From Experience to Leadership

In many systems, expertise is measured by degrees or job titles. At the Family Resource Center, we also recognize expertise that comes from lived experience. We see every day what it means when parents are supported by someone who truly understands what they are going through. 

That belief sits at the heart of the Parent Partner role in our Strength to Succeed Program. 

Parent Partners are parents who have experienced recovery, mental health challenges, and involvement with the child welfare system themselves. They bring leadership shaped by real life, honesty, and empathy. They know what it feels like to be overwhelmed, unsure, or afraid of what comes next. And they know what it takes to keep going. 

“They’re the experts in this role,” shared Kim Mulligan, Strength to Succeed Program Manager. “They know what it takes to go from rock bottom to getting back on your feet.” 

Families often tell us there is something different about working with someone who has been there. Peer support can help build trust and make it easier to open up, ask questions, and take the next step forward. When parents feel understood instead of being judged, they are more likely to stay engaged and believe that change is possible. 

One parent shared, “I’d be lost without the FRC. They taught me to fish so I could feed my family.” That sense of learning, growing, and finding your own footing is central to how Parent Partners support families. The goal is not to give answers, but to support parents as they build skills, confidence, and stability for themselves and their children. 

Parent Partners are not here to fix families. They spend time with parents as they rebuild trust with their children, make sense of complicated systems, and begin to see their own strengths more clearly. Support is steady and respectful, with space for parents to move at their own pace. 

Progress does not happen all at once. It happens step by step, through patience, care, and consistent support from people who believe in families and their ability to grow. 

As a Recovery Friendly Workplace, we are proud to support parents in leadership roles across our organization. Parent Partners remind us that recovery is possible, families can heal, and lived experience matters. When parents lead with their own stories, they help create a community where others can see what might be possible for themselves, too.