Minnesota Statutes Public Welfare and Related Activities (Ch. 245-267) § 256.4776. Parent-to-parent peer support

(a) The commissioner shall make a grant to an alliance member of Parent to Parent USA to support the alliance member's parent-to-parent peer support program for families of children with any type of disability or special health care needs. An eligible alliance member must have an established parent-to-parent peer support program that is statewide and represents diverse cultures and geographic locations, that conducts outreach and provides individualized support to any parent or guardian of a child with a disability or special health care need, including newly identified parents of such a child or parents experiencing transitions or changes in their child's care, and that implements best practices for peer-to-peer support, including providing support from trained parent staff and volunteer support parents who have received Parent to Parent USA's specialized parent-to-parent peer support training.

(b) Grant recipients must use grant money for the purposes specified in paragraph (a).

(c) For purposes of this section, “special health care needs” means disabilities, chronic illnesses or conditions, health-related educational or behavioral problems, or the risk of developing disabilities, conditions, illnesses, or problems.

(d) Grant recipients must report to the commissioner of human services annually by January 15 about the services and programs funded by this grant. The report must include measurable outcomes from the previous year, including the number of families served by the organization's parent-to-parent programs and the number of volunteer support parents trained by the organization's parent-to-parent programs.