The Family Support Partner (FSP) is responsible for connecting, supporting and empowering families with youth engaging in at-risk behaviors in the community. The Family Support Partner is expected to communicate clearly with all family members and to respect and value their culture and beliefs. The candidate in this position will be responsible for monitoring services provided by other agencies and for finding informal supports for families from recreational activities, mentoring and connecting with faith community if requested by the family. Must be comfortable learning and using new computer systems/programs.

Job responsibilities include:

• Assess child, youth, and family strengths and needs.
• Assist family in meeting Plan of Care (POC) goals.
• Ensure families take ownership for their plan of care.
• Elicit values and incorporate family’s culture in developing individualized service coordination planning.
• Manage a diverse caseload of up to twenty (20) families and ensure that frequency of meetings is responsive to the need for planning.
• Ability to work independently, to meet with families at their available times which may require early morning, evening and/or weekend hours.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with agencies and providers of services.
• Facilitate a process for families to develop a plan to: clarify the problem(s); provide emotional support; identify needs and strengths; and identify resources including appropriate levels of services, entitlements, community resources and other natural supports.
• Assist families and youth to build their own community based support network, and ensure that their goals are integrated into one unified plan as necessary.
• Assist with Care Coordinators throughout the stages of the Wraparound facilitated process, including intake, engaging family members, developing a child and family team, and serving on child and family team. Implement all assigned tasks within the POC.
• Ensure that families are equal partners in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating their own plans.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent.

Experience

• Personal, lived experience as a primary caregiver raising a youth who has intensive behavioral issues within the community or behavioral health issues required. Preference to those that can articulate identifying these needs and accessing available services.
• Prior experience assisting other families to obtain appropriate services and supports for their child and family members is desirable.
• Familiarity with state and local resources and knowledge of how to access them, specifically the early childhood serving systems.
• Active listening skills for providing non-judgmental peer support and engagement to families.
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Bilingual English/Spanish required
• Current Maryland driver's license and access to own vehicle; in-state travel required.

Benefits

• 10% retirement employer contribution
• Life insurance, LTD, STD paid by employer, generous medical, dental and vision health plans offered, with employer contribution to cost
• 11 paid holidays and PTO days throughout the year
• Free YMCA membership for employee and family

The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington is a cause driven organization that offers tremendous opportunities to make a difference. We invite you to join us in this amazing work to develop your skills, to realize your leadership potential and discover a career that is so much more than a job.

As an organization committed to improving and protecting the health of our communities, we require all new Y staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. A person is fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving all recommended doses in the primary series of their COVID-19 vaccination.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $47,500.00 per year

Benefits:

• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Professional development assistance
• Referral program

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Application Question(s):

• Are you familiar with Montgomery County resources?

Language:

• Spanish (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver's license and personal vehicle (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Silver Spring, MD: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person