Family Peer Advocate - Ward, NY

AspireHopeNY, Inc. has an immediate opening for a Family Peer Advocate in Allegany County, NY.
Job Title: Family Peer Advocate
Title Description: Family Peer Advocates have 'lived-experience' as the parent or legal guardian of a child/youth with an emotional, behavioral, social, and/or developmental disabilities.

• Utilize your valuable lived experiences to help other families while working part-time in a strength based atmosphere.
• Opportunity to earn your Professional Family Peer Credential as well as additional opportunities for trainings in personal skill development.

• Purpose of the position - The Family Peer Advocate provides outreach, information, referrals, and advocacy services, and helps to coordinate family support services for families of children & youth.
  • Under general supervision, the Family Peer Advocate functions as both advocate and deliverer of services.
  • They foster effective parent-professional partnership and promote the practice of family-driven and youth-guided approaches.

• Overview of responsibilities
  • Provide emotional support to families through phone and face to face meetings.
  • Meet program specific billable service requirements (as appropriate).
  • Meet documentation requirements in a timely manner per program guidelines.
  • Provide family support as needed.
  • Coach families on how to advocate for themselves.
  • Facilitate/co-facilitate meetings with families in their home or at an agency location.
  • Help families find ways to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, safety, and health.
  • Assist families in identifying parenting skills which could be strengthened, and model these skills to the families

• Supervision : Reports directly to Family Services Coordinator

• Requirements:
  • You MUST have personal 'lived-experience' as the parent or primary legal caregiver of a child/youth with an emotional, behavioral, social, and/or developmental disabilities .
  • Must have reliable transportation, flexible schedule, home internet and home office space.
  • Must demonstrate sensitivity and respect for diverse cultural backgrounds and practices of families and be committed to supporting and empowering advocacy.
  • Experience navigating multiple child-serving systems.
  • Must be eligible for Provisional Family Peer Advocate credential, and complete Professional Credential after 1000 hours of employment. Must maintain and re-certify for credential.
  • High School Diploma or equivalent
  • Ability to work some evenings and weekends.
  • Must pass all criminal history background checks
  • Bi-lingual in Spanish a plus.

• Salary and benefits associated with this position
  • Job Type: This is a part time (20 hours) position. Hours are flexible and it varies but will typically be Monday-Friday between 9am - 9pm. Occasional weekends may be needed.
  • Salary: starting hourly pay rate $16.39 & $16.89 after Professional Credentialing
  • Mileage reimbursement.
  • Paid time off