Ohio START Family Peer Mentor

An Ohio START (Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma) Family Peer Mentor is to provide peer support to help families navigate through Children Protective Services as well as other systems while also providing hope and motivation to promote healing to keep children safe and families together. The Ohio START Family Peer Mentor serves as a member of the local START team along with the Ohio START Caseworker and Ohio START Supervisor within the Child Protection Unit.

Minimum Qualifications:                
Minimum SSW1 Qualifications - Undergraduate major core coursework OR two years’ technical training in behavioral science, social science, early childhood development technology, education or related field; OR  2) four courses in behavioral science one of which must be in child development, or two years’ experience in behavioral science of which six months must be in the area of child development, one course or six months experience in business mathematics, one course or six months experience in interviewing, one course or six months experience in typing, keyboarding or word processing; OR 3) education, training and/or experience in an amount equal to the Minimum Qualifications stated above.
Must also meet – Ohio Start Lived Experience Qualifications:
Sustained Recovery: for oneself or experience with primary family member(s). Self Recovery -must be an ongoing strong foundation in long-term recovery from substance use (two years minimum; three+  years preferred).
No current or pending criminal charges / activity.
Experience with the child welfare system as a parent or child. Case must be closed for one (1) year or more.
or ability to share in a meaningful way how you navigated another individual’s substance use that directly impacted your children and/or family.
Candidate must have a valid driver’s license and meet county insurance requirements.
Background checks will be completed in accordance with OAC 5101:2-5-09 prior to employment.

Essential Functions:

• Participating as an active member of the Ohio START team.
• Work jointly with the Ohio START case worker and behavioral health providers to ensure seamless and efficient delivery of intensive wrap-around services to the START families on his or her caseload to assist with the safety of the child(ren).
• Participate in initial meetings, weekly status meetings, and Family Team Meetings to review families’ progress and child safety in their respective cases.
• Provide continual exploration of diverse family needs to empower the family to take ownership over their long-term successes and the safety of the child(ren).
• Support the parent(s) in achieving personal independence and empowerment skills through promoting self-advocacy.
• Teach families the skills to effectively navigate the child welfare system.
• Promote coordination and linkage among providers within local community.
• Coordinate or help in crisis interventions and stabilization of families.
• Identify barriers (internal and external) to full participation in community resources and developing strategies to overcome those barriers.
• Provide input for court proceedings and case plans for child safety as needed. 
• Transport families and children for purposes treatment, visitation, and other miscellaneous appointments as needed.
• Attend and participate in required Ohio START trainings and functions in addition to other relevant learning opportunities.
• Build relationships and connections with a variety of community providers to provide education about the Ohio START program. 
• Complete timely, accurate case documentation and entering data into various computer data systems. 
• Assist with other SSW1 or lower classification duties as assigned.