Parent Advocacy Connection
“The mission of the Parent Advocacy Connection (PAC) Program is to empower, educate, encourage, and equip families to partner with professionals in promoting access to services that are family-centered, community-based, comprehensive, and culturally competent.”
PAC is a NAMI Ohio grassroots program that offers trained Parent Advocates with lived experience who reflect the cultural and ethnic make-up of the families they serve. When children require services from multiple sources (i.e., mental health, schools, juvenile courts, developmental disabilities, and alcohol/drug addiction services agencies), it can be difficult for parents to navigate their way through these various service systems. Families may become overwhelmed and have difficulty expressing their concerns and the needs of their child(ren). Ohio’s service coordination process recognizes this challenge and has made support for families available through the Parent Advocacy Connection.
What Do Parent Advocates Offer?
PAC Parent Advocates Will:
Listen and support the parent’s decisions without judgment
Assist in navigating child-serving systems
Help parents understand their rights
Help organize and prepare for meetings
Supply information about child‐serving systems, children’s behavioral health and development, and community
Help parents identify resources
Help reduce loneliness
Provide hope and ideas
Encourage self-care activities
Render advocacy support
Facilitate familial engagement with service providers
Share their own personal lived experience
Model collaboration between families and professionals
Respect a family’s culture
Keep information confidential
Where Do We Serve?
Our PAC Parent Advocate currently serves the following counties:
Vinton
Athens
Hocking
Jackson
Maria Quinn