Summary

The function of the Certified Peer Mentor is to help families navigate the child welfare and other systems by providing peer support and promoting healing to keep children safe and families together. The Certified Peer Mentor will serve families referred to the public children services agency. Employees are expected to value the highest ethical standards, quality clinical care, and good customer service. We also value quality communication skills in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and often multi-agency environment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Responsibilities supervised by an appropriately licensed mentor include:

• Informs clients of limits to confidentiality and rights regarding services delivered.
• Assist with the safety of the child(ren) by working collaboratively with the Ohio START case worker and behavioral health provider to ensure a seamless and efficient delivery of intensive wrap-around services.
• Assist with the transportation of peers.
• Participate in initial meetings, weekly status meetings and Family Team Meetings to review families; progress and child safety in their respective cases.
• Teach families skills to effectively navigate the child warfare system.
• May refer clients for emergency consultation and crisis assessment intervention.
• Maintains efficient and timely documentation of services within GESMV Behavioral Health and Ohio START guidelines.
• Integrates services and/or makes referrals to appropriate professionals or outside agencies as indicated.
• Participates in the assessment of programs needs and peer review, as well as cooperates with performance improvement and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) as defined.
• Performs community outreach, information, referral, and education assignments, as well as consultation services as approved by supervisor.
• Comply with confidentiality and protected health information rules including FERPA and HIPPA.
• Attend community meetings, GESMV staff meetings, in-services, case conferences, supervision sessions, etc., as scheduled.
• Comply with all Agency policies, procedures, and safety standards throughout work areas and maintains same to meet CARF, ODBH, Department of Labor, and other regulatory standards.
• Assists Sr, Manager, Clinical Behavioral Health and Director, Behavioral Health Operations with planning and development of additional Peer Recovery Support services through GESMV.
• Performs other related duties as assigned, including support activities as needed to augment functioning of the agency.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Under the supervision of the Sr. Manager, Clinical Behavioral Health may administratively and clinically supervise the work of Peer Recovery Supporters, interns, and volunteers. Co-supervision with Children Services Manager and the Peer Support Manager as the direct supervisor.

Education Requirements

• Must have a minimum of high school diploma or GED.
• Must be certified by the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health as an Ohio Peer Recovery Supporter or agree and can become certified upon hiring.

Experience Requirements

• Minimum of two (2) years demonstrated long term recovery from a substance use disorder required. Three or more years preferred.
• Must demonstrate no ongoing criminal activity.
• Have lived experience with the child welfare system as a parent, with the case closed at least one year, or indirect lived experience with the child welfare system. Indirect loved experience means the candidate navigated a system (mental health, SUD recovery, public benefits, court, etc.) coupled with: 1) Intervention by a relative who took informal/formal custody of their child(ren), 2) an understanding of how their substance use/recovery affected their own child(ren), or 3) raising a child of a relative/friend with a substance use disorder.
• Maintain a current driver’s license
• Must have a minimum of one year of practice experience in a behavioral health setting providing Peer Recovery Support Services.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Employees must maintain a valid driver's license and a driving record acceptable to Goodwill's liability insurance provider. If at any time the employee is unable to maintain a valid driver’s license and a driving record acceptable to GESMV’s liability insurance provider, they must immediately notify Human Resources.
• Must maintain the ability to pass a criminal background check and random drug screens.

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent Peer Recovery Support skills
• Ability to evaluate and advocate for the behavioral health needs of clients.
• Familiarity with and/or interest in furthering understanding of mental health related issues and recovery principles as well as the impact on the individual and surrounding community
• Leadership and mentoring skills
• De-escalation
• Motivational interviewing
• Setting personal/professional boundaries
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Computer skills, including WORD and Excel, and ability to use an electronic health record (CareLogic)
• Initiative and the ability to work cohesively within a team.
• Ability to show care, warmth, patience, and nurturing to the target.
• Good customer service skills with clients, internal colleagues, and our community at large
• Ability to work within budget and under guidelines.
• Ability to assist with publicity and outreach activities.
• Skill in collecting the necessary data for outcome reporting.

Physical Demands

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 accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk; use hands to handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell.
• The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions and is occasionally exposed to risk of electrical shock.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The above duties and responsibilities are essential job functions subject to reasonable accommodation. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job and/or apply for the position, absent undue hardship.This job description is not to be interpreted as an all-inclusive list of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Employees may be required to perform additional job- related tasks as assigned, subject to reasonable accommodation.