Parent Peer Support Partner

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Parent Peer Support Partner’s (PPSP) role is to provide intentional, authentic support to a parent or primary caregiver of a child with emotional, physical, behavioral, and/or mental health challenges (if applicable), families, and parents involved in the child welfare system (if applicable). The skilled PPSP’s unrelenting focus is on the parent/caregiver.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS REQUIREMENTS:

Specific job functions include (but are not limited to):

Primary Functions

• Provide purposeful support to parents/primary caregivers and collaboratively develop a plan.
• Support parents/primary caregivers in achieving their identified goals.
• Deliver intentional support activities that build on the strengths and resiliency traits of parent/primary caregiver.
• Demonstrates ability to engage with people from diverse cultural, economic, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Offers empathy and encouragement to individuals, and families in their homes, the community and/or at trainings at the Family Involvement Center.
• Always maintains ethical standards including confidentiality and appropriate referrals.
• Utilizes active listening to offer reassurance, practical assistance and support to FIC recipients and their families.
• Assesses the level of progress, need, behavior and/or circumstances and updates the individualized service plan according to the individual’s identified objectives, review, and approval.
• Assists individuals in building and/or renewing positive relationships with family members (including family of choice).

Collaboration

• Work in conjunction with representatives from community-based organizations and child-serving systems to provide support to families receiving services.
• Works collaboratively with the parent/caregiver and other team members involved in the families’ care
• Serves as the liaison between organizations, service providers and stakeholders associated with the FIC recipient to promote collaborative continuity of care.
• Connects recipients to resources in the community and aids them in engaging with identified resources identified.
• Attends meetings, court proceedings, classes, groups, or other activities with the parent/caregiver.
• Establishes and maintains positive and effective working relationships with internal staff, community resources, and stakeholders.

Job Expectations

• Maintains and updates the assigned family’s documentation.
• Documents all communication and/or contact with the parent/caregiver including any activities associated with/on behalf of the FIC recipient.
• Meets with their assigned supervisor weekly to maintain updates and seek guidance.
• Assumes responsibility for ensuring completion of required documentation within acceptable standards as determined by the Director.
• Responsible for meeting productivity, quality and supervision standards as determined by the agency.
• Ability to respect and set appropriate boundaries with families, community members, professionals, and co-workers.
• Responsible for understanding and adhering to all internal policies and procedures, training expectations, and AHCCCS covered guidelines.
• Ability to perform services with dignity, respect, and professional demeanor.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to plan and organize professional schedule to meet established deadlines.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with strong attention to detail.
• Must be flexible in taking on various positions and tasks as assigned.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be a parent/primary caregiver with lived experience who has raised or is currently raising a child with emotional, behavioral, physical or mental health (if applicable). Must be a parent/primary caregiver who has been involved in a dependency case (if applicable). All PPSP must have experience navigating at least two child-serving systems.

• Must meet the requirement to function as a BHT, or BHPP.
• Must be at least 21 years old.
• Must have a High School Diploma or GED. 
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills. 
• Must be able to obtain fingerprint clearance through the Arizona Department of Public Safety (if applicable). 
• Must have a valid driver’s license, clean driving record, reliable transportation and proof of registration and insurance as required by the Law in Arizona. 
• Must have the ability to travel up to 50 percent of the time in assigned geographic area.
• Must be familiar with using Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook). 
• Requires adequate writing and typing skills to complete and submit necessary information and communication effectively between coworkers, external services and for/about the parent/caregiver.