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Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services

Family Advocate

Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, New York, New York, us, 10261

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Family Advocate

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Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services

Overview

The Youth ACT Family Peer Advocate works as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide treatment and support services to families and children, ages 10 to 21, who have significant behavioral health needs and who are at risk of entering, or returning home from high end services, such as inpatient settings or residential services. This role involves providing highly individualized services focused on clinical treatment, family psychoeducation and skills development. The Family Peer Advocate provides services to youth and families in their homes and communities and collaborates closely with other service providers and systems with which the family interacts. The role will require some evening availability and rotating on-call coverage.

Responsibilities (Key Essential Functions)

Provide advocacy with providers across the child serving system to raise awareness, reduce stigma, engage families in and coordinate services.

Educate families about self-help techniques and self-help group processes.

Provide psychoeducation to family members, caregivers or social supports.

Provide individual or group parent skill development related to the behavioral health needs of the child/youth.

Teach effective coping strategies based on personal experience and assist in the development of community support systems and networks.

Support families, parents/caregivers in developing skills to effectively manage their child/youth behaviors and navigate the multiple systems involved.

Identify formal services and informal resources for families that are culturally affirming and experiencing social-emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges.

Assist families with identifying challenges, strengths and goals.

Monitor and document family progress in accordance with agency and regulatory policies.

Collaborate with care providers and community support to help families track progress toward goals.

Participate in multi-disciplinary team meetings, staff meetings, trainings and supervision.

Maintain all documentation according to the standards and time frames established by the Jewish Board, regulatory agencies and/or funding sources.

Maintain professional behaviors and ethical standards as established by licensing boards and Jewish Board policies.

Use an electronic database to document demographic data, family goals, and services provided; participate in quality improvement activities.

Deliver services in the family’s home, youth’s home, community or office.

Any additional duties assigned.

Core Competencies

Excellent engagement skills

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Attention to detail

Ability to work independently as well as with a team

Educational/Training Required

High School Diploma or Equivalency

Specialty credentialing in advocacy – can be obtained during probationary period

Lived experience in parenting a child or adolescent with a serious emotional disturbance and/or lived experience of mental health challenges

Lived experience with mental health and/or co-occurring behavioral health challenges in home, school and/or community

Ability to work with diverse social, cultural, economic groups

Background in advocating mental health and/or in the educational system

Bilingual in Spanish/English a plus

Experience

/ Language Preference

Bilingual Spanish/English preferred

Computer Skills

Working knowledge of Microsoft Office

Ability to learn electronic health records and other software as required

Visual and Manual Dexterity

Able to read/input data and documents, including spreadsheets, reports and Electronic Health Records in printed form and on computer screens

Able to input data into the Electronic Health Record

Limited applications of manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination

Work Environment / Physical Effort

Most services are provided in the community, with less time spent in office-based work

Office sites may not be accessible; the organization is ADA accessible, but some sites may vary

Must be able to travel within New York City carrying equipment up to approximately 10 pounds

Physical demands include sitting ~20% of the time, standing ~30%, and traveling to appointments ~50% of the time

Frequent travel within the assigned borough (Staten Island); infrequent travel to Bronx or Queens

We are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Details

Seniority level: Entry level

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Other

Industries: Mental Health Care

New York, NY

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