Parents for Parents peer advocates assist Sarasota dependency court families, panelists say

Parents for Parents, a peer-support program run through NAMI of Sarasota and Manatee Counties, connects parents who have lost custody with trained parent advocates who meet them at early hearings and mentor them through dependency court processes, panelists said on the Law in Sarasota program.

The program pairs parents with advocates who have "been through the system themselves," Andrea McHugh, a circuit judge assigned to the juvenile and dependency division, said on the show. "It's called Parents for Parents." McHugh said the program supplements the work of case managers and aims to help parents overcome barriers to reunification.

Nathan Scott, Child and Family Well‑Being System Coordinator in the Health and Human Services Division, said the idea came after he attended a virtual 2021 conference where parent partner programs were described. "We put a PowerPoint presentation together to pitch to the court team," Scott said, and the court team — including judges, attorneys, department leadership and Guardian ad Litem representatives — responded with "an overwhelming yes." Scott said Sarasota adapted a model from Washington State and established a steering committee in early…