Family Advocate Peer Specialist

Nexus Family Healing • Baltimore, MD

105d • $23 - $25

About The Position

Nexus-Woodbourne Family Healing is looking for experienced parents/caregivers of youth with emotional or behavioral challenges to serve as an active, hands-on, trauma-informed, and family-guided Family Advocate Peer Specialist to our client's parents/caregivers. At Nexus Family Healing, we embrace diversity, promote equity, and foster inclusion. As a national mental health organization, we serve a diverse group of youth and families, and we strive for our workforce to support and represent that diversity.

Requirements

• High School diploma or equivalent and must be at least 21 years of age.
• Must be the biological, adoptive, kin parent, or non-related family member of a youth with emotional or behavioral challenges or has had systems experience with their child in a child serving system (i.e. mental health, child welfare, probation and special education).
• Must have experience with Children’s Mental Health systems such as DHS, DOC, social services, probation, or the Department of Mental Health.
• Completion of a successful background check.
• Currently have or be willing and able to successfully complete the Department of Human Services-Approved Certified Family Peer Specialist Training and certificate exam.
• Valid driver’s license required. Must meet state regulating agency and Home Office driving requirements.

Nice To Haves

• College coursework in behavioral/mental health field.
• Experience working with families and trauma-exposed children or adolescents.
• Experience with a child in a residential treatment facility.

Responsibilities

• Manages and coordinates positive family involvement in the treatment process using trauma-informed, strength-based, and client-driven engagement techniques.
• Creates community relationships to enhance resource and referral opportunities for the youth and their family and/or caregivers.
• Connects with all families entering program to engage and build involvement.
• Participates in the initial family information-gathering and assessment process to help identify needs and assist in the development of treatment goals by recommending actions, accommodations, and services for youth and their family members.
• Works with families, caregivers, and treatment team members and all informal and formal supports to assist and support individualized family plans and treatment goals during and post-treatment, to ensure successful family involvement, advocacy, and representation, and provide resources, which may include housing, financial and food resources.
• Attends and participates in a variety of meetings to help support and advocate for the well-being, needs and resources for caregivers and youth.
• Provides and assists with ongoing advocacy for families during the treatment process and with other providers involved in the family’s life.
• Delivers consultation and training to treatment team members to enhance the delivery of family-driven care and positive family engagement techniques, as needed.
• Provides parent skill-building education, consultation, and role modeling; leads/co-leads parent support groups.
• Acts as a resource for families and responds to family crises in a prompt, effective, and collaborative manner.
• May coordinate and conduct family-finding activities to help youth establish a strong support network and support permanency as needed.
• Submits timely documentation in the electronic health record regarding work with families.
• Facilitates the linking of youth and families with appropriate community services, and follow-ups.
• Meets with the family and youth (virtually or in-person) as determined and prescribed by the treatment plan and family’s engagement level.
• May coordinate the distribution and completion of family and youth satisfaction surveys.
• May conduct discharge follow-up calls to inquire about sustained success following care.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees