What makes peer support supportive? A scoping review of multidimensional parent advocacy support in child welfare

Purpose: Parent peer advocacy is an inclusive practice whereby parents with lived experience of child protection (CP) services provide support to parents with active CP involvement. Support provided by advocates is typically characterized in general terms such as social, emotional, and practical support, which contributes to an insufficient understanding of the types and range of supports provided, or how advocates’ lived experience facilitates these supports. This scoping review addresses this gap by reviewing the evidence base on peer support in parent advocacy programs to provide a comprehensive and evidence-informed conceptualisation of multidimensional peer support important for promoting positive experiential and case outcomes. Methods: A systematic search process exploring empirical literature on parent peer advocacy and support programs in CP over a 25-year period (1996–2021) was conducted revealing 45 studies across 24 programs. A more-nuanced analysis of supports important for outcome achievement identified 20 studies representing 13 programs. Thematic data analysis explored support descriptions across study findings and similarities and differences in conceptualisations of parent peer support. Results: Data revealed a range of diverse supports provided by parent advocates, providing a more nuanced account of both the types of support provided and the contribution of lived experience to these supports. A multidimensional framework representing 14 support domains across four categories is presented. Conclusions: Findings highlight the need for practice and research to recognize the breadth and depth of unique supports provided by parent advocates based on their lived experience and the potential contribution of these supports to outcome achievement.