Youth and Family Support Specialist

Provide support and rehabilitative services to children, adolescents, and young adults with emotional and behavioral health needs—and their families or caregivers—across all appropriate settings (home, school, clinic/office, community, telehealth, and other natural environments) as medically necessary. This is an intensive, community-based direct support program designed to engage families in their natural environments, meet them where they are, and address the complex needs that often place youth at risk for higher levels of care.

The program is guardian-driven, requiring active collaboration with caregivers to identify and mitigate home environment stressors that contribute to behavioral or emotional instability. Staff work alongside guardians to strengthen family functioning, build safety and structure within the home, and increase the caregiver’s capacity to respond effectively to challenging behaviors. The overarching goal is to preserve permanency in the home, reduce safety risks, and prevent out-of-home (OOH) placements such as BHIF, BHRF, or inpatient hospitalization, while also supporting successful transitions for youth returning from these settings.

All services are delivered within Arizona’s Children’s System of Care under AHCCCS, consistent with the 12 Principles and the Child and Family Team (CFT) model. The program aligns with the “Meet Me Where I Am” initiative—emphasizing flexible, family-centered, and community-based engagement that brings services directly to the environments where challenges occur. Practice is trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically appropriate, strengths-based, community-based and least restrictive, and coordinated with natural supports and other providers. Services focus on timely access, measurable outcomes, and meaningful, sustainable change for both youth and caregivers.

1.      Provides consistent, in-home and community-based direct support to youth and families at risk of higher levels of care, focusing on stabilization, skill-building, and maintaining permanency in the home.

2.      Engages with guardians and family members to identify strengths, needs, and environmental stressors that inform individualized service planning within the Child and Family Team (CFT) process.

3.      Teaches and models adaptive skills including daily living, social-emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, self-care, and household management to children, adolescents, parents, and caregivers.

4.      Participates actively in the CFT by sharing observations, progress updates, and recommendations that guide collaborative decision-making and treatment planning.

5.      Identifies, connects, and integrates families into natural supports and community-based resources that reinforce stability, independence, and long-term well-being.

6.      Demonstrates flexibility and critical thinking in dynamic situations—responding quickly and appropriately to emerging needs, safety risks, or behavioral escalations.

7.      Provides transportation for youth and families to appointments, activities, and community resources as needed, always ensuring safety and professionalism.

8.      Collaborates effectively with all CFT members, external providers, and community partners to ensure coordinated and seamless service delivery.

9.      Completes clinical documentation accurately and within established timelines in Credible (EHR), ensuring all services meet agency, AHCCCS, and payer requirements.

10.   Maintains regular communication with the supervisor to report updates, progress, barriers, and safety concerns, and participates in supervision to enhance performance and outcomes.

11.   Works a flexible schedule that may include evenings or weekends to meet family needs and ensure continuity of care.

12.   Meets weekly productivity and service delivery expectations as established by program and agency standards.

13.   Other duties as assigned.

·         The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a teammate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

·         Regular, predictable attendance is required; including but not limited to quarter-driven hours / spilt shifts- as business demands dictate.

·         While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to, stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard, reach, stoop, kneel to install computer equipment.

·         Repetitive physical movements (sitting, standing, jogging, running, in and outdoors, stooping, kneeling, crawling).

·         Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work.

·         Light to moderate lifting is required. Medium work exerting up to 50lbs of force occasionally, 20lbs or force frequently, 10lbs force constantly- following CPI and QBS crisis prevention protocol

·         Employee may be subjected to clients with violent tendencies (needs to be able to block physical threats and defend, hitting, kicking, biting, hair pulling, objects being thrown).

·         Employee may be subjected to high levels of stress and emotionally volatile situations due to challenging behaviors or crisis situations that last a long period of time.

·         Employee may encounter a variety of atmospheric conditions or poor environmental conditions: fumes, dust, odors, animals/animal hair, poor ventilation.

·         Home environments may or may not be in well-kept conditions. Families may have trouble with water or lights being shut off. Home environments may have issues with pests.

·         Employees may be subjected to different external climate factors (i.e., family’s trouble with heating or cooling, outside conditions in summertime, extreme heat or cold).

·         Employees may be required to wear personal protective equipment.

·         Households may include up to 15-20 people.

·         Closed toed shoes required on shift.