Bilingual Family Partner | $1,000 Sign-on bonus*

 Work Location: Holyoke, MA

*Bilingual Candidates Encouraged to Apply 

*EOE M/F/D/V

The Gándara Center provides residential, mental health, substance abuse, and preventive services for children, adults, and families across the Pioneer Valley and eastern parts of Massachusetts. We believe in our communities and value cultural diversity and strive to provide culturally competent, innovative services to a diverse community. Our mission is to promote the well-being of Hispanics, African-Americans, and other culturally diverse populations, through innovative, culturally competent behavioral health, prevention, and educational services –Empowering Lives. Restoring Families

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide strength-based, one-to-one, culturally/linguistically competent support to parents/caregivers of youth with emotional and behavioral health needs.
• Services may include education, support, coaching and training, assistance in navigating the child service systems (DCF, education, mental health, juvenile justice etc.); fostering empowerment including linkage to peer/parent support and self-help group and assistance in identifying formal and community resources(e.g., after-school programs, housing, food assistance, summer camps etc.)
• Family Partners follow treatment plan goal(s) established in an already existing behavioral health treatment plan/care in any setting where the youth resides, such as home, foster home, and other community settings.
• Family Partners are responsible for documenting their interventions and work with families, completion of the Strength, Needs, Cultural Discovery tool and collaboration with other service providers.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or Associate's Degree in a human services field and one year of experience working with the target population OR high school diploma/GED and a minimum of two (2) years’ experience working with children/adolescents/transitioning youth.
• Experience as a caregiver of youth with special needs, and preferably a youth with mental health needs;
• Experience with children and youth, strength-based, family centered and child focused services;
• Experience in navigating any of the child and family-serving systems and teaching family members who are involved with the child and family serving systems;

Benefits:

• Retirement Plan 403(b)
• Mileage Reimbursement
• Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• Paid Vacations
• 10 Paid Holidays
• 8 Discretionary days a year

 The Gándara Mental Health Center provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.