Family Member Criteria for Attendance

The 2016 Peer Support Provider Conference will provide training, technical assistance, and networking opportunities to empower family members of youth and young adults with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs and/or substance abuse disorders to support other families in their community.

Parents and caregivers who have completed a peer support provider or leadership training program, are ready to mentor other families, or are interested in learning more about the peer support process will reap the most benefits from this continuing education and leadership training conference.

To meet the different training needs of our attendees, this year’s conference features two adult tracks: Parent Peer Support Provider (PPSP) Track and Leadership Track.

To ensure an optimal learning environment, attendees must meet the following criteria:

1.  Be a parent or primary caregiver* of a child with emotional, behavioral or mental health needs and/or a substance use disorder.
2.  Attend the full conference timeframe for which you register.
3.  Be willing to share their “lived experience” raising a child with behavioral health or substance use challenges (PPSP Track)
4.  Be willing to learn more about resources available in the community and the process of supporting other families through peer mentoring. (Leadership Track)
5.  Agree to provide the Federation of Families of South Carolina with follow-up information regarding how the conference has been of benefit to the child and family.
6.  Be willing to attend the meetings of your local FFSC Family Support Network (FSN) or assist in starting a FSN if none are available in your community.

*Primary caregiver (biological, adoptive, or foster parent or grandparent or other individual providing primary care to the child)

Youth Criteria for Attendance

The 2016 Peer Support Provider Conference offers two tracks for youth: Youth Leadership and Youth Advocacy. Youth Leadership is an introductory track for youth who are new to youth empowerment and engagement.  The Youth Advocacy track is for youth who are interested in becoming youth mentors, learning more about youth peer support and representing youth voice on state and local committees. The youth tracks at this conference provide an opportunity for our network members and other youth to meet peers and build skills. You will be contacted by a member of Youth MOVE SC to discuss track selection.

The following criteria are required for youth to attend this conference:

1.  Be a member of a Youth MOVE SC network or have experience with juvenile justice, foster care, special education, mental health and/or substance use or be the sibling of a youth with lived experience.
2.  Be between the ages of 12-25 years.
3.  Attend the full conference timeframe for which you register.