Peer Family Mentor - Counseling Office, Kent - Full-Time

Peer Family Mentor

Counseling Office, Kent

Full-Time, 40 Hours/Week

$20.00-$23.00/Hour

The Ohio START Family Peer Mentor helps families navigate the child welfare and other systems by providing peer support and promoting healing to keep children safe and families together. The Ohio START Family Peer Mentor serves families referred to the public children services agency (PCSA) due to child maltreatment with substance use being the primary risk factor. The Ohio START Family Peer Mentor serves as a member of the local START team along with the child welfare caseworker, child welfare supervisor, and behavioral health service provider.

The goal of the entire team is to keep children safe and families together. The Ohio START Family Peer Mentor will have a caseload of no more than 10-12 families.

Supervisor:
Clinical Director or Designee

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participate as an active member of the Ohio START team.
• Assist with the safety of the child(ren) by working collaboratively with the Ohio START case worker and behavioral health provider to ensure the seamless and efficient delivery of intensive wrap-around services to the START families on their caseload.
• Participate in initial meetings, weekly status meetings and Family Team Meetings to review families' progress and child safety in their respective cases.
• Provide continual exploration of family's needs to empower the family to take ownership over their long-term successes and the safety of the child(ren).
• Support the parent(s) to achieve personal independence.
• Connect START families to community resources.
• Teach families skills to effectively navigate the child welfare system.
• Assist families to identify and access natural support systems in the community.
• Promote coordination and linkage among providers within local community.
• Coordinate access to crisis intervention services and assist with family stabilization.
• Teach START families self-advocacy and empowerment skills.
• Identify barriers (internal and external) to full participation in community resources and develop strategies to overcome those barriers.
• Provide input on court forms as needed; and
• Provide input on development of the case plan and child safety. Other duties as assigned.

The Duties and Responsibilities above represent the most significant duties of this position, but do not exclude other assignments that would be within the qualification and responsibility levels of this position.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Demonstrate long term recovery (at least 2 years is required, three years is preferred) from a substance use disorder.
• Demonstrate no ongoing criminal activity.
• Have lived experience with the child welfare system as a parent, with the case closed at least one year, or indirect lived experience with the child welfare system.
• Maintain a current driver's license; and
• Be certified by the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health as an Ohio Peer Recovery Supporter or agree and have the ability to become certified upon hiring.

The START Family Peer Mentor should have knowledge or be able to attain knowledge of:

• Alcohol and drugs (pharmacology)
• Behaviors associated with addiction
• Court processes
• Diversity
• Ethics
• Family dynamics
• Family Team Meetings
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Human behavior
• Local resources and services
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT)
• Navigating systems
• Pathology of addiction
• Process of recovery
• Ohio START Program
• Self-help programs
• Signs of child abuse and neglect
• Trauma Informed Care
• Behavioral health and/or substance use treatment options

The START Family Peer Mentor should have skills in:

• Advocacy
• Coaching
• Communication (listening, verbal, nonverbal, written)
• Computers and technology
• Coping
• Crisis intervention
• Cultural competency
• De-escalation
• Driving
• Motivational interviewing
• Multi-tasking
• Negotiation
• Networking
• Observation
• Organization
• Parenting
• Problem solving
• Professionalism
• Setting personal/professional boundaries
• Time management

The ideal candidate will possess the following traits:

• Common sense
• Compassion
• Creativity
• Empathy
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Non-judgmental
• Open-minded
• Patience
• Personable
• Positivity
• Professional courage
• Reliability
• S…