Caregiver Family Support Partner

Schedule: Mon, Wed 11-7pm, Tues, Friday 9am-5pm, Thurs 10am-6pm

Position Summary: The Caregiver/Family Support Partner provides wraparound support to families with children ages 5 18 which are diagnosed with serious emotional disturbance and are at risk of out of home placement (residential placement) or are currently living in a residential program, or transitioning back to their homes and communities from residential placement.
The overall programmatic goal is to facilitate family reunification/reintegration by enhancing positive interactions among family members, and, provide families with tools to support stabilization long term in their communities.

Essential Accountabilities:

• Demonstrate knowledge of childhood psychiatric disorders, trauma, suicidality, developmental tasks, and psychiatric medications.
• Demonstrate knowledge of cultural competency, family-driven, youth guided, strength-based, and trauma-informed care.
• Conduct meetings in families homes and communities establishing dates/times/locations conducive to families schedules.
• Conduct initial and ongoing assessments to determine strengths and identified needs.
• Interact and engage with family/caregivers and children/youth to offer educational, advocacy, and support resources to develop family/caregivers ability to independently access community services and activities.
• Maintain and encourage the caregivers/families self-sufficiency in caring for the child/youth in the home and community.
• Address needs and issues of relevance to the caregiver/family unit as the child/youth is supported in the home and community.
• Educate and train the caregiver/family unit on resource availability so that they might better support and advocate for the needs of the child and appropriately access needed services.
• Provide educational activities designed to enhance the ability of the child to function as part of a family unit and to increase the familys ability to care for the child in the home and community-based settings.
• Empower caregiver/families to make informed choices regarding the nature of supports for themselves and their child by providing an understanding of what resources, services, and supports are available and how to access them in their communities.
• Communicate and collaborate with all involved providers as part of an interdisciplinary team.
• Demonstrates sensitivity to cultural and ethnic norms, recognizes strengths in culturally driven parenting patterns and approaches to discipline, and demonstrates a non-judgmental approach to working with families whose background and values differ from their own
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with all OMH and agency mandates/regulations.
• Have a working knowledge of Avatar and complete detailed, timely, and accurate record-keeping in the medical record.
• Attend trainings to enhance skill level and learn about wellness self-management and best practice skills.
• Participate in individual supervision to address concerns/issues and improve skill development.
• Adhere to all WellLife Network policy and procedure with regard to areas to include but not be limited to as HR, time management, vehicle use.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

• The preferred Caregiver/Family Support Partner candidate will demonstrate lived experience as a parent or primary caregiver who has navigated multiple child-serving systems on behalf of their child(ren) with social, emotional, developmental, health, and/or behavioral healthcare needs AND, 
• At a minimum, have a high school diploma, high school equivalency preferred or a State Education Commencement Credential. AND
• Two (2) years of experience working with children diagnosed with SED and their families or three (3) years experience working with children. or
• Minimum qualification of a high school diploma, high school equivalency preferred, or a State Education Commencement Credential (e.g. SACC or CDOS) with related human service experience
• Valid NYS Driver's License w/ 2 years of driving experience

About WellLife Network:

ABOUT US: Since 1980, WellLife Network, has been meeting the growing challenges of individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental illness. Our multidisciplinary approach and centralized referral process help to ensure that each person we serve receives the appropriate range of services and level of care, with an individual treatment plan, coordinated by highly competent and supportive case management professionals. In its early years, WellLife Network operated and maintained community residential facilities for people with developmental disabilities and mental illness, and provided programs of care, service, habilitation, rehabilitation, and social and recreational activities, in a home-like environment. Partnerships Make It Happen For almost four decades, WellLife Network has changed, evolved, and expanded, while remaining true to its mission of meeting the diverse needs of New York communities, businesses, and society and assisting those we serve to achieve greater personal and economic independence. WellLife Network has a long and valued tradition of working in partnership with the government, the business community, private philanthropy, and our colleagues in the nonprofit sector to offer proactive responses to society’s social and economic challenges. Since its founding, the WellLife Network culture has been marked by program growth and organizational development. A Network of Services - A Culture of Caring and Best Practices Today, with an annual operating budget of $100 million, a workforce of 1,800 staff, interns, and volunteers, and an affiliate subsidiary company, WellLife Network delivers critical services in the areas of behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disabilities, housing, co-occurring substance abuse behaviors, family support, vocational training, and care management. These services meet the pressing needs of more than 25,000 individuals and families annually, some 2,000 New Yorkers every single day. A culture of caring, best practices models, a spirit of innovation, and a commitment to measuring results and producing high returns on investment drive our work. A key element to our successful growth is our focus on technology, financial viability, and quality assurance – critical infrastructure supports that enable WellLife Network to deliver services with cost-efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability in a manner that mirrors the standards of high-performing business enterprises.

---