Parenting Respite Specialist

Description

Position Summary: 

The Parenting Respite Specialist provides short-term, trauma-informed care to children residing with their parents in a residential substance use treatment setting. This role supports family stabilization, risk mitigation, and treatment retention by offering parenting relief during graveyard hours. The Parenting Respite Specialist plays a key role in helping to preserve the parent-child relationship, particularly for families involved with the child welfare system or engaged in reunification plans. This position collaborates with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure child safety, continuity of care, and compliance with child welfare expectations. 

About the agency:

Willamette Family is a longstanding substance use treatment and behavioral healthcare provider that strives to support our community.

Willamette Family was recently accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), noting that we meet or exceed the national standards for excellence in behavioral healthcare

Compensation: Starts at $20.00/ Hour 

Schedule: We are recruiting for one fulltime position

 1 Full time Graveyard Shift (10:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.)

Employee Benefits include:

• Health, Dental, Vision, life, and Supplemental insurance options
• Healthcare Flexible Spending (FSA)
• 403b Retirement Savings with company match
• Robust time off package including paid sick leave, vacation time, and holidays for all full-time and regular part-time employees
• Training and education benefits for employees who are employed for 24 months or longer as well as continued education training support
• and more!

Qualifications: 

• An Associate or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, human services, psychology, or a related field preferred.
• Currently qualified or able to become qualified as a QMHA with MHACBO
• Knowledge and experience in working with families using a strength-based approach
• Experience with electronic health record systems and other technologies
• Approved Background Check Through the ODHS background check unit. 
• Pre-employment Drug Screening (including Cannabis/THC)

Requirements

Key Responsibilities: 

• Provide safe, developmentally appropriate care for children during scheduled and emergent respite periods, including evenings, overnights, weekends, and holidays. 
• Support parental recovery by responding to behavioral, emotional, or logistical challenges that may temporarily impact a parent’s ability to provide safe supervision. 
• Serve as a stabilizing presence for children navigating transitions, trauma responses, or changes in living circumstances. 
• Maintain detailed documentation on child behavior, respite episodes, and parent-child interactions as needed for internal coordination and court-involved cases. 
• Communicate and coordinate with ODHS caseworkers, guardians, and legal representatives as authorized and appropriate. 
• Follow agency policies and court-related protocols regarding supervision, contact restrictions, visitation rules, and mandated reporting. 
• Maintain a clean, well-organized respite space that supports regulation and comfort. 
• Attend relevant team meetings, case reviews, and training focused on child welfare, trauma, and recovery-informed parenting. 
• Participate in agency safety planning and de-escalation processes to mitigate risks within the residential environment. 

Working Conditions: 

• Work takes place in a residential treatment facility with active recovery services and parenting programs. 
• Must be able to remain awake and alert throughout assigned shifts. 
• Physical ability to lift, hold, or move young children as needed. 
• May encounter emotionally complex or high-risk situations requiring quick judgment and calm responses. 

Core Competencies: 

• Trauma-informed care and developmental sensitivity 
• Boundary setting and emotional regulation 
• Understanding of ODHS/court-involved family systems 
• Crisis de-escalation and safety awareness 
• Communication and documentation skills 
• Cultural humility and responsiveness