Transition-to-Adulthood Navigator .FTE

Transition To Adulthood Navigator

South West Metro Intermediate District #288 has an opening for a part-time Transition to Adulthood Navigator (.4 FTE) at South West Metro Intermediate District. South West Metro serves students in 11 member districts and 8 associate member districts across the southwestern Twin Cities metropolitan area with programs in Special Education, Career and Technical Education, Care & Treatment, Adult Education, and Alternative Education.

We invite you to embrace your own value, potential, and ability at South West Metro, while empowering others to discover theirs. We work to empower ALL learners to realize their self-worth through personalized educational instruction, connection to resources, and access to a supportive learning environment.

The Transition-to-Adulthood Navigators will support transition-aged students with epilepsy and co-occurring conditions, along with their families, as they move through key life transitions into adulthood. Working within either the MN Epilepsy Foundation or Southwest Metro School District schools, Transition-to-Adulthood Navigators will serve as trusted guides, helping youth and families access resources, coordinate healthcare, educational, vocational rehabilitation services, and community resources, and strengthen their ability to navigate complex systems using a tiered support framework (i.e., information request, consultation, and comprehensive 1:1 support).

This role builds on the expertise of current employees at the MN Epilepsy Foundation or Southwest Metro School District schools, expanding their responsibilities to include structured transition navigation. Transition-to-Adulthood Navigators maintain their primary reporting structure within their respective organizations while participating in shared training, communication, and data collection across both systems. This is a non-clinical, consent-based role:
Transition-to-Adulthood Navigators facilitate coordination and communication only with informed consent and signed Release of Information (ROI), and do not deliver medical advice or treatment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Tiered Support for youth and families
• Information request:
  Provide brief, resource-oriented responses and referrals for transition-aged students and families, educators, and community members seeking information and/or guidance related to epilepsy, co-occurring conditions, transition services, or local supports.
• Consultation:
  Offer focused, short-term assistance to help transition-aged students, families, or professionals address a specific area (e.g., transition planning, service coordination, daily management strategies). Identify when transition-aged students or family may benefit from ongoing support.
• Comprehensive 1:1 support:
  Deliver ongoing, scheduled sessions with transition-aged students and families to address multiple areas affected by epilepsy and other co-occurring conditions. Partner with transition-aged students and families to assess needs, identify strengths and goals, and create individualized action plans. Use person-centered approaches to guide planning and coordination across healthcare, education, vocational rehabilitation services, and community systems. Ensure consistent follow-up and continuity of support as the needs and circumstances of transition-aged student and family evolve.
• Transition-Aged Student and Family Engagement & Support (If transition-aged student and family want)
• Provide one-on-one navigation support, including needs assessments, action planning, and follow-up.
• Facilitate transition-aged students and family workshops, group sessions, peer connection, or learning opportunities to share resources and strengthen self-advocacy skills.
• Use person-centered approaches and tools to guide conversations about goals, supports, and future planning.
• System Navigation & Cross-System Collaboration
• Connect transition-aged students and families to healthcare, education, vocational rehabilitation services, and community resources (e.g., county social services, HCBS waiver support) with special attention to epilepsy related and transition specific needs.
• Collaborate with medical providers, school staff, vocational rehabilitation services, and community partners (e.g., county case managers for social services) to ensure smooth transitions and "warm handoffs" between systems.
• Identify barriers (e.g., social determinants of health, system/service gaps) and collaboratively work with transition-aged students, families and partners to address them.
• Participate in joint meetings, trainings, and case discussions to bridge communication across healthcare, education, vocational rehabilitation services, and community systems.
• Build and maintain trusting relationships with transition-aged students and families, school staff, healthcare providers, and family advocacy organizations, and community systems. Serve as a liaison between transition-aged students/families and systems to ensure culturally responsive and coordinated…