This position will work with families of Medicaid eligible children for the purpose of helping to maintain the family’s ability to care for the child in the home and community.

The Parent Peer Support Specialist (PPSS) is to provide targeted support services, to provide care that is child-centered with the needs of the child and family dictating the types and mix of services provided, to assist in keeping the family together and preventing an out-of-home placement. To be effective, the PPSS will work with parent/guardian and children in their home and community, incorporating the entire family and focus on their strengths as well as the child’s chronological and developmental age, and cultural heritage.

Under the general supervision of their manager and utilization of the best practices model, the PPSS performs the following duties:

· Support for the parent/guardian & child/family.

· Be a member of the family team to assist in the strengths assessment and treatment plan development.

· Increase collaboration with families and professionals.

· To attend training events.

The PPSS function will be working with the families through a non-diagnostic interview to assess service needs. The PPSS will identify needs of the families and help the families get these needs met through family and community sources first. The PPSS will recognize the individual child consumer and his/her family has different barriers to social, economic and employment opportunities and has varied levels of need to overcome these barriers. The goals for each parent/guardian and family as identified in the family team will be tailored to reflect a parent and family’s particular needs in order to realize their full potential. The PPSS will maintain close communication with their manager, and other staff or members of the treatment team in order to assure the highest quality of services is delivered to the parent/guardian and family.

Accountabilities:

· Advocating for the family in the agency setting, and with other agencies and organizations identified

· Educating the family concerning agency interactions, benefits, and programs

· Providing consultation and expert advice to management regarding family plans and advocacy

· Specialized training in order to meet the requirements for billable services and/or adjunctive services, and case management.

· Ability to establish working relationships with clinical, administrative, and support staff in order to develop professionalism and coordination within the team to maximize services available.

· Ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship with peers, consumers, family members and the public.

· Ability to effectively interact with staff, consumers, family members, administration, and the community, both in person and on the telephone

· Ability to maintain strict confidentiality guidelines for interactions regarding consumer information.

· Ability to work well under pressure meeting deadlines with efficiency and consistency while maintaining a balance between good physical and mental health and the job requirements.

· Personality and presentation of oneself demonstrating the ability to work with various agency systems while maintaining objectivity and cooperative attitude.

· Exhibit ability to effectively organize and plan field-work schedule to best service and maximize the needs of consumers, i.e. arranging home based meetings, agency meetings, and care coordinator meetings

· Current Kansas Driver’s License and reliable transportation

· Must be able to climb stairs and access non-(handicap) accessible equipped residence/facilities.

Qualifications:

Education: High School diploma or equivalent.

Experience: Raised a child who has emotional problems.

Language: Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.

Other: Proof of current Driver’s License (non-suspended & non-expired), automobile insurance and clean driving record required.