Hybrid Family Resource Specialist; Eastern Panhandle - Center Excellence in Disabilities

Description

The Center for Excellence in Disabilities at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a (Hybrid) Family Resource Specialist for the Center for Excellence in Disabilities (Eastern Panhandle).

The Family Resource Specialist provides professional family support, systems navigation, and care coordination for families of children with disabilities and complex medical conditions. Grounded in lived caregiving expertise, this role partners with families as active participants in decision‑making and supports access to medical, educational, and community‑based services.

The Specialist serves as a trusted resource for families and professionals by translating complex policies, coordinating across systems, and representing family perspectives in regional and statewide collaborative settings.

This is a hybrid position, which means employees are expected to do a combination of office‑based, community‑based, and remote work. Evening or weekend hours may be required for support groups or community meetings. This position will be primarily based in the Eastern Panhandle and will require frequent travel within the following counties:
Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, Hampshire, Grant, Hardy, Mineral, Tucker, Randolph, and Pendleton.

We strongly believe in work‑life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5‑hour work week
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments; who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in‑laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• Health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks
• Wellness programs

• Engage with families to understand their needs and goals and provide individualized systems navigation, referral support, and follow‑up across healthcare, education, and social service systems.
• Establish and maintain relationships with the Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Title V program, community providers, case managers, and other agencies serving children with disabilities and their families.
• Connect families to appropriate services and supports and assist with applications for programs including, but not limited to, SSI, Medicaid, I/DD Waiver, CDCSP, CSED, CSHCN, and other state, federal, and community‑based resources.
• Provide consistent follow‑up to families as they navigate access to services and encounter barriers.
• Engage families as active, core partners in care and decision‑making using culturally responsive and family‑centered approaches across in‑person, virtual, and phone‑based interactions.
• Serve as a subject‑matter resource for families and professionals regarding special education processes, including IEPs, 504 Plans, procedural safeguards, and educational transitions.
• Provide consultation and guidance on drafting written requests for educational evaluations, services, and accommodations.
• Support families through medical, educational, and life‑stage transitions by providing information, planning support, and referrals.
• Facilitate weekly virtual and monthly in‑person support groups for parents and caregivers, grounded in the Strengthening Families Protective Factors framework to help families build social connections, parental resilience, knowledge of child development, social and emotional competence, and provide concrete support in times of need.
• Identify and promote opportunities for accessible recreation, social engagement, and family leadership development.
• Maintain active participation in local Family Resource Networks by attending at least two meetings per month within the assigned region.
• Deliver program presentations and outreach activities at least annually or as needed.
• Collaborate with CSHCN nurses, social workers, and…