Parent Partner

Nexus Family Healing•Bismarck, ND

5h•Onsite

About The Position

Nexus-Family Healing is currently looking to add a Parent Partner to our brand new Therapeutic Host Homes Program, supporting the Bismarck, ND area. Therapeutic Host Homes are family-style living arrangements for children ages birth – 18 with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD). A child lives with a caring provider in their community surrounded by a circle of support, provided by Nexus Family Healing, instead of living in a group home or institution. This is a voluntary program designed to help children return to their biological families when possible while continuing to receive help and mentorship from their Therapeutic Host Home provider. 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. Our Parent Partner provides active, hands-on, trauma-informed, and family-guided peer support to parents of youth receiving services while collaborating with families, team members and service providers. The Parent Partner’s role is to increase family involvement within the program, connecting families to formal and informal resources, and advocating for families to decrease unintentional, programmatic, and institutional bias toward caregivers.

Requirements

High School diploma or equivalent and must be at least 21 years of age
Must have prior experience as the legal guardian or caregiver of a child with emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges
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 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 Nexus Home Office driving requirements
Must have the ability to build strong relationships with diverse individuals or communities and understand their unique needs and challenges.
Must be open to meeting the cultural needs of individuals or communities, considering factors such as language, traditions, and values.

Nice To Haves

College coursework in behavioral/mental health field
Experience working with families and trauma-exposed children or adolescents
Regular use of personal vehicle for local travel will be required as needed for the transportation of clients and families.

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 caretakers.
Connects with families immediately upon referral to engage and build involvement.
Participates in the initial family information-gathering and assessment process to help identify needs, orient the family and youth program, 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 to ensure successful family involvement, advocacy, representation, and resources (to include housing, financial and food resources) are provided during and post treatment.
Attends and participates in a variety of meetings – including, but not limited to, treatment planning meetings, clinical staffing, team meetings, court review hearings, team decision-making, and IEP – to provide support and information to teams and families.
Provides and assists with ongoing advocacy for families during the treatment process and with outside providers involved in the family’s life. Role models and coaches’ skills so that family can learn to advocate for themselves.
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, role modeling through individual and group counseling with families; leads/co-leads parent support groups.
Provides monitoring of court-ordered visits between youth and family member(s) as needed; provide visit feedback to the clinician, treatment team members, and county personnel.
Acts as a resource for families during family time responds to family crisis in a prompt, effective and collaborative manner. Follows-up and problem solves with families to address concerns during family time.
Coordinates and conducts 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. Consults and collaborates with community services to ensure families receive appropriate services, and work with families to help them make and keep appointments.
Meets with the family and youth (electronically or in-person) at a minimum of one time per-month, 6- months post discharge from residential care. Ideally frequency will be increased for the first three months post discharge to include meeting with the family or youth one time every one to two weeks for the first three months of the six months of required aftercare services.
Coordinates the distribution and completion of family and youth satisfaction surveys.
Recognize and value cultural differences in all aspects of work and service delivery.
Conducts discharge follow-up calls to inquire about sustained success following care.