Family Partner Support Specialist I/II - Behavioral Health (Spanish Required) (Open & Promotional)

County of San Mateo•San Mateo, CA

16h•Onsite

About The Position

San Mateo County Health's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Division is seeking a qualified Family Partner Support Specialist I/II – Spanish Speaking Required to join the Youth Services Center (YSC) Mental Health Team in San Mateo. This position requires the ability to read, write, and speak Spanish. The Family Partner Support Specialist is a valued member of a multidisciplinary team serving youth ages 6–18 involved in the juvenile justice system and their families throughout San Mateo County. Drawing upon lived experience as a parent or caregiver of a child with behavioral health challenges, the Family Partner provides peer support, education, advocacy, and resource navigation to help families build resilience, access services, and support their youth's recovery and wellness. Working closely with clinicians and other behavioral health professionals, the Family Partner helps families navigate behavioral health, juvenile justice, education, child welfare, and community support systems. Responsibilities include orienting families to available services, facilitating support and psychoeducational groups, connecting families with community resources, and promoting family engagement in treatment and recovery planning. This is a full-time position and may require occasional evening hours between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Current members of the Youth Services Center Mental Health Team include Mental Health Clinicians, a Co-Occurring Case Manager, Program Specialist, Psychologist, and Psychiatrist.

Requirements

Ability to read, write, and speak Spanish.
Lived experience as a parent or caregiver of a child or youth who has experienced behavioral health challenges.
Experience supporting families of youth involved in behavioral health, juvenile justice, child welfare, and/or substance use systems.
Experience building effective relationships with caregivers and family members facing mental health or substance use challenges.
Experience working with justice-involved youth, youth on probation, or within juvenile detention settings.
Experience serving Latinx and BIPOC communities.
Knowledge of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process and school-based supports.
Experience connecting families to community resources such as housing, healthcare, food assistance, legal services, and family resource centers.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint.
Fluency in English and Spanish, including experience providing services in Spanish.
Must be a parent or caregiver of a consumer of mental health services to meet the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) funding requirement.
Peer Support Specialist I: Proof of completion of Peer Support Specialist training AND within eighteen (18) months from date of hire, obtain Certification as a Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist.
Peer Support Specialist II: Certification as a Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist issued by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CMHSA).
Some positions may require possession of a valid California driver license or equivalent.
Knowledge of problems, needs, attitudes and behavior patterns of the client population and of the total community served.
Knowledge of basic needs and difficulties faced by ethnically diverse consumers, caregivers and families.
Knowledge of identification of social and community resources and how to connect individuals to these resources.
Knowledge of techniques for group and individual counseling.
Knowledge of basic case management processes.
Ability to perform clerical support work with accuracy, speed, and minimal supervision.
Knowledge of techniques for effectively representing the County in contacts with the general public, other agencies, community groups, and various business, professional, educational, and regulatory organizations.
Knowledge of techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public, clientele, and staff.
Knowledge of basic recordkeeping principles and practices.
Knowledge of modern office practices, methods, computer equipment and applications related to the work.
Ability to address the client population’s unique needs in a culturally sensitive manner.
Ability to relate and communicate effectively with the community served.
Ability to establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective relationships with clients, their families and/or caregivers and others contacted in the course of work.
Ability to learn and understand the organization and operation of the assigned department and program.
Ability to respond to and effectively prioritize multiple phone calls and requests for service.
Ability to file materials alphabetically, chronologically, and numerically.
Ability to use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
Ability to interpret and apply administrative and departmental policies and procedures; interpret agency programs and policies to members of the community served.
Ability to organize, maintain, and update office database and records systems.
Ability to organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines.
Ability to enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work.
Ability to use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy, procedural, and legal guidelines.
Ability to write clear and comprehensive reports.
Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time and lift and carry equipment and supplies used in the course of the work.
Ability to complete 20 hours of continuing education every two years to maintain certification.

Nice To Haves

At least one year of experience providing peer support services within the assigned program.

Responsibilities

Support families in navigating juvenile justice, behavioral health, education, and community-based systems and services.
Provide education, coaching, and advocacy support to help families participate effectively in treatment, school, and court-related processes.
Build trusting relationships with families through empathy, shared lived experience, and recovery-oriented support.
Facilitate family peer support, education, and skill-building groups that promote wellness, resilience, and connection.
Connect families with community resources and supports that address social, emotional, educational, and basic needs.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to promote family engagement, self-advocacy, and positive outcomes for youth and families.
Develop rapport, establish, and maintain contact with members of the community served and interpret community needs and cultural patterns to professional staff members.
Provide educational services to the clientele served; schedule, arrange, and assist in the facilitation of educational programs and activities to support client health/wellness, recovery, self-sufficiency and other goals.
Prepare various reports or correspondence; maintain accurate notes or files related to client relations and other activities.
May perform a wide variety of general clerical duties; coordinate calendars and make appointments; arrange for necessary materials to be available for operations; respond to requests for information; assist public at front counter and direct public to appropriate locations/staff; order and maintain office and other related supplies.
Support persons served and their families by ensuring their voices are heard, valued, and incorporated into decisions and services that affect them.
Provide outreach to clients to engage them in services and overcome barriers to participation in mental health services.
Conduct one on one or group sessions with consumers and/or families to collect data for screenings, applications, records, and needs assessments.
Work with the treatment team to develop and maintain clients’ development plans.
Assist peers and/or family members in tracking and implementing recovery and wellness goals; offer support, encouragement and hope; model effective coping and self-help strategies.
Serve as mentor to teach and show consumers and family members how to function more independently and in finding and accessing community resources.
Monitor cases for assigned client groups.
Develop and/or organize educational and informational materials for outreach activities.
Serve on various related committees and attend meetings.
Assist clients in a wide variety of daily living activities, such as completing applications and forms, providing transportation, and navigating support service systems.
May act as an interpreter in contacts involving non-English speaking residents.
Assist with access/linkage to community resources such as housing, transportation, education and employment.
Perform related duties as assigned.