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Project Description
What are Peer Matches?
Since 1995, as part of a broader effort to rely more intentionally on the experience of people working in the field, the Center has worked with several partners and funders to develop and offer a form of peer technical assistance known as Peer Matches. Peer matches are structured opportunities for teams from two or more jurisdictions to exchange practical knowledge and jointly develop solutions for improving results for children, families and neighborhoods.
The rationale behind peer matches is straightforward. Often, the people best able to provide hands-on help are the "doers" themselves--people from states and communities who have successfully addressed a problem or created an effective new policy or strategy. These are the people who have an acute sense of what has and has not worked, and why. They have developed good tools and strategies they can share. And they are usually eager to help others because of a strong sense of shared mission. But while good peer matches are informal, they are never casual, using a carefully designed process and structure to focus the common interests, roles and goodwill that exist between peers on producing meaningful change for a community. And, the approach works best when certain conditions are met.
The Center has facilitated and managed over 60 Peer Matches around the country. Peer TA matches have involved more than 50 states and localities and hundreds of people serving as "peer consultants." Regardless of the particular issues addressed, all matches have had one overarching goal: developing strong community systems of services and supports to improve results for children and families. Case summaries of many of the matches are accessible online.
We have found that peer matches are a powerful form of technical assistance. They spread good practice, build relationships among different stakeholders who may not always have a chance to work together, and help people make decisions and develop solutions to concrete challenges they are facing. Interviews with peer match participants and considerable anecdotal evidence show three kinds of impact: states and communities have used what they've learned from peer matches to implement new policies, practices and approaches to supporting families; the case summaries from matches are being used by others in the field to inform their efforts; and people report gaining new knowledge, a different sense of what's possible in their communities, lasting relationships, and renewed feelings of commitment to their work.
For a full description of CSSP's approach, experience and results to date with peer matches see Help on the Way
What Are the Program's Main Activities?
Our main activities consist of:
- Managing and Facilitating Peer Matches.
- Training Peer Consultants and Facilitators.
- Continuously refining the process, disseminating lessons, and supporting other organizations interested in making this form of assistance available.
Our Partners and Funders
The Center began to put together a loosely affiliated Peer TA network several years ago as a way to provide help to states and communities committed to improving the lives and life chances of children and their families. Our peer TA work gradually has grown to include severalpartner organizations and funders to sponsor Peer TA activities.
Who to Contact?
For more information contact Bill Shepardson, bill.shepardson@cssp.org or Rosa Briceno, rosa.briceno@cssp.org at the Center for the Study of Social Policy, (202) 371-1565.
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Toward Self-Sufficiency: Effective Case Management Strategies