Family Peer Navigators

Learn about how a Navigator can support your needs.

Finding the right community services while navigating a behavioral health crisis can be challenging. Your Family Peer Navigator is here to help. Their role is to guide you in accessing services and resources and ensure those services match your family’s needs and priorities.

CBH, in partnership with Philadelphia Family Voices, has received a grant for a 2-year pilot program that offers Family Peer Navigator services to families meeting certain criteria. The goal is to help families connect with community-based services for their child and reduce future behavioral health crises.

Here’s how a family peer navigator can help:

• They can share their own lived experience raising a child who has a mental health concern
• Provide information and education about mental health services
• Ensure you and your child understand your rights and feel empowered to take the lead in your child’s treatment
• Assist you in accessing the services your child was referred to
• Help your family effectively collaborate with all of your child’s care team

Here’s what you can expect from your Family Peer Navigator:

• Your Family Peer Navigator will get to know you and your family from your own perspective
• Will help you brainstorm ideas for managing crisis behavior
• Will develop a Family Driven Action Plan that addresses the needs you identified for your family
• Will provide hands-on assistance to help your family start to achieve your self-identified goals
• Will meet with your family monthly to update your Family-Driven Action Plan and celebrate the progress that has been made
• Will ensure that everyone who is helping your family works together to coordinate and streamline their efforts, so the process is less confusing

Family Peer Navigator Referral Process

All referrals must come from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Emergency Department or Behavioral Health and Crisis Center), The Philadelphia Children’s Crisis Response Center, or PATH’s Urgent Care Center. The assessed child must meet the following criteria:

• Aged 5 – 17 years old
• Resident of Philadelphia County
• CBH Eligible Member
• Has received a crisis evaluation recommending a community-based level of care (Disqualified levels of care are acute inpatient hospitalization, crisis stabilization unit, or acute partial hospitalization.)
• Has never connected with behavioral health services in the past

— or —

• Has had a previous unsuccessful connection to behavioral health services

For families who could benefit from the assistance of a Family Peer but do not meet the criteria for this program, please call the Philadelphia Family Voices Support Line for information about other programs which may be a better match. Families can also call directly for assistance.