Parent Peer Support Specialist

Description

Parent Peer Support Specialist

Make a Difference in the Lives of Children and Families

Are you a parent who understands the challenges of raising a child with emotional or behavioral health needs? Do you want to use your personal experience to help other families navigate challenges, access resources, and keep their children thriving at home and in the community?

Wyandot Behavioral Health is seeking a compassionate and dedicated Parent Peer Support Specialist to support parents and guardians of Medicaid-eligible children. In this role, you will use your lived experience, advocacy skills, and knowledge of community resources to help families overcome barriers, build on their strengths, and develop strategies for success.

This is an opportunity to turn personal experience into a meaningful career while helping families feel supported, empowered, and connected to the services they need.

What You’ll Do

As a Parent Peer Support Specialist, you will work directly with parents, guardians, and children in their homes and communities. Your focus will be on strengthening families, promoting positive outcomes, and helping children remain safely in their homes whenever possible.

Key responsibilities include:

• Support and Empower Families: Build trusting relationships with parents and guardians, helping them identify strengths, address challenges, and work toward family-centered goals.
• Advocate for Families: Help families navigate agency systems, understand available benefits and services, and connect with organizations that can provide assistance.
• Connect Families With Resources: Identify family needs through non-diagnostic interviews and help connect families with appropriate community resources and support services.
• Collaborate With Care Teams: Participate in family team meetings, contribute to strengths assessments and treatment planning, and coordinate with clinical staff and other professionals.
• Promote Family Stability: Help families address barriers to social, economic, and employment opportunities while supporting the child's developmental, emotional, and cultural needs.
• Coordinate Services: Organize home visits, agency appointments, and care coordination meetings to ensure families receive appropriate and timely support.
• Maintain Communication and Confidentiality: Communicate regularly with your manager and treatment team while protecting confidential family information.
• Participate in Training: Complete required training to maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective peer support and related services.

What You Bring to the Team

Successful Parent Peer Support Specialists are compassionate, dependable, organized, and committed to helping families succeed. You should be comfortable working independently in the community while collaborating with a multidisciplinary team.

Additional qualifications include:

• Ability to build positive, professional relationships with families, coworkers, community partners, and the public.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage a field-based schedule, meet deadlines, and balance multiple responsibilities.
• Ability to maintain a cooperative, objective, and professional approach when working with families and agency systems.
• Commitment to confidentiality and ethical service delivery.
• Ability to work effectively with families from diverse backgrounds and circumstances.
• Ability to climb stairs and access residences or facilities that may not be handicap accessible.
• Current Kansas driver's license, reliable transportation, current automobile insurance, and a clean driving record.

Requirements

Qualifications

Education: High school diploma or equivalent.

Experience: Personal experience raising a child who has experienced emotional or behavioral health challenges.

Preferred Qualifications: Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with families, colleagues, service providers, and community partners.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to interact professionally with individuals from diverse backgrounds and circumstances.
• Ability to organize and manage a field-based schedule, including home visits, agency meetings, and care coordination appointments.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and an objective, collaborative approach.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, manage competing priorities, and meet established deadlines.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining effective communication and coordination with the treatment team.
• Ability to climb stairs and access residences or facilities that may not be handicap accessible.

Additional Requirements

• Current, valid Kansas driver's license that is not suspended or expired.
• Reliable transportation.
• Current automobile insurance.
• Clean driving record.

Position Impact

The Parent Peer Support Specialist plays an important role in helping families access services, strengthen their support systems, and address challenges that may affect their ability to care for their children at home and in the community. Through advocacy, collaboration, and individualized support, this position contributes to family stability and improved outcomes for children and their caregivers.