RPG Family Peer Advocate

Job Description:

Job Title: RPG Family Peer Advocate
Location: Springfield, MO
Department: Recovery Services
Employment Type: Full-time
 

Job Summary:

The Family Peer Advocate will be responsible for the delivery of services to families dealing with substance use disorder consistent with the Preserving Families Through Partnership model design.  The Family Peer Advocate is responsible for providing direct outreach, child and family team coordination, home, school and community visitation, development of individualized Treatment Plans, coordination and delivery of individualized services across all settings, documentation of team related activities and services, and advocacy services to high-risk Families affected by substance use.    

Additionally, the Family Peer Advocate will provide recovery-focused case management and rehabilitation support to RPG Families living with substance use concerns, mental/emotional disorders and environmental stressors. They will provide peer support and recovery-focused case assistance while serving as an advocate to provide information for families in emergency, outpatient and/or inpatient settings. The Family Peer Advocate will promote positive social support networks and aid with access to community meetings, appointments and/or agencies and attend these meetings with the RPG Families to help advocate for progress and recovery.  For RPG, clients will come from Taney, Stone, Barry, Lawrence, Christian, and Greene. (31st, 38th, 39th and 46th Circuits). Services will be provided in the family home, school, and in other community-based settings as appropriate, and at PFH.  

The Family Peer Advocate position offers…

• All-Inclusive Employee Benefits Package - A robust full-time employee benefits package encompassing health, dental, vision, retirement, disability, life insurance, wellness program, and more
• Telemedicine – 24/7 phone, web, or mobile app medical, behavioral health, & dermatology visits
• Employee Assistance Program – 24/7 counseling services, legal assistance, & financial consultation for you and your household at no cost
• Paid Time Off - 29 days per year including vacation & holiday pay
• Workplace Culture - An environment cultivating employee wellbeing, valuing each individual's humanity, and actively promoting healthy, joyful workforce engagement

Key Responsibilities:

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Represent PFH and clients in a positive manner to clients, staff, community agencies, and community members.
• Advocate for clients in all areas of life as needed.
• Treat all persons served and their families with dignity and respect.
• Manage assigned case load of clients and their families, this includes travel to provide services where the families reside.
• Participate and engage families in wraparound services.
• Assist families with development of Treatment Plan, and initiate teaching, treatment and supporting interventions to assist clients in obtaining their goals.  Monitor and document progress.
• Utilize appropriate substance use disorder and parenting curriculum in individual or group format.
• Develop a positive, non-judgmental relationship with each child and family member, modeling appropriate behavior while acting as a role model for them.
• Administer assessment instruments as assigned.
• Teach daily living skills as needed related to budgeting, home cleanliness and organization, diet and menu planning, shopping, healthy and nutritional eating habits through teaching, modeling and monitoring.
• Planning and implementation of recreational, educational, and vocational activities.
• Document interventions and collect appropriate data in a timely fashion.
• Provide safety and crisis intervention as described in the Treatment Plan or as needed, utilizing and coordinating resources as needed to resolve the crisis, i.e. safety plan, no harm contract, etc.
• Teach, demonstrate, model and support clients while searching for appropriate sponsors for their recovery.
• Serve as peer support in ongoing delivery and implementation of services as indicated in each client treatment plan.
• Educate Families on addiction, harm reduction, recovery, 12 steps and community recovery supports, and attend recovery meetings and events with clients.
• Utilize personal story as motivation and relational tool with clients in building relationship and supporting recovery.
• Meet with Advocate Supervisor to discuss difficult service needs.
• Develop a collaborative relationship with Children's Division, community partners, kinship providers and foster parents.
• Assist foster parents and kinship caregivers to provide a safe, nurturing environment as needed.
• Interact and communicate effectively with community professionals as indicated by the Treatment Plan, including Department of Social Services, Probation and Parole Officers, Family Support Division personnel, Department of Health and Human Services personnel, healthcare providers, therapists, employers, court services, school personnel, etc.
• Facilitate re-engagement efforts to clients who drop-out of grant services.
• Attend Child and Family Team meetings, team meetings, weekly supervision, required training and conferences.

Education and/or Experience Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree from accredited college or university in field of psychology, social work, sociology, education, nursing or other human service-related field is preferred.  Applicants without a bachelor’s degree may be considered with a combination of PFH approved education, experience and certifications.

Required License/Certification:

• CPR, First Aid and Blood borne Pathogens.
•   Must have valid driver's license, acceptable driving record and current insurance. 
• Acquire and maintain Substance Abuse Credentials at the highest level allowed by the Missouri Credentialing Board (MAADC and either CPS or MRSS Credential).

Additional Qualifications:

• Thorough knowledge of and experience with trauma informed behavioral interventions and the principles of learning theory.
• Personal characteristics suitable to provide a positive role model for families.
• Ability to complete all required paperwork on time in a neat, grammatically correct fashion.
• Computer skills sufficient to utilize PFH Treatment Services computer network for billing, notes, and reports.
• Ability to drive, visit in homes and other community settings.
• Maintain a positive attitude in the work environment.
• Must pass a background check to include criminal history, abuse/neglect and driving record.

Position Perks & Benefits:

Paid time off: full-time employees receive an attractive time off package to balance your work and personal life

Employee benefits package: full-time employees receive health, dental, vision, retirement, life, & more

Top-notch training: initial, ongoing, comprehensive, and supportive

Career mobility: advancement opportunities/promoting from within

Welcoming, warm, supportive: a work culture & environment that promotes your well-being, values you as human being, and encourages your health and happiness

Brightli is on a Mission:

A mission to improve client care, reduce the financial burden of community mental health centers by sharing resources, a mission to have a larger voice in advocacy to increase access to mental health and substance user care in our communities, and a mission to evolve the behavioral health industry to better meet the needs of our clients.

As a behavioral and community mental health provider, we prioritize fostering a culture of belonging and connection within our workforce. We encourage applications from individuals with varied backgrounds and experiences, as we believe that a rich tapestry of perspectives strengthens our mission. If you are passionate about empowering local communities and creating an environment where everyone feels valued and supported, we invite you to join our mission-driven organization dedicated to cultivating an authentic workplace.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Preferred Family Health Care is a Smoke and Tobacco Free Workplace.