Youth Care Manager - Behavioral Health

Centene Management Company•Corpus Christi, TX

3d•Remote

About The Position

Develops, assesses, and coordinates holistic care management activities for children and adolescents with significant mental and behavioral health needs, supporting quality and cost-effective healthcare outcomes. Evaluates member service needs, develops or contributes to care plans, and educates members, families, and caregivers about available services and benefits. The role evaluates complex, high-risk members and recommends plans of care; acts as a liaison and advocate among members and families, physicians, facilities, and agencies; and coordinates referrals and community resources. It includes frequent in-person home or other site visits, typically monthly or more, to assess needs and collaborate with resources. The position supports members with significant mental or behavioral health conditions and provides subject matter expertise on activities such as crisis calls, mental health first aid, field safety and de-escalation, and medication monitoring. The position may be performed from home for service coordination, but travel is required for in-person member engagement and child and adolescent assessments in the stated Texas service area. Mileage is reimbursed. The standard schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM Central Time, with flexibility needed to accommodate members’ school schedules. A licensed behavioral health professional or RN with direct behavioral health experience, as required by the applicable state contract, must hold an unrestricted license at application submission.

Requirements

Master's degree in Mental Health or Social Work, or graduation from an accredited school of nursing.
2–4 years of related behavioral health or mental health experience.
Unrestricted behavioral health professional license or RN license with direct behavioral health experience, as required by state contract; examples include LPC, LCSW, LMFT, LMHC, or RN with behavioral health experience. Required upon application submission.
Strong clinical documentation, problem-solving, communication, attention to detail, organizational, and time-management skills.
Ability to adapt to changing business needs with openness, flexibility, and professionalism.
Proficiency with technology and direct experience using Microsoft Office Suite and video conferencing applications, including Outlook, Word, M365 Copilot, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams, and Zoom.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
Ability to travel for in-person member engagement and assessments in the service area.
Flexibility to accommodate child and adolescent members’ school schedules when needed.

Nice To Haves

5+ years of behavioral health case management experience with child and adolescent members, preferably in inpatient psychiatric hospitals, community-based counseling programs, school or college/university settings, residential treatment centers, or local or state LIDDAs or MHAs.
Direct experience as a field-based case manager or social worker.
Experience collaborating with medical and behavioral health providers and managing community resources for Medicaid recipients.
Experience managing high-volume caseloads.
Experience working with government and state-sponsored programs such as STAR Kids, CHIP, Medicaid, or MDCP.
Bilingual English/Spanish skills.

Responsibilities

Evaluate the needs of complex, high-risk members with mental or behavioral health needs and recommend a plan of care.
Act as liaison and member advocate among members and families, physicians, facilities, and agencies.
Support members with significant mental or behavioral health needs, including those with serious diagnoses, substance use disorders, self-injurious behavior, or psychiatric inpatient admissions.
Conduct frequent home or other site visits, typically monthly or more, to assess member needs and collaborate with resources.
Educate members and their families or caregivers on preventive care, procedures, provider instructions, treatment options, referrals, medications, and healthcare benefits.
Provide subject matter expertise and operational support for mental and behavioral health activities, including crisis calls, mental health first aid, field safety, de-escalation, and medication monitoring.
Educate members about and coordinate medical, behavioral, and social community resources.
Coordinate service authorizations for services based on assessments and care plans, including meals, employment, housing, foster care, transportation, and activities of daily living.
Make appropriate referrals based on member needs and support the identification of providers, specialists, and community resources.
Ensure identified services are accessible to members.
Maintain accurate documentation and support the integrity of care management activities in the electronic care management system.
Ensure compliance with clinical guidelines and current state and federal guidelines.
Provide leadership with feedback on opportunities to improve quality of care and service delivery cost-effectively.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Comply with all policies and standards.