Parent Partner

About the role

The Parent Partner is an individual with lived experience successfully navigating the child welfare system who provides peer support, mentoring, encouragement, and advocacy to caregivers participating in the MiFamily Together (MFT) program. Using shared experience, the Parent Partner builds trusting relationships with caregivers, promotes engagement in services, strengthens protective factors, and empowers families in Gogebic, Iron, and Ontonagon Counties to successfully navigate the child welfare system and achieve long-term stability.

Responsibilities

• Provide peer support and family engagement
• Offer advocacy and mentoring to caregivers
• Coordinate resources for families
• Plan and facilitate monthly caregiver support groups
• Complete timely and accurate case notes and required documentation

Core Competencies

• Peer Support and Mentoring
• Relationship Building
• Family Engagement
• Trauma-Informed Practice
• Communication
• Advocacy
• Cultural Responsiveness
• Professional Boundaries
• Collaboration
• Professional Ethics

Qualifications

• Successful personal experience navigating the child welfare system resulting in safe family reunification or successful case closure
• Ability to appropriately use lived experience in a professional peer support role
• Experience working with families, community organizations, or peer support programs preferred
• High school diploma or GED required; additional education in human services is preferred

Benefits

• Quality health care coverage
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Mileage reimbursement
• Opportunity for two pay increases each year
• Ample paid time off
• Generous number of paid holidays throughout the year

Pay

Starting salary: $40,000/year

Why Join Us

At UP Kids, we believe families are stronger when they have someone beside them who understands the journey. As a Parent Partner, your lived experience becomes a powerful source of hope, encouragement, and connection for families working toward a stronger future. We also believe in taking care of the people who take care of our families. This is more than a job—it’s an opportunity to turn your experience into meaningful work while joining a supportive organization that values its employees and the important work they do.