WISe Youth Partner

ABOUT AKIN:

Akin partners with children, families, and communities to build relationships and support well-being so everyone can thrive. Through our early learning programs, we create inclusive, nurturing environments where children feel safe, supported, and inspired to learn.

POSITION SUMMARY

The WISe Youth Partner is a Certified Peer Specialist who draws on their own lived experience as a young person who has navigated trauma, emotional or behavioral health challenges, and involvement in child-serving systems. In this role, you are a trusted bridge between the youth you serve and the WISe team - ensuring that the voice and choice of each young person is genuinely heard, respected, and reflected at every stage of the process.

Many WISe participants are reluctant to share their perspectives, hopes, and concerns - particularly those who have been marginalized or unheard in previous system of care experiences. You will build the kind of authentic, peer-based relationship that makes it safe for youth to speak up. Your work ensures that each young person's perspective is captured with honesty and dignity in the Cross-System Care Plan (CSCP) and the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool, so that the plan truly belongs to them.

Services are provided in homes, schools, and other community settings with a flexible schedule that meets youth where they are.

This position has access to protected healthcare information (PHI) or confidential identifiable information (CII), both paper and electronic, as necessary, to perform related job duties and responsibilities.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Amplify Family Voice & Choice

• Serve as the primary champion for the voice and choice of each WISe participant, ensuring their perspective is articulated and honored throughout every phase of the WISe process
• Build trusting relationships with youth who may be reluctant to share their views, especially those who have been marginalized or dismissed in previous system experiences
• Ensure each young person's hopes, concerns, strengths, and goals are captured respectfully and clearly in the Cross-System Care Plan (CSCP) and the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool
• Assess and support the youth's ability and confidence to communicate their own perspective and preferences, and actively work to strengthen that capacity over time
• Advocate for the youth's needs, interests, and goals within the Child and Family Team and the broader community

Building Trust & Connection

• Meet with youth regularly, bringing authenticity, consistency, and genuine care to every interaction
• Draw on your own lived experience to build rapport, establish trust, and demonstrate that recovery and a meaningful life are possible
• Listen to each young person's story and, with them, identify their strengths, needs, preferences, and goals
• Work with youth to identify and engage natural supports in the wraparound process

Coaching, Skill Building & Empowerment

• Coach youth to develop communication, self-advocacy, and self-regulation skills that help them take an active role in their own treatment and goal-setting
• Model effective ways to engage with systems, services, and team members
• Share de-escalation strategies for managing difficult moments, developed and reinforced collaboratively with the whole team
• Help youth understand their rights within the systems they are involved in and how to exercise those rights
• Encourage youth to give feedback to team members and celebrate progress toward their goals

System Navigation & Community Connection

• Draw on lived experience to help youth navigate complex systems - including mental health, education, child welfare, and juvenile justice - in practical and empowering ways
• Participate in Child and Family Team (CFT) meetings, providing youth-centered perspective and supporting youth participation and voice in those meetings
• Connect youth to community resources, activities, and natural supports that align with their interests and goals
• Brainstorm and co-develop strategies with youth that build on their strengths and expand their sense of possibility
• Participate in rotating after-hours crisis on-call coverage, providing timely response and support to youth and families outside of regular business hours

Team Collaboration & Documentation

• Collaborate with CFT members and complete assigned tasks on the care plan relevant to this role
• Communicate with the team about progress and completion of assigned tasks
• Provide a range of supportive interventions and activities as agreed with the youth and documented in the cross-system care plan
• Coordinate strategies and approaches with clinicians and other team members to ensure consistency
• Maintain productivity standards for direct service as established for the position
• Ensure timely collection of statistical information for funding sources and program evaluations
• Ensure compliance with all Akin policies, applicable contracts, and Federal, State, and local confidentiality requirements
• Perform documentation reviews and…