Parent Partner- Wayne County

Job Summary

The Parent Partner works with families that may include birth parents, non-custodial fathers, absent parents, resource parents and children placed in out of home care with a goal of reunification. Primary duties include participating in training, assisting with reunification efforts, supporting family visits, and reporting on contact with families.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Participates in the initial Building a Better Future training;
• Provides training/education to DHS staff about the Parent Partner Program;
• Affords support and education for family visits;
• Makes contact with the referred biological parent(s) within seventy-two hours of the referral to begin to establish a relationship and rapport with the client and clarify the intent of the Parent Partners service;
• Makes contact with the assigned foster care provider within five days of receipt of referral;
• Works with the parent and the assigned foster care provider to develop the Parent Agency Agreement/Treatment Plan (PAATP) tailored to the needs of the client, children and court expectations;
• Supports parents by providing support, empathy and information about the foster care system, courts, services, etc.;
• Provides a sense of hope and inspiration through encouragement, outreach, and connecting parents with resources;
• Reports on dates and times of each contact and the nature of the contact, a summary of the family contacts with regard to family progress toward reunification goals, any issues of concerns related to the family, child placing agencies, courts, services, etc.;
• Accompanies parents to court proceedings, Family Team Meetings, treatment recovery, other agency required meetings, other gatherings with parents, etc. for the purposes of support and advocacy of the parents' rights;
• Collaborates with Parent Partner team including the Parent Partner Supervisor and/or Program Manager, child welfare case worker, planning committees, and others;
• Meets with DHS caseworker periodically during the duration of services, as needed or requested by the family;
• Assists in mediating conflicts between the assigned foster care worker and the client as needed;
• Assists in providing child placing agency staff with a more thorough understanding of birth parents' experiences in the child welfare system by providing in-service trainings for staff and through regular contact with child placing agency staff;
• Requests re-assignment if there is a conflict or concern (including if he/she knows the birth family or lives in close proximity);
• Provides self-advocacy and empowerment skills to all referred parents on navigating through the system;
• Help maintains connections between parents and children by observing and advocating for children and family rights;
• Participates in required trainings.

Job Qualifications

• Personal experience with the child welfare system resulting in successful reunification with children and dismissal of wardship. Have been reunited with child(ren) for at least one year. Training may be started after six months of reunification.
• Sensitive to the concerns of parents, and able to establish rapport effectively.
• Have a healthy and stable family situations with no current CPS substantiation or safety issues.
• Experience dealing with the court system and an ability to assist others in navigating the child welfare system.
• Computer literate. The ability to work in Microsoft Office, Word and Excel.
• Cultural competence.
• The ability and expectation to work a flexible work schedule including non- standard hours such as evenings and weekends and to be available to families 24/7.
• The ability to work with child welfare staff.
• If substance abuse was addressed in prior CPS complaint, or if substance abuse counseling was required, parent must be substance free for at least one year and to provide evidence to support.
• Allow for release of medical or mental health records/reports upon request.
• Sign a standing release for individuals with prior substance abuse and/or prior or current mental health diagnosis.
• Parent Partners must request for, and provide (to the Contractor) a copy of a Central Registry query upon request (by the Contractor).
• Required participation in all mandated training as well as individual and group supervision, including clinical supervision.
• Willingness to share their experiences as a learning tool with other parents, community partners, and child welfare staff.
• Individuals who haven't resided in Michigan for the previous 10 years are required to sign a waiver stating that they have not been convicted of a felony.

Core Competencies

• Customer Service – regularly respond to customers in a courteous and timely manner with focus on providing quality services.
• Job Knowledge – demonstrate mastery of basic principles, techniques, and skills related to job, consistently applying technical and procedural competence.
• Professionalism – consistently present a positive image of self and the agency, operating with integrity and credibility.
• Planning & Organization of Work – reliably demonstrate time management skills through advance planning in order to deliver high quality work product within deadlines.
• Relationship / Leadership – exhibit ability to develop cooperative relationships based on mutual respect and trust, treating others fairly, consistently listening, openly and actively encouraging others to express candid and differing views.
• Judgement & Problem Solving – show ability to review facts and information using sound judgment to arrive at the most effective solution and when appropriate seek supervisory assistance.
• Quality & Accuracy – consistently present work product that is thorough, accurate, and effective in accomplishing intended purpose of assignments.
• Initiative & Independence – demonstrate ability to effectively complete work tasks with minimal direction from supervisor and take initiative to increase effectiveness of work and that of the department.
• Reliability / Dependability – exhibit consistency in performance and reliably follows through on tasks and assigned responsibilities.
• Temperament – maintain emotional control, a positive perspective, and effectively respond to stress on the job.

Education, Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• Valid Michigan Driver’s License, appropriate insurance and use of own vehicle.
• High School Diploma or GED.

Working Conditions

• Works in an office environment and in the community as needed.
• Possible stressful environment working with families and court system.
• Non-traditional hours occur often due to the need for evening and weekend visitation, events, and trainings, etc.
• Fast paced, enthusiastic and team oriented workplace.

Physical Requirements

• Sitting and standing for extended periods of time.
• May require some lifting.