Starting range- $17.33 per hour non-cert, $18.75 per hour cert

FLSA Status: Non exempt

SUMMARY OF DUTIES

The Youth Peer Advocate operates within a team of professionals who deliver services to consumers of behavioral health services. Youth Peer Advocate services are formal services and support provided to young people (primarily between the ages of 12-26), who are experiencing social, medical, emotional, developmental, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges.  The purpose is to ensure engagement and active participation of the young person in their treatment and decisions that affect their lives. Youth Peer Advocate services are provided by a trained and credentialed Youth Peer Advocate who has personal lived experience as a young person with a social, emotional, medical, developmental, substance use, and/or behavioral challenge, or has received services in any one of the child serving systems (juvenile justice, foster care, special education, or addiction recovery). Youth Peer Advocate services can be provided in individual and group settings. 

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide peer advocacy services to transition aged youth (Transition Aged Youth (TAY)-approximately aged 12-26)
• Provides direct contact, outreach, mentoring, systems navigation, oversight, and crisis support as needed to TAY enrolled in the project
• Assist TAY with identifying and connecting to education opportunities, employment, social activities, and health home integration of services
• Works in collaboration with the other program staff and partners to identify and advocate for services
• Support the recovery of participants
• Meets agency Key Performance Indicators.
• Completes detailed written record of activities
• Promote a culture of wellness and serve as a positive role model to support participants in maintain optimal health.
• Facilitate youth peer support and skill building groups
• Works to create a safe environment that respects and empowers participants to feel a sense of pride in their cultures and beliefs that they identify with. 
• Maintains client confidentiality at all times following all agency and HIPPA policies.
• Attends trainings as required for obtaining full peer certification and/or obtaining recertification of full peer credentials.
• Completes all trainings required by the agency.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

·  High School diploma or equivalency

·  CCBHC programs: must have a provisional or full youth peer certification through Families Together NY (FTNY). 

·  All other agency programs: must be actively working towards obtaining provisional or full youth peer certification, within 6 months from hire, through Families Together NY (FTNY). 

·  Must be able to use lived experience with a disability, mental health challenge, juvenile justice, special education, substance use disorder, and/or foster care to assist in supporting youth in their resiliency/ recovery wellness.

·  Must have experience and/or be willing to learn and often use basic office technology including Microsoft Word, Outlook, & Teams, copiers, phones.

·  Must have working knowledge of the mental health system and recovery process.

·  Bilingual strongly preferred.

·  Excellent organizational, problem- solving, and time management skills.

·  Ability to support participants to develop skills for wellness, resiliency, and recovery including developing goal-setting skills and community living skills. (Skill Building)

·  Ability to enhance resiliency and recovery-oriented attitudes in participants by encouraging hope, confidence, and self-efficacy. (Coaching)

·  Ability to act as a peer partner as participants transition into different levels of care and into adulthood (Engagement, Bridging, & Transition Support)

·  Ability to develop, link, and facilitate the use of formal and informal services, including connection to peer support groups in the community. (Self-Advocacy, Self-Efficacy, & Empowerment)

·  Ability to connect participants to community resources and services.  (Community Connections & Natural Supports)

·  Ability to identify potential crisis situations and convey this information to a supervisor in a timely and appropriate manner.

·  Must possess the ability to establish trusting relationships with participants who have experienced homelessness, mental illness and substance use disorders, and maintain respect for client rights and personal preferences in treatment.

·  Valid NYS Driver's License.

·  Must have accredited NYS Defensive Driving course; or obtain within 15 days of hire and send certification of completion to Human Resources.

·  Must maintain active NYS Defensive Driving course every 3 years and send a copy of the new certification of completion upon expiration.

·  If utilizing personal vehicle, must maintain valid vehicle inspection, registration, and insurance cards and send updated copies to Human Resources upon expiration.