The Indiana Complex Care Coordination Collaborative (IC4) strives to apply our key principle “patient and family centered care” at all levels of the program. We encourage patients and families to define their “family” and determine how they will participate in their healthcare and healthcare decision-making.
Because families report significant needs for opportunities to share with other families as they navigate the complex health system, IC4 has trained family leaders and hosted a model called Parent Café in the past.
Parent Cafés through IC4 are currently on hiatus. They will resume when new funding is secured. We encourage you to search local directories to find a Parent Café group near you.
What are Parent Cafés?
Parent Cafés are voluntary group meetings which offer opportunities for parents and caregivers to gather and share their experiences, joys and challenges in a small group with others who “get it.” They are informal and parent-led. They provide space for families to share as they are comfortable, and to learn from each other.
The Chicago-based organization Be Strong Families developed and continues to disseminate this model. Parent Cafés are research-informed and draw upon the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors: parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence of children.
Participants at Parent Café:
- Make new friends
- Share ideas and information
- Share hopes and dreams for their families
- Are reminded of the importance of taking care of themselves
- Gain skills to raise strong children
- Build strong relationships
- Share resources to support their families
Where do they take place?
Parent Cafés can be offered in-person or online. They usually last one to two hours.
Here’s what families are saying about their experiences after attending a café:
Who leads Parent Cafés?
Trained parents and caregivers host the conversations. They also organize, facilitate, and plan the cafés and train other parent leaders.