To Connect and Educate: Why Families Engage in Family-Professional Partnership Training Experiences

Successful family-professional partnerships (FPP) have been shown to positively impact both satisfaction with care and health outcomes for children with disabilities and their families. Many healthcare training programs have recognized the benefit of FPP training and often include learning experiences that feature families as teachers or mentors. However, most research on FPP training has focused on professionals' experiences, and not on families' experience in the roles of mentors and experts. The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program is a graduate-level interdisciplinary training program with sites across the country. LEND programs train future healthcare and service professionals in the disability field and often utilize a Family Mentor Experience (FME) as one aspect of their training. This study used qualitative interviews to examine the experiences of eight family mentors who worked with trainees in one LEND program. Overall, the family mentors expressed positive views regarding the FME, describing how it allowed them to connect with trainees, other families, and community resources, as well as educating trainees. Family mentors also identified several facilitators and barriers to participation. Study findings provide information on the FFP's impact on family mentors and guidance on how programs can support sustainable, effective FPP experiences.