National Association of Child Welfare Mentors | Free Peer Mentoring for Parents

You Shouldn't Have to Face the System Alone.Free, lived-experience mentoring for parents navigating the child welfare system — from people who've been exactly where you are.

I Need A Mentor

What is NACWM

The National Association of Child Welfare Mentors (NACWM) is a growing national network of trained, trauma-informed mentors who have personally navigated the child welfare system — and made it through.We match parents with mentors in their state who understand the paperwork, the pressure, the court dates, and the fear. This isn't advice from someone who read about it. This is support from someone who lived it.Our services are completely free for parents.

OUR FOUNDER
Fallon CookFounded by a parent who worked her own case.NACWM was created by a parent coach with over a decade of lived and professional experience in the child welfare system. She navigated her own case beginning in 2014, reunified her family in 2015, and has spent the years since walking alongside other parents doing the same.She built NACWM because she knows what it feels like to sit in a caseworker's office not knowing your rights, to show up to court without anyone in your corner, and to wonder if anyone out there has survived this and come out okay on the other side.They have. And now they're here for you.

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What Parents Recieve

Your mentor can help you with:Emotional support when you feel overwhelmed or alone
Understanding your paperwork, your case plan, and what's being asked of you
Preparing for meetings, home visits, and court hearings
Staying organized and on track with your tasks and appointments
*Honest, grounded guidance — without judgment or shameYour mentor cannot:-Give legal advice or act as your attorney
-Make decisions for you or intervene in your case
-Promise outcomes
-Provide financial assistance or act as a crisis responderNACWM mentors are trained volunteers with lived experience. They are not caseworkers, therapists, or legal professionals.

BECOME A MENTORYou made it through. Now help someone else do the same.If you have lived experience with the child welfare system and want to use your story to support other parents, we want to hear from you.NACWM mentors receive:Structured onboarding and training
Clear ethical guidelines and role boundaries
A supportive community of fellow mentors
National recognition as part of a growing organization
A meaningful volunteer role with real impactYou don't need a degree. You need your experience, your compassion, and your commitment to showing up for another parent the way you needed someone to show up for you.

Become A Mentor

Why This Matters

Every day, parents across this country walk into courtrooms, caseworker offices, and family team meetings without anyone in their corner who truly understands what they're going through.The child welfare system is confusing by design. The language is clinical. The stakes are everything. And for most parents, the only people available to help are the same people evaluating them.NACWM exists to change that.We believe that a parent who feels supported, informed, and seen is a parent who shows up — for their case, and for their children.

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