Family Peer Navigator - Behavioral Health

Family Navigator

Philadelphia Family Voices is Philadelphia's first and only family-legacy organization. The mission of Philadelphia Family Voices is families helping families navigate and improve child-serving systems by creating opportunities for education, empowerment, advocacy and support.

The Family Navigator is responsible for providing confidential support, mentoring, advocacy, and guidance to families of children and youth with behavioral health and/or autism spectrum disorder within multiple or complex systems. The Navigator creates an individualized roadmap that spans the array of services, from evaluations and education to treatment and other supports, ensuring that the roadmap and peer services are accurate, specific, and aligns with the families self-determined needs and priorities. Over time, as the family's needs and priorities further develop and change, the goal of the Navigator is to continuously meet the family where they are with flexibility, empathy, and knowledge.

Key duties and responsibilities include:

• Utilize experience and partnership skills to help other families and the systems that serve them.
• Establish and maintain strong effective relationships with the Program Supervisor and/or Manager, Philadelphia Family Voices staff, management, and key stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain strong effective relationships with members of the community that we support:
• Families and youth
• General public
• Community agencies and organizations
• The Philadelphia child serving systems [Department of Human Services (DHS), Juvenile Justice (JJ), Early Intervention (EI), Behavioral Health and Autism related services and programs
• Schools and Education System
• Community Behavioral Health (CBH)
• Administrators/ staff of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health & Intellectual Disabilities (DBHIDS).
• Promote a positive public image of all PFV programs and serve as a representative in assigned committees, task forces, as well as other meetings.
• Promote and model high ethical, professional and respectful behaviors both within Philadelphia Family Voices and externally.

Minimum experience includes:

• Parent/guardian with direct experience raising a child with autism spectrum disorder who has utilized the local child serving systems.
• Two years' experience/knowledge of Philadelphia child-serving systems and resources for children/adults with autism or behavioral and/or mental health challenges including diagnostic process, early intervention, special education/IEP process, and treatment options.
• One years' experience with fee-for-service programs, and/or knowledge of billable services, and/or documentation of services.
• Completion of Family Peer Support training and Autism Family Peer Support* training within 3 months of hire.
• Child Abuse, FBI Fingerprint, and Criminal Background Clearances.
• Reliable mode of transportation.

*the Autism Family Peer Support training is required for Navigators on the ASD Team only

Preferred experience requirements include:

• Knowledge of or training in Systems of Care and trauma informed care.
• Experience with Child and/or Family Advocacy.
• Experience with administrative tasks, such as tracking/monitoring data, documentation, etc.
• Experience working with and understanding of billable service with the Medicaid system.
• Philadelphia County Resident.

Minimum education requirements include:

High School Diploma or GED.

Required skills include:

• Demonstrated effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to interact with families and other external parties effectively and professionally, including multi-disciplinary teams.
• Possess excellent computer skills to perform job duties including desktop computing, email, time sheet management, electronic health records, using Microsoft Office Applications, ADP and other relevant software.
• Ability to be flexible, collaborative, and creative.
• Dependable with strong time management and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication, listening and interpersonal skills including public presentations.
• Negotiation and conflict resolution abilities.
• Utilizes a strength-based perspective.
• Ability to maintain regular and punctual attendance; available for flexible work schedule including evenings and weekends as needed.

Physical requirements include:

• Able to sit/work at a computer and perform general office functions.
• Able to travel within the community that may not be handicap accessible, including stairs.
• Able to use public transportation and/or drive around the city, including in inclement weather.
• Able to carry computer equipment to external sites as needed.
• Able to communicate clearly with others; possible exposure to vulgar or inappropriate language or gestures.

Working environment includes:

• Philadelphia Family Voices office,
• ZOOM or other approved digital meeting platforms,
• Community settings and schools,
• Family's homes,
• Treatment programs and Children's Crisis Response Center (CRC),
• Family Court,
• Community Behavioral Health office.

Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job duties.