Statewide Online Certified Parent Peer Specialist (CPPS) Training – Applications Closed

We are happy to announce a statewide, online Certified Parent Peer Specialist training coming in January 2022!

This statewide online (Zoom-based) Certified Parent Peer Specialist training supported by Access To Independence.

Training dates: January 3rd-7th (Mon.-Fri.), 10th-14th (Mon.-Fri.), 17th-21st (Mon.-Fri.), 24th (Mon.), 2022

Hours: 5pm-8pm CT

Trainers: Ginger Fobart and Rob Kaminski

Training serves: Residents of all 72 Wisconsin counties

Training cost: Free for participants

When to Apply (and Deadlines/Closing)

A button will appear below this section with the words “Click Here to Apply” at the time applications open. Click that button to access the application form for this training.

Determining Eligibility and Fit

The following are required to be eligible to apply for this Online Statewide CPPS Training.

• Must self-identify as having navigated first-hand, personal lived experience as a parent or guardian of a youth with social, emotional, behavioral, and/or substance use challenges
  
• Must reside in any Wisconsin county
• Must have at least a high school diploma or GED equivalent
• Must be 18 years of age or older

14-18 participants will be selected for this training. To be considered for selection, you must meet the basic eligibility requirements above, submit an application form, and complete an interview. There is no training registration cost for participants.

Considerations

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the role of a Certified Parent Peer Specialist before applying. Click here to learn more about the role and work of a Certified  Parent Peer Specialist.

Applying for this or any CPPS training does not guarantee selection as a participant.

Applications received for review by trainers are reviewed by them in full, and a variety of criteria may determine whether an applicant is asked to interview and possibly participate in a training. These include, but are not limited to:

• Whether or not the applicant meets the basic eligibility requirements to become a Certified Parent Peer Specialist (18 or older, possesses either a high school diploma or GED, is a Wisconsin resident, has first-hand, personal lived experience as described above)
• Whether or not the applicant meets secondary eligibility requirements that are training-specific (belongs to the county, tribe, region, and/or community served by the particular training)
• Whether or not the applicant is seeking employment or is already employed in a peer support/parent peer support position and/or a supervisory role to CPPS (trainings are intended to serve workforce development efforts as part of an employment initiative)
• Whether or not the applicant is a community member looking to use their personal experiences to support others in strengthening family resilience
• How well the applicant is able to demonstrate an understanding of recovery principles and family-driven supports, especially in such a way that supports self-determination and empowerment
• Whether or not the applicant has experience offering peer support and/or parent peer support in a professional or personal setting

Because this training is the pre-requisite to registering for the state-approved CPPS exam, and a pathway to working in a professional parent peer support role, applications demonstrating the following may not be given priority in the application review process:

• Applicants seeking this certification simply as a resume booster
• Applicants looking to obtain the certification but not go on to work in the role of a CPPS or CPPS supervisor
• Applicants looking to use this training as the “next step in their recovery”
• Applicants who show they do not support many pathways to recovery or strengthening family resilience
• Applicants only seeking certification in order to bill as a CPPS while providing non-CPPS services

Filling Out and Submitting the Online Application

First, we highly recommend filling out and submitting the online training application form using a desktop computer or tablet and not a smart phone.

It is important that you answer all required questions  (marked with an asterisk) on the online training application form. There are also formatting requirements in regards to dates and other fields (such as email address). If required fields are not answered in the application form or the fields are entered incorrectly, it will register as an error and your application will not be submitted to us when you press the “submit” button.

This is what happens if you try to submit an application with errors:

• Applicant presses “submit” button
• Instead of being redirected to the “application submission page,” the training application form page reloads
• This page now contains language telling the hopeful applicant that some fields were entered incorrectly (applicant may need to scroll down to see this)
• Incorrectly filled out or missing fields are highlighted in red
• Applicant should fix errors and resubmit
• Upon successfully addressing errors, the application submission page with a timestamp will appear (we recommend you print or save a print screen of this page when it appears) and a copy of the application will be sent to the applicant’s email address they provided alongside an outline of next steps

Please note: If the application form or event page page reloads instead of the “application submission page,” there is something wrong with your application, and you will need to follow the instructions to address any errors.

What to Expect After Applying

Once the application deadline has passed or 50 applications are received (whichever is sooner), trainers will be sent applications to review, contact up to 25 applicants out of the total applicant pool for virtual interviews, and then select a final cohort of training participants after conducting virtual interviews. Though a maximum of 25 people will be contacted for interviews, everyone can expect to hear back about the final decision in regard to their application.

Please know that it may take some time for participant selection to be finalized, and we ask for your patience. Final selection decisions for this training may not be made until December 20th, 2021 (two weeks prior to the training start-date).