Youth Peer Support Specialist

Ramey-Estep / Re-group•Ashland, KY

13d

About The Position

The Youth Peer Support Specialist (YPSS) uses personal lived experience to engage children, adolescents, and their caregivers in Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup, and Lawrence counties who are referred to RE’s NEKY Children Crisis-to-Community Regional Telebehavioral Health Spoke. As a member of the Collaborative Care team, the YPSS helps youth and families remain connected to care after a referral, crisis, emergency department visit, or hospital discharge by providing peer support, outreach, resource navigation, and re-engagement in accordance with Kentucky regulatory standards for youth peer support services. The position includes local travel and work in office, telehealth, in-home, school, primary care, and other community settings. The YPSS may work with youth and families experiencing crisis or acute distress. Holidays, weekends, evenings, and extra hours may occasionally be required. The position has no supervisory responsibilities. This is a full-time position with a starting pay rate of $18.00 per hour. The role is eligible for the full-time employee benefits package, including a 401(k) plan with immediate vesting and dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6%, paid leave, health, dental, and vision coverage, and other competitive benefits.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Lived experience as a youth receiving mental health or substance use services, or involvement in foster care, residential, or another DCBS or DJJ setting.
Must be between 18 and 35 years old under state regulations governing the service.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities.
Valid driver’s license and insurability.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other applications used by the organization or regulatory agencies.
Ability to use telehealth platforms and electronic health records on a laptop or tablet, and to assist families and clients with the technology used to deliver services.
Ability to understand and relate to the needs of clients from diverse backgrounds.
Ability to read, write, and converse in English.
Successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen, background screening, and TB skin test, or provision of a negative chest x-ray or other documentation.
Successful completion of Excellent Foundations.
Maintain 40 hours of annual training.
Complete program training in Collaborative Care workflows, suicide risk identification, trauma-informed care, crisis escalation protocols, HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2 privacy, and telehealth technology.
Maintain CPR/First Aid training.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of community resources in Northeastern Kentucky.

Responsibilities

Help ensure the safety and well-being of RE clients and support the agency’s mission, vision, values, code of ethics, policies, and procedures.
Support accreditation and compliance with regulatory agencies.
Promote positive interactions with clients and staff through maturity, respect, teamwork, confidentiality, and sensitivity to cultural and other differences.
Communicate effectively, including through agency communication systems, and participate in professional development to maintain competency.
Manage financial and physical resources effectively and report incidents or potential incidents of client abuse to appropriate authorities and RE.
Share relevant personal experiences to build trust, hope, and engagement with youth and caregivers referred through primary care, schools, EMS, hospitals, and community partners.
Contact youth and families promptly after referral, including within 24 to 72 hours after a crisis, emergency department visit, or hospital discharge, to explain services, schedule appointments, and confirm attendance.
Model effective coping strategies, resilience, and recovery.
Empower youth and caregivers to express their preferences in developing and implementing care plans.
Participate in Collaborative Care team meetings and case reviews, share the youth’s perspective, and advocate for their needs.
Help families address barriers to care, including transportation, medication access, benefits, housing, food insecurity, school disruption, and caregiver stress, using warm handoffs to community resources.
Re-engage youth and families after missed appointments or loss of contact, and support continued engagement at 7, 30, 60, and 90 days.
Help youth and families set up and use telehealth services, including loaned tablets and hotspots.
Coordinate with schools, Family Resource and Youth Services Centers, and community partners to support youth in the program.
Enhance youth self-advocacy skills and confidence.
Educate primary care and community partners about youth culture and the value of peer support.
Gather youth and caregiver feedback to support program quality improvement.
Complete required documentation, including contacts, social needs referrals, and follow-up outcomes, within required timeframes to support grant reporting.
Complete other duties as assigned.