Developing and Sustaining Effective Parent Advisory Committees Training

How can an active Parent Advisory Committee enhance a Program's work with families?

What steps are needed to create and sustain an effective Parent Advisory Committee?

Why should Programs share decision-making with Program participants?

A Parent Advisory Committee is a leadership group of Program participants that provides input, guidance, and feedback to a Program on a regular basis. An active Parent Advisory Committee can be a highly effective method of supporting meaningful parent engagement, developing parent leadership skills, and supporting a Program's success. PACs advance equity by engaging diverse community members and developing their agency in the Program and community.

Yet many Programs report struggling with managing Parent Advisory Committees. Funders often expect Programs to have them, yet less frequently ensure Programs have training and support to implement them well. Parents serving on these committees sometimes feel that their participation and contributions are not useful or valued.

Whether Programs are exploring setting up a new Parent Advisory Committee, or seeking to strengthen an existing one, the National Family Support Network's Developing and Sustaining Effective Parent Advisory Committees Training will provide staff with the strategies and tools to maximize their value-add for both parents and Programs. Please note that the participation of Program leadership (Executive Directors, Directors, Managers) is needed in order to be able to implement the model effectively.

The training is co-trained by a NFSN staff member and an experienced national Parent Leader, modeling and reinforcing the importance of meaningful staff-parent partnerships.

Each time the training has been offered, 95-100% of training participants have indicated the training was effective or very effective in enhancing their knowledge and skills about developing and sustaining effective parent advisory committees and felt prepared or well-prepared to develop and sustain them.

Recommended participants:

Please note that this training is designed for staff, not for Parents/Program participants, and that the participation of Program leaders (Executive Directors, Directors, Managers) is needed in order to be able to implement the model effectively.

Participants will:

• Identify the benefits and challenges of parent leadership development
• Learn the key steps and timeline to create and sustain a Parent Advisory Committee
• Begin action planning for developing or strengthening a Parent Advisory Committee

Schedule:

Each Day: 11:30am-5:00pmET/10:30am-4:00pmCT/9:30am-3:00pmMT/8:30am-2:00pmPT

Optional Add-On: PAC Talk

PAC Talk provides a monthly space for those who have completed the PAC Training to check-in with Parent Leader Mentors to address your questions, troubleshoot, and support your successful implementation of the PAC Checklist. Participants have found this ongoing post-training follow-up very helpful (see quote below). PAC Talk will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, 2:00-3:15pmET, starting on February 21 and ending on May 16.

Important note: When completing the registration, please specify the physical shipping address to which your training materials should be mailed in advance of the training. Without a hard copy of the training materials, you will not be able to participate.

Training Payment Methods

Credit Card: Through Eventbrite

Check: If you would like to pay by check, please contact Michael at michael@nationalfamilysupportnetwork.org. He can also provide an invoice, if needed. Registration is not confirmed until payment is received.

If you need the W9 of the NFSN's fiscal sponsor, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, please download it here.

Refund/Cancellation Policy

We understand that unexpected circumstances may arise, and have developed policies that balance those with the costs of providing trainings:

Cancelation Policy: Registration may be canceled until 5pmET on January 5th for a refund minus a $50.00 processing fee. Cancelation requests should be emailed to Mary Robinson-Griffey at mary@nationalfamilysupportnetwork.org. There are no refunds after January 5th.

Transfer Policy: Registration may be transferred to one of the next three available trainings for a $25.00 processing fee, up and until 24 hours before the scheduled start of the training. Transfer requests should be emailed to Mary Robinson-Griffey at mary@nationalfamilysupportnetwork.org.

Questions

Contact training@nationalfamilysupportnetwork.org