Family Specialist

Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County

Family Partnership Program

Family Specialist I

General Statement:

The Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County is a dynamic, mission and values driven agency engaging 20,000 local people a year to connect for good in our community. Our values are quality, equity, and engagement of our staff, clients, community and volunteers.

Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Family Specialist provides support, education, advocacy and referrals to families of children/youth receiving mental health services through the Santa Cruz County Children’s System of Care, including Children’s Mental Health, Juvenile Probation, and Substance Abuse services. Responsibilities include coordinating services and representing family perspectives in meetings with clinical treatment teams and other service providers. The Family Specialist provides services in office, home and community settings throughout Santa Cruz County and documents service provision in accordance with Medi-Cal charting and billing requirements. The position may include working with local school districts to advocate for families of special needs children.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities:

The Family Specialist will preferably currently have (or have had) a child/youth or close family member receiving services from Children’s Mental Health, Juvenile Probation, or Social Services and will provide support services to families of children/youth receiving services from the Children’s System of Care and ensure that family perspectives are represented in all meetings and interactions between families and agency service providers. Specific duties include the following:

· Meet with families/caregivers to provide support, education about mental illness/substance abuse issues and resource referrals.

· Meet weekly and maintain regular communication with Children’s Mental Health clinical teams and other agency providers to asses families’ needs, to coordinate service provision and review families’ progress in attaining goals and objectives as appropriate.

· Serve as an advocate for and liaison between families and agency service providers, ensuring that family perspectives are represented in the development and implementation of services.

· Develop own knowledge of System of Care agencies and functions, as well as community-based agencies and services, in order to make appropriate referrals and provide information to families about how to access services.

· Develop care plans, document service provision in billing logs, progress notes, and other records and maintain confidential files.

· Assist with community outreach and education, including giving presentations about services available through the Family Partnership Program and partner agencies.

· Facilitate support groups, focus groups and other task-focused groups involving family members; also co-lead interactive education/training sessions for families as requested.

· Administer surveys, college questionnaire data from families and summarize focus group responses as needed for reports and evaluation studies.

· Assist with agency fundraising activities, special events and other administrative tasks as requested.

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

· A.A. degree in a related field and six months of relevant experience or minimum two years of relevant experience working in jobs of a similar nature.

· Bilingual in Spanish

· Familiarity with PC’s, Windows, Microsoft Word and Excel software, Google Suite, plus Internet and e-mail

· Excellent oral and written communication skills

· Good organizational skills

· Must have own car, California driver’s license, auto insurance and clean DMV record

Ability to:

· Work collaboratively and effectively with families, service providers, and other community members and partners.

· Work with diverse groups and understand culturally-specific needs and values

· Work a flexible schedule, including some evenings

· Facilitate groups and give presentations

· Work independently, maintain own schedule and commitments, and make decisions

· Will currently have (or have had) a child/youth or close family member receiving services from Children’s Mental Health, Juvenile Probation, or Social Services.

Plus Factors:

· Experience working with families/youth with substance use issues

· Knowledge of and familiarity with Santa Cruz County Children’s System of Care, including Mental Health, Juvenile Probation, Social Services, and Special Education

· Experience with AVATAR health records database.

Conditions of Employment:

Under our Work/Life Balance Initiative, the Volunteer Center of defines Full Time as 36 hours per week. This position is budgeted at 30 hours, with access to the Volunteer Center’s generous benefits package, including paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, health insurance, 401(k) plan with a company match, chiropractor/acupuncture care and access to other employee optional benefits. Starting hourly pay ranges from $22.93 - $25.43 and is dependent upon prior experience, with regularly scheduled increases. This position also requires mandated reporting and adherence to HIPAA and 42 C.F.R.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical handicap, or disability, medical condition, marital status, gender, sexual preference, age, veteran status, or any other non-merit factor unrelated to job duties.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $22.93 - $25.43 per hour

Expected hours: 30 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Mileage reimbursement
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Do you currently (or have you had) a child/youth or close family member receiving services from Children's Mental Health, Juvenile Probation or Social Services?

Education:

• Associate (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Salary : $23 - $25