Warmline Consultant - Temporary

State of Oklahoma•Oklahoma City, OK

18h•$0 - $35•Hybrid

About The Position

This part-time position provides telephone consultation to child care providers, parents, and other caregivers who contact the Oklahoma Warmline regarding the health, development, behavior, and guidance of young children. The Warmline Consultant assists callers in finding solutions to the daily challenges of caring for children birth to age 18, connects callers with appropriate community resources and referrals, and supports statewide quality-improvement, training, and promotional efforts for the Warmline. This position is stationed at the Oklahoma State Department of Health Central Office, with a hybrid schedule that includes on-site visits to community partners and child care centers across the state; this position does not offer a teleworking option. This is a flexible-qualification role: applicants may qualify through a background in early childhood development/education, nursing, or behavioral/mental health (see Education and Experience below). Assignments and specific duties will be tailored to the consultant's area of expertise.

Requirements

Master’s degree in early childhood development, Early Childhood Education, or Special Education.
Endorsement in Infant Mental Health preferred.
Experience in early childhood education with child-serving group care settings preferred.
Valid permanent Oklahoma license as a Registered Nurse (Oklahoma Board of Nursing) with four years of professional nursing experience; OR Bachelor's degree in nursing with three years of professional nursing experience; OR Master's degree with two years of professional nursing experience.
Master's degree in psychology, counseling, human relations, or clinical/direct practice social work.
Current license as an LPC, LMFT, LBP, LCSW, NCSP, or HSP.
Three or more years of experience providing mental health related services to families or caregivers of infants, toddlers, and school-age children.
All applicants are subject to a background check and must be legally authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.
Knowledge of child development, social/emotional wellness, and effective parenting techniques.
Ability to provide telephone or tele-health consultation and education to individuals with varying backgrounds; experience with telephone-based or tele-health services preferred.
Knowledge of developmental screening and ability to consult around screening results.
Strong written and oral communication skills, business English, and telephone etiquette.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs and comfort with virtual training platforms.
Ability to gather information on specific concerns and research appropriate resources and referrals.
Ability to develop and present training to groups of 10–50 individuals, both in person and virtually.
Familiarity with local/community and support agencies; experience working in educational, social service, or family support settings.
Experience working with families of diverse cultures and economic backgrounds; ability to communicate in the native language(s) of program recipients is a plus.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information in accordance with agency policy.

Nice To Haves

Endorsement in Infant Mental Health preferred.
Experience in early childhood education with child-serving group care settings preferred.
Experience providing Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) or similar on-site behavioral consultation to child care settings preferred.
experience with telephone-based or tele-health services preferred.
ability to communicate in the native language(s) of program recipients is a plus.

Responsibilities

Provide telephone consultation regarding child health, development, behavior, and guidance to child care providers, parents, and other caregivers who contact the Warmline.
Assist callers in working through difficult situations encountered in the care and guidance of young children.
Provide referrals to appropriate community resources, including county health departments, mental health and crisis intervention services, and other supports for family well-being.
Maintain professional working relationships with child care partners across the state as part of Oklahoma's quality-care resource network.
Provide training to child care providers and home visiting programs across the state on topics related to child development, behavior, guidance, health, and safety, both in person and via virtual platforms.
Serve as a resource for other state agencies and providers working with young children in group care.
Assist in the promotion and publicity of the Warmline, including attendance at child care conferences and community events.
Develop or contribute resources, handouts, and articles on child health, development, and safety topics for distribution through the Warmline and related publications.
Depending on area of expertise, may provide additional discipline-specific consultation, such as: Health status assessment, health education, and technical support in child health for other Warmline consultants (nursing background). Consultation on developmental screening, social/emotional wellness, and infant mental health (child development background). Consultation on parenting strategies, maternal mood disorders, substance use, and safety concerns, and responsiveness to client texts and statewide monitoring platforms (behavioral health background).
Provide Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) through extended, on-site visits to child care centers and family child care home providers experiencing challenging behavior.
Support staff by expanding their knowledge and understanding in responding to behaviors which are challenging.
Emphasize the importance of early relationships.
Promote positive social and emotional development in young children.
Empower staff to link families to community resources.
Demonstrates knowledge of and supports mission, vision, value statements, standards, policies and procedures, operating instructions, confidentiality standards, and the code of ethical behavior.
Works effectively in team environment, participating and assisting their peers.