Family Partner - Whatcom Wise

Overview

Part-time Flex (20-37.5 hours per week)

Starting pay is $25.96 - $27.26 / hour (DOE)

With COMPETITIVE BENEFITS INCLUDING:

• Generous PTO: Paid Sick Time, Paid Vacation (15 days for F/T Employees), 11.5 Agency Paid Holidays, plus 2 Personal Holidays
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Basic Life/AD&D and Long-Term Disability
• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account
• 403(b) Retirement Plan and Employer Contribution Pension Plan
• Receives annual 2% longevity increases
• Employee Assistance Program

*Compensation is set by agreed to language in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between CCSNW & SEIU 1199NW and determined based on experience.

Family Support Partners collaborate, provide peer support and help facilitate services for families receiving high intensity services (WISe). They work as a team member with other agency, system and community partners. Family Support Partners help parents voice their own perspective and assure other team members are able to understand that perspective. They represent a parent orientation and perspective in all internal and external agency activities. They build confidence with parents that their family can be successful after services have been completed. They provide parent guidance/education as needed.

Responsibilities

High Intensity Philosophy:

The WISe program provides an integrated and flexible array of strengths-based services and intensive supports to families with children who have serious mental health and other needs. All services are delivered with the following core values in mind: safety of the child, family and community; flexible and responsive; family driven; normative; family oriented; strengths based; comprehensive and collaborative; unconditional; individualized and culturally relevant.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Communicate role, responsibility and agency philosophy in order to assure mutual respect, confidence and trust with the child and family and other stakeholders.
• Provide non-judgmental, unconditional support to the child and family.
• Assess for immediate safety and stabilization needs.
• Customize helping approaches to fit the family’s uniqueness, personality, culture and interest.
• Report relevant information to the right people at the right time.
• Maintain a focus on strengths, needs and creative solutions.
• Utilize the family’s expertise in problem solving and solution seeking.
• Work interdependently with others toward common goals.
• Respond to family’s and children’s needs in a timely fashion.
• Provide and/or coordinate client transportation as needed.
• Complete required documentation within established timeframes.
• Instill hope for the future by communicating and behaving with confidence and reassurance.

Welcome, Engagement and Assessment

• Communicate the parameters of the Family Support Partner role on the Wraparound Team, focusing specifically on the types of support parents can expect.
• Dialogue with referred parents and relate personal experience as a parent that will assist in building trust with the family.
• Assess and review the parent’s ability to communicate their own position and preferences.
• Reassure and communicate hopefulness to parents and that “they are not in this alone.”

Individualized Service Planning

• Assist the family in assessing options.
• Reach agreement with parents about activities that will contribute to healing and support and assist in communicating that to others.
• Review and analyze the team plan and make suggestions for improvement/ modifications that would improve parent participation.
• Attend team meetings when needed and communicate agreements in cooperation with the parent.

Implementing Services

• Provide a range of supportive/helpful interventions and activities as agreed to with the parent and documented in the plan.
• Adapt activities and interventions to enhance focus on strengths, needs and creativity without changing the basic nature of agreements and plan.
• Assist the parents in analyzing progress toward vision and goals and encourage their feedback to their team.
• Communicate ideas by using own life as a learning and teaching tool (when helpful to family and plan).
• Communicate progress and concerns to the appropriate co-workers.
• Participate in continuous improvement efforts by sharing perspectives in agency activities such as Quality Improvement reviews, staffings or other means.
• Seek assistance and report incidents to the right people at the right time.
• Facilitate opportunities for parent education as assigned.

Transitioning Services to Natural and Other Community Supports

• Negotiate post-discharge follow up, providing contacts of who will be helpful.
• Reach agreement with the parent about their transition.
• Mediate agreement between parent and agency about transition timing, when needed.

Access to and protection of PHI

• Responsible for upholding a culture of privacy and security in highly confidential work environment (HIPAA covered entity service area).
• Complies with all CCSWW policies and procedures that involve access to and safeguarding of client Protected Health Information (all forms).

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma/GED.
• Ability and willingness to obtain WA State Agency Affiliated Counselor Certification.
• Personal experience with own special-needs child who has been a recipient of mental health services.
• Eligible to become peer counselor certified as a consumer of mental health services. (See WAC 388-865-0107).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must have reliable transportation, valid driver’s license and current automobile insurance.
• Acceptable driving record (Must provide Full Driving Record abstract from WA Dept. of Licensing.
• Availability to work flexible hours (evenings, nights, weekends).
• Support and uphold the mission, beliefs and values of Catholic Community Services and Catholic Housing Services.
• Support and contribute to a creative, collaborative and respectful environment that promotes teamwork.
• Demonstrates the necessary attitudes, knowledge and skills to deliver culturally competent services and work effectively in multi-cultural situations.
• Criminal History Background Checks are required prior to employment.

PREFERRED:

• A.A. or B.A. in social sciences, social services or mental health field background.
• One-year relevant experience with social services and mental health agencies working with people who need assistance.
• Bilingual Spanish Speaking.

Compensation: 25.96 to N/A (USD)