PEARLS New Provider Information

The Family Support Specialist in High-Fidelity Wraparound is a key team member who provides support to families navigating the complexities of mental health services for their children. They bring personal experience and understanding to the role, having navigated similar challenges themselves. Their main goal is to advocate for the family's voice in the care process, ensuring that their needs and preferences are heard and respected. This specialist works closely with other team members, like facilitators and clinicians, to develop and implement a comprehensive, individualized care plan that wraps around the child and family, leading to better outcomes.

What does it mean to be a Specialist/Supervisor?

In Maine, Family Support Specialists and Supervisors may be hired by Behavioral Health Home (BHH) providers or work for other community agencies that provide Family Support. The Maine COE coordinates all training and coaching for Family Support Specialists and Supervisors who are working within the BHH Wraparound model. While not required, family peer support staff supporting families in other service levels are also eligible to be trained in PEARLS.

If you have been recently hired by a BHH provider and need Peer Parent Support training, click the link below to request a training account. Once your details have been verified, you will receive an automated email with temporary credentials and instructions to complete account set up. The Maine COE portal will guide you step by step through the training process, and you will have access to ongoing technical assistance and coaching.

What are the training/state requirements?

The PEARLS training and coaching certification program is designed to provide the parent-peer workforce with the skills needed to deliver high-quality, purposeful support to parents/primary caregivers of children/youth receiving services.

Training for Family Support Specialists includes:
• Completion of assigned, virtual pre-requisite trainings
• Completion of a five-day, Peer Parent Support Partner foundational training
• Completion of booster training, as required
• Completion of clinical observations
• Completion of state-specific training, as required
Training for Supervisors of FPS includes:
• Completion of assigned, virtual pre-requisite Trainings
• Completion of PEARLS Supervisor training
• Booster training, as required

Participants may be currently employed as family peer support providers or brand new to formal family peer support, but must have lived experience as a parent/caregiver of a child/youth with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health needs, and ability and willingness to share those experiences with parents, family members, or other caregivers for the benefit and healing of others.

Maine COE Coaching & Technical Assistance

Free training and technical assistance are available to all HFW Coordinators and Supervisors through the Maine COE. Requests for technical assistance can be made below.