Family Support Specialist

The Opportunity Alliance; South Portland (ME); On-site; USD 30,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical benefits

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

403(b) retirement with agency match

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

The Opportunity Alliance in Maine seeks a Family Support Specialist for Children’s Behavioral Health Home (CBHH) / Wraparound to empower families and strengthen partnerships. The role involves community-based work with York and Cumberland counties, with some remote paperwork as needed.

Responsibilities include attending meetings, supporting family voices, and facilitating access to services while maintaining flexible hours for evenings and weekends.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Family member of a person with complex emotional or medical needs.
• Certification or willingness to complete Maine OCFS peer supports curriculum.
• Familiarity with CBHH and Wraparound principles.
• Ability to model strengths-based problem solving.
• Strong communication and rapport-building with families.

Responsibilities

• Support families involved in CBHH/Wraparound to voice their voice and choices.
• Participate in service meetings, groups, and community activities.
• Provide consultation to team members to strengthen family-professional partnerships.
• Work with youth and families, sometimes remotely, to help access supports.

Skills

Communication skills

Flexible schedule

Driving

Rapport building

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Maine OCFS peer supports curriculum certification

Job description

Family Support Specialist : Children’s Behavioral Health Home (CBHH)/Wraparound : York County

Pay range: $22 - $24/hour

Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week, hourly position. Monday – Friday; some evening hours may be required.

Location: Office is located in South Portland. Work will primarily be performed in the community, serving York and Cumberland county.

The Family Support Specialist (FSS) works closely with our Children’s Behavioral Health Home (CBHH) and High-Fidelity Wraparound programs to obtain desired outcomes at the family level. The Children’s Behavioral Health Home is an integrated approach for management of physical and mental health needs. For children with any emotional or behavioral disturbance, it offers a new reference of managed care. This service can also help the child and family access social services, transportation, and other supports. Service planning is accomplished through individual services and natural supports around the child and family, based on their individual needs. The FSS’s primary role is to provide support and assistance to family members who have youth involved in the Children’s Behavioral Health Home by empowering all family members to bring their voice and choice into the process. This support utilizes life experiences to establish relationships, infuse hope, build natural and community supports, and assist with problem solving from a strength‑based perspective. The FSS, with families, participates in service meetings, groups, and the community to maximize parent involvement throughout the CBHH and High-Fidelity Wraparound process. The secondary role of the FSS is to serve as a "values speaker" within agencies and organizations supporting all individuals to view services through a family's perspective. In this role, the FSS provides consultation to all team members in an effort to increase awareness and improve the effectiveness of family-professional partnerships. The FSS is an individual who has a family member who is receiving or has received services and supports related to the diagnosis of a mental illness, and who is willing to self‑identify on this basis with BHH members. Work is performed, reviewed, and evaluated under the supervision of the Director of Youth Services.

*Ability to do some paperwork from home/remotely.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• The FSS must be a family member of a person with complex emotional or medical needs that include involvement with mental health services.
• Has completed a designated Maine Office of Child and Family Services curriculum for peer supports and receives and maintains that certification or is willing to complete this certification upon hire.
• Familiarity with CBHH and able to provide support according to the values and steps of the process required.
• Ability to model strengths‑based approaches to problem solving required.
• Good communication skills and an ability to establish rapport with families and other Wraparound participants required.
• Ability to work a flexible work schedule, including evenings, and weekends required.
• Computer proficiency with Microsoft Office and Email is required.
• Must be able to successfully pass a criminal background, child protective service check & sex offender check.
• Must not be on the state or federal suspension and disbarment list.
• Normal office conditions such as sitting, with occasional standing, walking, reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, crouching, typing and lifting up to 10 pounds.
• Driving may be necessary to attend meetings and trainings and for the occasional need to meet with clients offsite and within the program service area. This may include transportation of clients or driving to agency location to complete work.
• A good driving record is required.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off accrual 9 paid holidays per calendar year and up to 3 floating holidays per calendar year
• Excellent medical benefits at very reasonable cost
• Dental and Vision insurance options
• Agency paid basic life insurance and STD & LTD disability insurances
• 403(b) retirement with a generous agency match (all employees are eligible)
• Tuition Reimbursement – offered once per year through an application process
• The Opportunity Alliance (TOA) is a qualified employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

About the Opportunity Alliance

The Opportunity Alliance is “Helping People Reach for a Brighter Future”. Mission: The Opportunity Alliance works with people to build better lives and stronger communities. We provide advocacy, leadership, and support to identify the goals and address the needs of individuals, families, and communities. The Opportunity Alliance (TOA) is a dynamic, results-focused Community Action Agency providing approximately 50 integrated community-based and clinical programs serving more than 20,000 people annually throughout the state of Maine. With over 50 years of experience, TOA draws from a comprehensive set of programs which address issues such as mental health, substance use, homelessness, lack of basic needs, and access to community supports. Through an extensive array of services, TOA provides opportunities for individuals to stabilize fragile situations and then works with them to achieve self‑sufficiency. TOA is client‑focused with extensive experience working with diverse client populations. TOA programming includes four key sectors of service: Mental Health & Wellness Community Building Family & Early Childhood Education Economic Resources.

General Inquiries

For general inquiries: [e-mail]

Administrative Office: 50 Lydia Lane South Portland, ME 04106