Parent Peer Support Specialist

Job title: Parent Partner/ Parent Peer Support Specialist
Reports to: Behavioral Health Director
Status: Full-Time / Part-Time
Location/s: 2743 Highland Avenue, National City, Ca 91950
The Organization
Operation Samahan (OpSam Health) is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that serves the San Diego County community. Founded in 1973 in a barber shop in Downtown San Diego by Filipino health professionals offering services to immigrants who did not have the finances, linguistic skills, or ability to navigate the health care system. Today, Operation Samahan has evolved into a diverse community health center with services available in National City, Mira Mesa, City Heights, and Rancho Penasquitos. We provide primary care, dental, behavioral health, family planning, integrative health and wellness, healthy eating, civic engagement, and other health related services to the uninsured, underinsured, and underserved families of all income levels regardless of their ability to pay.
JOB PURPOSE
Opsam Health is seeking a dedicated and culturally competent Parent Partner to support the families of students enrolled in the Resourceful Adolescents Program (RAP-A). The ideal candidate will be a or qualified to be trained as a Parent Partner/ Parent Peer Support Specialist. The candidate must have lived experience as a parent of a child/children that had mental health issue/diagnosis and received psychotherapeutic services, and or psychiatric services. This role involves promoting family engagement, self-advocacy, and the development of natural community supports. The role will also provide care coordination services for the family, while teaching the parents and other supports of the child/adolescent, how to navigate various child-serving/ community service systems on their own.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Family Engagement and Support:

• Provide support, encouragement, and mentorship to parents of children participating in the RAP-A program.
• Promote self-advocacy and help families develop natural community supports and protective factors.
• Assist families in understanding and navigating the behavioral health system, juvenile justice system, child welfare system, education system, early childhood care, and regional centers.

• Offer individual coaching and support to parents, helping them articulate their concerns and participate actively in their child's treatment plans and goal setting.
• Facilitate support groups for parents, providing resources, encouragement, and a connection to other parents experiencing similar challenges.
• Provide monthly parenting workgroups at the schools for staff, parents and community members.

• Educate parents on different behavioral health practices, medication options, and evidence-based practices to assist them in making informed decisions about their child's care.
• Provide training to primary caregivers and professionals on the parent perspective, including topics such as racial and ethnic disparities, implicit bias, and racial trauma.
• Provide training to clinicians and Opsam Providers on engagement strategies for working with parents and children and youth to reduce barriers to accessing health services.

• Advocate on behalf of families within various systems, ensuring that their rights and the rights of their children are upheld.
• Model and mentor interactions with different child-serving systems, promoting positive and effective communication.
• Assist families in building independence, self-advocacy, and sufficiency.

• Develop and implement crisis and safety management plans in collaboration with families and professionals, schools, and clinics.
• Provide education and support around crisis and suicide awareness/prevention for children and their caregivers.

• Contributes to the success of the organization by participating in quality improvement activities. Take part in peer audits. Attends appropriate QA meeting and trainings. Performs job duties within scope of practice, and in accordance best practices, in a legal and ethical manner.

• Maintain privacy of all clients, employee and volunteer information and access such information only on a need-to-know basis for business purposes.

• Comply with all regulations regarding corporate integrity and security obligations. Report unethical, fraudulent, or unlawful behavior or activity.

• Lived Experience: Must be a parent of a child/children who struggled with behavioral health challenges/ diagnosis and who received psychotherapeutic or psychiatric services.
• Education: High School diploma or GED.
• Communication Skills: Strong listening, active listening, dispute resolution, confidentiality, documentation, and team communication skills.
• Behavioral Health Knowledge: Understanding of behavioral health services and symptoms, common childhood mental health diagnoses, prevention and early intervention services, and the impact of isolation, stigma, grief, guilt, and depression on families.
• Crisis Management: Knowledge of crisis and safety management plans, domestic violence, and suicide awareness/prevention.
• System Navigation: Familiarity with the behavioral health system, juvenile justice system, child welfare system, education system (SELPAS, IEP process, and community school districts), early childhood care and education, and regional centers/ social services safety net program.