Family Support Advocate

## Description
** PRIMARY PURPOSE
** The Family Support Specialist (FSS) is a peer with shared lived experience who works with families raising a child with emotional, behavioral, mental health, developmental or other health challenges. The FSS role is to support the family, help them to engage and actively participate on their team and/or treatment process and make informed decisions that drive the process. The FSS uses personal and professional life experience to provide consultation and coaching to increase awareness and improve parent/caregiver-professional partnerships and maximize parent/caregiver voice, choice, and involvement.

FSSs work in a variety of environments, such as Wraparound, Community and Transition Services (CATS), Community Based programs, Reach Out Oregon parent warm line, Rapid Response, Caring Contacts, etc. and support the unique needs of families by using consistent and unified principles of the Family Support practice and competencies.
** ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
**** Family Support (75%)
*** Provide culturally and linguistically appropriate support to families.
* Utilize personal and professional life experience, best practices, and approved Family Support Competencies to provide peer support to parents and caregivers.
* Facilitate engagement, access, and participation of parents/caregivers in systems of care, maintain meaningful involvement with the parent/caregiver and their childs planning process as it relates to system navigation.
* Explore strengths, needs, culture and vision with the child and family.
* Participate in child and family team meetings to ensure access, voice and choice within the child and family team process and support the parent/caregivers connection to the child and family team.
* Encourage the family and team to bring concerns into the open.
* Model effective communication, frame and reframe a concern to facilitate collaboration, patience, and strengths-based approach.
* Provide a consistent source of encouragement and hope to families.
* Provide non-judgmental, unconditional support to parent/caregiver and attend to language and attitudes to promote family friendliness and avoid blaming and shaming the family or anyone else on the team.
* Maintain connection to the parent/caregiver and family based on the plan and family needs and follow-through on tasks and assignments.
* Support the development and connection of families to natural supports within their community.
* Model, practice, and support family/parent/caregiver to talk about sensitive issues, reframe negative concerns and manage respectful communication.
* Maintain personal and professional boundaries, appropriate to the peer role and ensure the safety and protection of self and the families served.
* Participate in regular supervision including both peer and clinical supervision.
* Able and willing to accommodate flexibility in work schedule to meet family needs, maintain consistency with the practice model and program specific design.
** Administrative (25%)
*** Produce and maintain accurate and timely documentation according to the assigned schedule (e.g., scheduled reports, timesheets, progress notes and other paperwork as required).
* Attend staff meetings and scheduled trainings.
* Maintain strict confidentiality standards according to HIPAA.
* Maintain assigned office and community-based work schedule.
** OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
*** Provide a variety of supportive services for parents/caregivers (e.g., support groups, family activities, recognition events, outreach, training).
* Participate in policy committees and work groups as requested to effect system improvement, integration, and collaboration.
* May provide family support using a variety of platforms such as in person meetings, warm line, support groups, family discussions,
* Assist with and attend special events.
* Provide parents/caregivers with information about the organization, community partners, Wraparound and Systems of Care philosophy and/or child and family team process, including the Family Support Specialist or Family Partner role.
* Maintain local resource information for families to access independently.
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