Family Partner, FIT Sacramento

Stanford Sierra Youth & Families•Sacramento, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Family Partner role is designed to support families and youth navigating various public systems. Family Partners utilize their lived experience as parents or caregivers of children with serious emotional disturbances to coach, mentor, and advocate for clients. They play a crucial role in ensuring families are aware of and can access advocacy and support services, helping them to acquire essential life skills and effectively utilize treatment resources. The position involves participation in client intake, coaching, mentoring, outreach, facilitating support groups, and contributing to agency-wide decision-making and program development. There are three levels for this position: Family Partner I, Family Partner II, and Family Partner III, each with increasing levels of experience and responsibility, including certification and leadership development for higher levels.

Requirements

Minimum of a High School Diploma or GED required
Experience as a parent or caregiver of a child with a serious emotional disturbance receiving, or having previously received, services within the public systems, including: mental health, child welfare, or juvenile justice required
Basic knowledge of Public Mental Health/Child Welfare/Education systems, and the ability to advocate on behalf of clients in navigating and negotiating those systems
Previous experience with advocacy, outreach, and community resources, preferred
Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification (for Family Partner II and III)
A minimum of 1 year experience as a Family Partner (for Family Partner II)
Consistently demonstrates a high level of proficiency in the role (for Family Partner III)
A minimum of 2 years’ experience as a Peer Advocate (for Family Partner III)

Nice To Haves

Spanish Speaking preferred

Responsibilities

Participate in the client intake process, ensuring families are aware of how to access advocacy and support services.
Coach and educate families (parents, caregivers, and youth) to acquire greater communication, system navigation, and self-regulation skills.
Participate in CFT (Child and Family Team) meetings in family homes or the community to assess strengths and challenges, provide parenting support, inform about services, and link to community resources.
Offer ongoing education and support groups that bring families with similar challenges and concerns together.
Utilize lived/living experience for personal wellness, connection, and support through peer-to-peer connection points.
Participate in program and child and family team meetings to provide perspectives on child and family strengths, parents as partners, and expressed needs of families.
Provide ongoing feedback and training to staff on the importance of a family’s voice and choice and cultural sensitivity.
Participate in the interview process for potential employees, assessing candidates' ability, skill, and inclination to provide family-sensitive services.
May participate in community trainings, workgroups, planning committees, client treatment reviews, and task forces related to children’s mental health, advocacy, and policy development.
Assist parents, caregivers, and youth with the grievance and complaint process, including mentoring, coaching, and educating them on communication, system navigation, and self-regulation skills.
Provide collateral support to caregivers and parents as assigned by the Family Partner Manager.
Coach and educate other team members to develop skills in alignment with agency culture and practices (Family Partner III).
Attend Leadership meetings as requested (Family Partner III).
Participate in the development, implementation, and monitoring of program initiatives, team engagement, and professional culture (Family Partner III).
Facilitate Trainings and FYP Initiatives, as directed by leadership (Family Partner III).