OBH Family Support Coordinator (Closes 8/24)

This is a professional position within Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH). The Family Support Coordinator promotes family member/caregiver interests and perspective across OBH/Department of Human Services (DHS) activities and programs. If hired for this position, you would be an employee of our partner agency, Community Family Advocates working onsite at Allegheny County DHS.

About the Role

The incumbent provides consultation to community-based service providers, such as Allegheny Family Network, with a primary responsibility for coordinating family-focused activities and linkages between the Community of Practice System of Care initiative, designed to improve access to behavioral health services for youth and families involved with the child welfare system. The incumbent also works with the Community Wellness Team on recovery and peer-led activities.

Candidates must have:

• Personal lived experience raising a child/ren or youth with behavioral health issues and/or experience with one or more of the human service systems (e.g., child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, drug & alcohol, homeless services, or a combination of these).
• The willingness to positively and appropriately self-disclose regarding that experience.

Local and distant travel is required as part of the role.

Responsibilities

• Provides expertise and technical assistance to Bureaus and Offices across the Office of Behavioral Health and DHS to ensure family/caregiver interests are identified and included in County, DHS, and OBH planning, program activities, evaluation, integration initiatives, transition-age youth activities, and contracted service delivery.
• Assists with organizing family/caregiver involvement and coaching family members/caregivers in planning, program development, and other grant and DHS-related activities.
• Provides family member perspective on the content, format, and wording of documents.
• Attends meetings on behalf of County OBH and in support of family members/caregivers, as needed.
• Assists the Department of Human Services Office of Analytics, Technology, and Planning (ATP) and other DHS teams in the quality improvement process by participating in case reviews and interpreting system-level data reports and trends from a family member perspective.
• Provides family voice in the development of policies and procedures.
• Offers family perspective on training curricula and co-presents at trainings, as needed.
• Ensures grant products—such as marketing, training, and policy materials—are developed with consideration of family perspective and are family-friendly (e.g., pamphlets, brochures, web documents).
• Establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with federal and state-level family organizations and ensures additional family members/caregivers are involved when appropriate.
• Provides technical assistance (consultation, training, and support) to agencies and organizations within the DHS Community of Practice on issues of family engagement and involvement.
• Participates on local committees (e.g., Community Care, Allegheny County Coalition for Recovery, Multicultural Outreach and Education) to enhance family voice and increase family involvement in activities.
• Provides outreach to engage hard-to-reach family members/caregivers, including underserved families, youth, children, LGBTQ+ communities, immigrants, incarcerated individuals, and those with co-occurring behavioral health needs.
• Participates, as assigned, on various internal or external working groups as the OBH representative.
• Attends 1–2 conferences per year, as required.
• Shares personal life experiences according to the Diversified Care Management Employee Self-Disclosure Guidance.
• Performs additional tasks and duties as required by the employer.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a human service-related field, plus a minimum of 3 years of experience.
• Four to seven years of experience in the human services field.
• Any equivalent combination of education and experience that meets the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Personal lived experience raising a child/ren with behavioral health issues and/or experience with one or more human service systems (child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, drug & alcohol, homeless services, or a combination of these).

Skills

• Ability to document program outcomes and develop reports.
• Familiarity with community locations and access to community resources.
• Ability to effectively negotiate or deal with conflicts and issues.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to communicate and interact professionally with others.
• Ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds in a culturally competent manner.
• Proficiency with basic office equipment (computer, phone, fax) and Microsoft products (Outlook, Word). Willingness to learn other programs such as Excel.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions, consistent with applicable law.

Benefits

DHS is diverse and strives to be even more inclusive, with equity in hiring and advancement. The organization values problem-solvers, innovators, and strong leaders to ensure smart use of funding and impactful support for those in need. DHS aims to be a workplace where a diverse mix of talented people want to grow and do their best work.