parent-professional partnership and promote the practice of family-driven and youth-guided approaches.
Alliances will work together to achieve FYPS goals in their respective borough-based Service Area. Each borough-based Alliance is led by one contractor otherwise known as the Alliance Coordinator (ACs), who developed and is responsible for maintaining their network of service providers. The Alliances collaborate bring in the unique strengths of individual organizations to create a cohesive support structure to provide a comprehensive range of formal and informal community-based family and youth support services.
The FYPS Alliances include:
- Bronx – Vibrant Emotional Health, MASA and JBFCS
- Brooklyn – Community Counseling and Mediation, Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Public Health Solutions, and Christopher Rose Community Empowerment Campaign
- Manhattan – University Settlement
- Queens – Vibrant Emotional Health, and Korean American Families Services Center
- Staten Island – Vibrant Emotional Health and Staten Island Justice Center
Credentialing Process – The establishment of a Credential for YPAs and FPAs is to recognize the importance of peer-to-peer support. The intent of this credentialing process is to formally recognize the expertise of Peer Advocates, to ensure all advocates demonstrate core competencies, to expand reimbursement possibilities, and to provide opportunities for professional growth and collaboration.
There are many benefits to being Credentialed as a professional, to the field, and to families. These benefits include:
- Employers will know that anyone with a Credential has common core training, and they are engaged in ongoing professional development. FPA/YPA Credential is increasingly becoming a hiring requirement and/or preference.
- Families or youth who work with Peer Advocates can also be assured that the Advocate has met standard requirements and agreed to follow a code of ethics.
- Family Peer Support Services will be billable to Medicaid, only if provided by a credentialed Peer Advocate. Employers will be looking to hire staff with the right credentials to be able to generate sustaining revenue.
- The process of becoming credentialed and maintaining your credential provides a structure for a Peer Advocate to formally document his/her experience and training and may lead to career advancement opportunities as the profession continues to mature.
- Credentialing (or a similar process) is a standard practice in most professions. This gives the profession credibility and helps to promote a broader understanding of the Advocates role, specific skills set, and value.
