A Common Voice

A Common Voice / Gary & Carol Milgard Family HOPE Center at the Lakewood Boys & Girls Club
10402 Kline Street SW
Lakewood, WA 98499

Parent Partners

  • Parent Partners support families going through difficult times
  • Parent Support Groups
  • Ongoing training and workshops for parents and professionals
  • Resources for professionals who work with families

  • Who are Parent Partners?

    Parent Partners are parents who have experienced similar challenges with their own children. They have received extensive training in providing support and non-adversarial advocacy for parents of children with complex behavioral, emotional and/or mental health needs. They partner with parents to navigate through systems such as:

    • Mental Health
    • Schools
    • Juvenile Justice
    • CPS

  • What can Parent Partners do?

    • Meet one on one with parents
    • Identify strengths and goals
    • Attend school meetings/court hearings with parents
    • Network/Introduced parents to other parents with similar challenges
    • Provide resources and information
    • Help parents to recognize barriers to school attendance
    • Help parents to learn more about Individual Education Plans (IEP) and 504
    • Provide phone support
    • Accompany parents to parent support group meetings and trainings
    • Assist parents to access other systems
    • Provide common sense solutions
    •  Brochure

Parent Support Groups

A Common Voice has many Parent Support Groups meeting throughout Pierce County each month. Parent Support Groups offer parents a place to share their parenting struggles without judgment or fear of rejection. Parents meet and network with other parents who have had similar experiences and have found strategies and solutions to their child’s problem behaviors. All groups are led by a trained co-facilitators. Sorry, we’re not able to provide child care.

How to refer families
Relax its easy!

If you have questions, call one of the numbers listed on the front of the brochure.

If you are working with a family whose child has mental health needs, they can also call us directly and talk to either Marge or Sherry about what is happening in their family. If our organization is able to provide some assistance, a Parent Partner will be assigned to work closely with the family on the issues involved. Parent Partners cannot transport parents or family members.

Our goal is to provide support, technical assistance and training, and a sense of empowerment to encourage parents to become the best possible advocates for their child.

A Common Voice / Gary & Carol Milgard Family HOPE Center at the Lakewood Boys & Girls Club
10402 Kline Street SW
Lakewood, WA 98499