Peer Advocate I or II (Youth or Family)

This role requires “Lived Experience” and will be a Monday-Friday, full-time (40 hours) position with a flexible schedule based on client/staff needs, availability for some evenings & Saturdays may be required. After an initial training period, this role can be a primarily mobile/on the road & remote/work from home blend. The area of coverage is Livingston, Genesee, Wyoming and Orleans counties and has flexibility to be based out of either our Warsaw, NY or Batavia, NY offices.

Family Peer Advocate Summary

The Family Peer Advocate is responsible for empowering families and assisting the family in navigating and advocating in multiple child serving systems. This individual will support parents as they develop positive approaches and methods to meet the needs of youth and their families.   This individual will support parents as they develop positive approaches and methods for addressing their family’s day-to-day needs, including their own needs for self-care.  
Family Peer Advocate II: In addition, this position will lead projects and will mentor level I staff.

      Essential Job Functions

• Provide informational and educational support on system navigation, advocacy and rights to empower families to become active participants in their child’s services.
• Make referrals and linkages to needed services and resources and assist with access.
• Support the efforts of families in caring for and strengthening their children’s mental, and physical health, development and well-being of their children by assisting the family learn and practice strategies to support their child’s positive behavior.
• Facilitate parent training and education to increase knowledge and skills while providing opportunities for networking with other families and creating natural supports.
• Form and maintain relationships using effective communication and collaboration acting as a bridge between family and providers.
• Administer assessments and help family to identify gaps in services needed and assist in planning to eliminate gap.
• Develop treatment plan and safety plan with parent/caregiver supporting the family’s own identified goals.
• Promote effective family-driven practice.  Attend and/or facilitate meetings to promote family voice and infuse a family perspective at all levels: individual provider, agency, local planning, state and national policy making.
• Maintain all necessary records, forms, notifications, authorizations, reports and summaries in client files to ensure compliance with all Federal, State, Funder, Medicaid Managed Care and Hillside standards.
• Obtain and maintain credential/certification based on advocate’s role and funder requirements.
• Participate in agency and team meetings, in-service trainings, and team building activities as well as volunteer and serve on agency and community committees as needed.
• Serve as a resource to guide team performance.
• Lead/conduct Family Peer Advocate staff training and manage projects, as directed.
• Mentor Family Peer Advocate I staff.
• While this job description covers many aspects of the role, employees may be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Youth Peer Advocate Summary

The Youth Peer Advocate I empowers youth experiencing social, medical, emotional, developmental, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges in navigating multiple child serving systems to increase engagement and support them in becoming an active participant in their own treatment. This position supports youth as they develop new skills and learn positive approaches and methods for addressing their needs while learning self-advocacy skills. This position will also participate in meetings (e.g. the county’s System of Care); providing the youth perspective and sharing their expertise in family-driven, youth-guided care.
Youth Peer Advocate II: In addition, this position will lead projects and will mentor level I staff.

     Essential Job Functions

• Assist youth in developing skills to advocate for needed services and benefits to effectively resolve unmet needs, learn how to effectively communicate their individual perspective to providers and families and have a voice and choice in matters related to their lives.
• Assist youth in developing skills for coping with and managing psychiatric symptoms, trauma, and substance use disorders.
• Connect youth to community resources, services and natural supports by assisting in
  the development of a network for information and support.
• Facilitate youth trainings and youth advisory board to increase knowledge and skills by providing opportunities for advocacy, learning effective communication skills, and practicing social skills with other youth.
• Form and maintain relationships using effective communication and collaboration acting as a bridge between youth, family, and providers.
• Administer assessments and help youth and family to identify gaps in services needed and assist in planning to eliminate gaps.
• Develop treatment and safety plans in collaboration with the youth and family. 
• Promote effective family-driven, youth-guided practice.
• Attend and/or facilitate meetings to promote youth voice and infuse the youth perspective at all levels: individual provider, agency, local planning, state and national policy making.
• Maintain all necessary records, forms, notifications, authorizations, reports and summaries in client files to ensure compliance with all Federal, State, Funder, Medicaid Managed Care and Hillside standards.
• Participate in agency and team meetings, in-service trainings, supervisory and team building activities.
• Mentor Youth Peer Advocate I staff.
• Lead/conduct Youth Peer Advocate staff training and manage projects, as directed.
• Serve as a resource to guide team performance.
• While this job description covers many aspects of the role, employees may be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience - Family/Youth Peer Advocate I or II

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Minimum 1 of year of “lived experience” required based on program and funder requirements.
  • NYS Office of Mental Health requirement: 
    • Family Peer Advocate I or II: A parent/caregiver of a child with a social, emotional, developmental, medical, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges; experience in navigating child serving systems to obtain services and resources for their child/family. 
      OR 
    • Personal “lived experience” as a person with social, emotional, developmental, medical, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges, or has received services in juvenile justice, foster care, special education or addiction recovery. 
       
    • Youth Peer Advocate I or II: Minimum 1 year of personal “lived experience” required as a young person with social, emotional, developmental, medical, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges, or has received services in juvenile justice, foster care, special education or addiction recovery. 
       
• Family/Youth Peer Advocate II: Also minimum 18 months of related work experience required.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS - Family/Youth Peer Advocate I or II

• Must obtain appropriate credential required for the program within 6 months of hire.
• Unrestricted, valid NYS driver’s license for minimum of 1 year with a clean driving record and minimum insurance coverage that meets agency standards.
• Youth Peer Advocate I or II: Also program requires age range of 18 to 30 years old.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

In addition to demonstrating the Hillside Professional Competencies of Communicates Effectively, Personal Excellence, Cultural Competence, Builds and Leverages Relationships, and Optimizes Decision Making, the following occupational competencies must be demonstrated:

• Ability to act as an adult role model for children/youth/families in all behaviors including communication, hygiene, and appearance, management of self, response to stress / challenges and in the demonstration of positive relationships with others.
• Ability to engage children/youth/families in trust-based, productive relationships in order to help children/youth and families prepare for transitions, interact in the community, and promote respect and independence.
• Ability to recognize and address, often through referral, problems related to substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, and child abuse and neglect.
• Ability to act as an advocate for children/youth/families in order to achieve the best possible children/youth/family’s outcomes; communicates reasonable expectations and facilitates the achievement of results.
• Demonstrates an awareness and sensitivity to cultural and social variations and shows respect for individual differences.
• Demonstrates and applies a working knowledge of applicable laws and regulations, an ability to
  identify and access community programs and resources as needed, and an understanding of public assistance access and eligibility

Physical Demands & Work Environment

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

• Must be able to work a variable scheduling including evenings and weekends
• The following daily physical demands are required:
  • Sitting (up to 6 hours)
  • Occasional standing (up to 2 hour)
  • Occasional walking (up to 2.5 hours)
  • Driving (several times a week up to 6 hours)
  • Continuous balancing (up to 8 hours)
  • Occasional balancing, bending, stooping, climbing, kneeling, pushing, pulling, reaching forward or down, reaching overhead, running, and twisting (up to 2.5 hours)
  • Weekly lifting up to 10-15 lbs. on a daily basis
  • Manual dexterity is required, including the frequent ability to grasp in both hands and continuous use of fine manipulation skills in both hands (approximately 1-2.5 hrs.)
  • Occasional exposure to dust, fumes, gases, chemicals, or smoke is apparent  
  • Ability to change positions as needed.
     

Family/Youth Peer Advocate I:
$18.01 Minimum pay rate, $25.75 Maximum pay rate, based on experience.

Family/Youth Peer Advocate II:
$19.46 Minimum pay rate, $27.75 Maximum pay rate, based on experience.
 

Hillside is committed to equal opportunities for all, supporting a diverse workforce, creating great opportunities for our Agency, our people, and to those whom we serve.  We offer a competitive benefits package to include very generous paid time off, comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending account, 403(b) retirement savings plan with employer match, paid holidays, and Employee Assistance Plan, just to name a few of the amazing benefits at Hillside!  You’ll be working with great people and great clientele where you can truly make a difference.  Apply online, get on board, and grow you career with us.  You’ll be so glad you did!

EOE/AA Disability/Veteran

Salary : $18 - $28