Specialist - Youth Parent Peer

Certified Peer Support-Youth Parent This position is located at our Dale County Children's Clinic in Ozark, Alabama.

This position will cover Dale, Barbour, and Henry Counties Shift

Schedule:

Monday/Wednesday 10:30a-6:30p;
Tuesday/Thursday 11a-7p;
Friday 9a-5pHours must be flexible to meet the needs of families.

POSITION SUMMARY/FUNCTION The Parent Peer Support Partner's (PPSP) role is to provide intentional, authentic support to a parent or primary caregiver of a child with emotional, physical, behavioral, and/or mental health challenges. The skilled PPSP's unrelenting focus is on the parent/caregiver. Primary functions include but not limited to: provide authentic and purposeful support to parents /primary caregivers; support parents/primary caregivers in achieving their identified goals;

deliver intentional support activities that build on the strengths and resiliency traits of parent/primary caregiver; and collaborate with agency staff internally and representatives from community-based organizations and child-serving systems in providing support to families receiving services. Travel may be required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBLITIES/FUNCTIONS/TASKS:

All six of the following competencies listed below should be reliably and consistently demonstrated in each and every interaction with the parent.
1. Peer-based relationships:

Must be able to introduce yourself to the parent/primary caregiver and explain your role as a PPSP.Ability to establish peer-based relationships using strategic self-disclosure to build connection based on understanding the parent's experience.

Ability to build a strong sense of connection based in equality, common respect and mutuality.

Ability to demonstrate active listening skills, empathetic responses and validate the parent's experience.

Must be able to use person-first and strength-based language in every interaction with the parent/primary caregiver.
2. Encourage Growth as a Peer:

Ability to create conditions for parents to make decisions that are best for their family and determine their course of action.

Ability to estimate right fit and match of support and follow through on a varied range of support activities.

Support others to understand and appreciate the parent's positions.

Understand the parent's position, interests and preferences and actively support them.
3. Actively Accept:

Continually work to ensure the parent feels empowered and confident in their own decision-making ability.

Ability to extract functional strengths from the parents' story and share them with family and other team members.

Ability to actively accept parent's decisions and communicate a sense of acceptance even when you disagree.

Ability to manage personal bias and disagreement so it does not interfere with the support relationship.
4. Respect throughout the relationship.

Ability to communicate a sense of respect that parent voice matters and deserves to be heard.

Ability to identify, extract and utilize the parent's functional strengths and family culture to develop individualized support plans.

Ability to communicate a sense of cultural humility in connecting with each parent.

Ability to identify unmet needs as a key to establishing understanding.

Ability to assist parents in reflecting on their own journey and encourage empowerment.

Ability to model a relational stance of respect and acceptance in all interactions with and about parents
5. Link with Others in Collaboration and Problem Solving:

Build collaborative partnerships with others demonstrating a non-adversarial advocacy approach.

Participate as needed in team meetings.

Connect parents with other parents with similar life experiences to reduce isolation, shame and blame and increase natural supports.

Ability to model a strength-based approach and utilize collaborative problem- solving techniques with others.

Utilize parent strengths and resiliency traits in problem solving and brainstorming solutions.

Ability to recognize strengths of collaborative partners.
6. Suspend and Interrupt Bias & Blame:

Strategically use own life experiences to empower others to suspend their own bias about parents.
7. Assist with crisis intervention as needed.
8. Other duties as assigned by the Program Director.

Treats recipients with respect and courtesy at all times.

Serve as a liaison and advocate for Spectra Care recipients with community agencies and the public.

Actively participates in committees as required.

Completes assigned tasks in a timely manner.

Works in a cooperative manner with other Spectra Care employees, individuals and/or family members.

Receive and respond to inquiries promptly and courteously.

Meet with supervisor as established.

Must perform all duties with the highest standard of ethics.

Attends regular workshops, trainings, in-services, and/or administrative meetings as appropriate.

Maintain travel records accurately and submitted within the appropriate timeframe.

Ensure necessary documentation is completed in a timely manner with minimal errors and in compliance with applicable…