Job description
Location: 1035 Cambridge Street
Work Days: 9-5
Category: Human and Social Services
Department: SAMHSA Safety Net Approach
Job Type: Full time
Work Shift: Day
Hours/Week: 40.00
Union: No
Union Name: Non Union
DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION:
Cambridge Health Alliance has a vibrant academic community with strong education, training and research programs. We are proud to have 700 providers on the faculty at Harvard or Tufts University School of Medicine. Currently we are recruiting for a Family Support Specialist who can do the following:
Summary:
- The Family Support Specialist (FSS) brings a key family perspective to clinical teams providing Integrated Child Mental Health and Pediatric Care (ICMH-PC).
- In that context, they can help “translate” between the professional culture and the family’s culture, building trust and facilitating critical information sharing.
- That two-way process, clarifying communication about symptoms, diagnoses and treatment planning, enhances engagement between parents and clinicians, so that children and youth are more likely to receive needed mental health services.
- Identify support services for children and families based on the ICMH-PC team’s evaluation of the child’s needs
- Conduct home visits, when appropriate, to supplement office-based assessment; or to facilitate contact with home-bound caregivers and clarify any additional needs, such as parenting education, or discuss potential referrals for other services related to their child’s mental health
- Coordinate resource information and service recommendations with the integrated clinical team, including the PCP, the Child Mental Health specialist, Nursing staff and the Social Case Worker for the clinic
- Provide emotional support (under clinical supervision), to families in crisis and assist with urgent access to clinical care
- Attend regular meetings with physicians and other staff at the clinic, to hear their concerns on behalf of families who may have missed an appointment, not connected with a referral or who are otherwise at-risk
- Assist with parent communication during Initial Child Mental Health Consultation visits at Pediatric Clinic, as well as any follow-up episodes; including identification of areas of disagreement or confusion on the part of the family
- Follow-up with identified families, either at the clinic or in their homes, at the request of the clinical team, regarding the child’s mental health status or treatment needs
- Bring new information back to the ICMH-PC team (and document in the EMR) so that the plan can be clarified or changed to better fit the family’s needs, or other steps taken to improve family engagement.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Work Experience:
Experience as a parent or caregiver of a child with special health care needs — important for other parents to know the FSS person has “been there,” and “can understand what families go through”
Prior experience advocating for families beside their own, learning when and how to share their own stories as examples, and how to collaborate with clinicians and/or other professionals
Ability to represent “family voice” on the clinical team when interventions are being discussed, but, also, at a leadership level, if asked. For example, capacity to represent the family perspective regarding such things as development of useful resource materials for clinic families, or strategies for health promotion in the community
Positive interpersonal presence as a team member
Preferably bi-cultural and bi-lingual, when needed for the population being served
THIS IS A VERY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY AND ALL QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WILL RECEIVE CONSIDERATION. APPLICANTS WHO INCLUDE A COVER LETTER SUMMARIZING THEIR SPECIFIC "LIVED" EXPERIENCE WILL RECEIVE PRIORITY REVIEW.
Other Experience Critical to the role:
The FSS provides what is often called peer-to-peer support. A "parent" includes the child's birth, foster, or adoptive parent or guardian - a person who, over time, has been the primary caregiver for the child.
Peer-to-peer parent support or FSS provider is someone with current or previous experience raising a child or youth with emotional, behavioral, or mental health challenges.
They must have navigated the service systems on behalf of their child and be able to draw from their personal experience to support, mentor, and empower other families, and be able to bring the perspective of a parent to the care planning process.
In keeping with federal, state and local laws, Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) policy forbids employees and associates to discriminate against anyone based on race, religion, color, gender, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law. We are committed to establishing and maintaining a workplace free of discrimination. We are fully committed to equal employment opportunity. We will not tolerate unlawful discrimination in the recruitment, hiring, termination, promotion, salary treatment or any other condition of employment or career development. Furthermore, we will not tolerate the use of discriminatory slurs, or other remarks, jokes or conduct, that in the judgment of CHA, encourage or permit an offensive or hostile work environment.
Cambridge Health Alliance brings Care to the People - including your neighbors, friends and family. Our local hospitals and care centers serve our vibrant, diverse communities, and play an integral role in improving health. As passionate advocates for the underserved, we actively partner with our communities to take on challenging public health issues, and conduct important research to help reduce barriers to care. We believe that everyone deserves access to high quality, convenient health care. This is why our employees believe in where they work and why many build long, rewarding careers at CHA.
Healthcare is changing rapidly. CHA has a strategic plan that charts a proactive course for our future. It is built on a vision of equity and excellence for everyone, every time. It also recognizes that our workforce is our most valuable asset and prioritizes competitive salaries, benefits and professional development opportunities for employees. The strategic plan is changing the way we provide care and improving the health and experience of our patients; we are looking for smart, committed, compassionate people who want to be part of making our vision of better health and equity a reality.
At CHA, you can believe in where you work and go home every day knowing you made a difference. Join our team and help us bring Care to the People.
abouteureka.com is the go-to platform for job seekers looking for the best job postings from around the web. With a focus on quality, the platform guarantees that all job postings are from reliable sources and are up-to-date. It also offers a variety of tools to help users find the perfect job for them, such as searching by location and filtering by industry. Furthermore, abouteureka.com provides helpful resources like resume tips and career advice to give job seekers an edge in their search. With its commitment to quality and user-friendliness, abouteureka.com is the ideal place to find your next job.