Peer Review

family support america:

To help family support centers enhance the quality of their practice.

WHAT IS PEER REVIEW?
Peer review brings together two family support centers or programs in a mentoring relationship and facilitates the sharing of expertise and information. Peer review is an opportunity for a center to learn and share ideas and strategies with another center that provides similar services. Program staff members, parents, and administrators help to review each center's strengths and identify areas for potential improvement. Peer review is not a tool that allows funders or state or county governments to monitor a family support center.

WHY SHOULD FAMILY SUPPORT CENTERS DO PEER REVIEW?
 Peer review enables the center to get an outside perspective on what it is doing well and which areas could use further development. It enables two centers to learn from one another, develop new relationships, and share ideas for overcoming common challenges. It gives the center ways to make its strengths and needs known to the community, to funders, and to its board. And it provides an opportunity for families to make a meaningful contribution to the center. Family support centers across California have participated in peer review and have praised it as extremely beneficial for them.

WHAT DOES PEER REVIEW INVOLVE?
 Participating in peer review does involve a significant time investment-an investment that other centers have found to be extremely worthwhile. Centers should anticipate spending about four days over a two-month period.

Here is what is required:

  • participation in a one-day training
  • meetings within the center to complete a self-assessment and plan for a site visit (approximately four hours)
  • a one-day site visit to another center (this usually takes five to six hours, not including travel time)
  • a one-day visit from another center

For more information on how your center can participate in peer review, contact Family Support America at:
Email: fross@familysupportamerica.org
Phone: (312) 338-0900

The text above is adapted from Peer Review for California Family Resource Centers: A Training Manual, developed in partnership by the California Department of Social Services Office of Child Abuse Prevention, Family Support America.

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