Family Peer Specialist-CC

Certified Community Behavioral Health Ctr (CCBHC)
2581 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11208, USA

The Certified Community Behavioral Health Services (CCBHC) Family Peer Support Services are an array of formal and informal activities and supports provided to families caring for/raising a child who is experiencing social, emotional, medical, developmental, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges in their home, school, placement, and/or community. FPSS provides a structured, strength-based relationship between a Family Peer Specialist and the parent/family member/caregiver for the benefit of the child/youth.

Services are delivered in a trauma informed, culturally and linguistically competent manner. Family is defined as the primary caregiving unit and is inclusive of the wide diversity of primary caregiving units in our culture. Family is a birth, foster, adoptive, or self-created unit of people residing together, with significant attachment to the individual, consisting of adult(s) and/or child(ren), with adult(s) performing duties of parenthood/caregiving for the child(ren) even if the individual is living outside of the home.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Engagement, Bridging, and Transition Support

• Serving as a bridge between families and service providers, supporting a productive and respectful partnership by assisting the families to express their strengths, needs and goals.
• Based on the strengths and needs of the youth and family, connecting them with appropriate services and support. Accompanying the family when visiting programs.
• Facilitating meetings between families and service providers.
• Assisting the family to gather, organize and prepare documents needed for specific services.
• Addressing any concrete or subjective barriers that may prevent full participation in services
• Supporting and assisting families during stages of transition which may be unfamiliar (e.g. placements, in crisis, and between service systems etc.).
• Promoting continuity of engagement and support as families’ needs and services change.

Self-Advocacy, Self-Efficacy, and Empowerment

• Coach and model shared decision-making and skills that support collaboration, in addition to providing opportunities for families to self-advocate.
• Supporting families to advocate on behalf of themselves to promote shared decision-making.
• Ensuring that family members inform all planning and decision-making.
• Modeling strengths-based interactions by accentuating the positive.
• Supporting families in discovering their strengths and concerns. Assist families to identify and set goals and short-term objectives.
• Preparing families for meetings and accompanying them when needed.
• Empowering families to express their fears, expectations and anxieties to promote positive effective communication. Assisting families to frame questions to ask providers.
• Providing opportunities for families to connect to and support one another.
• Supporting and encouraging family participation in community, regional, state, national activities to develop their leadership skills and expand their circles of support.
• Providing leadership opportunities for families who are receiving Family Peer Support Services.
• Empowering families to make informed decisions regarding the nature of supports for themselves and their child through:
  • Sharing information about resources, services and supports and exploring what might be appropriate for their child and family.
  • Exploring the needs and preferences of the family and locating relevant resources.
  • Helping families understand eligibility rules.
  • Helping families understand the assessment process and identify their child’s strengths, needs and diagnosis.

Parent Skill Development

• Supporting the efforts of families in caring for and strengthening their…