Peer Specialist

Description

Agency Overview

Since our founding in 1895 in Marin County as an orphanage – and through subsequent years as Sunny Hills Services – Side by Side has been at the forefront of best practices in child welfare, working with the most vulnerable youth in our community. Today, Side by Side operates in four counties – Marin, Alameda, Sonoma, and Napa – across the Bay Area, reaching nearly2,000 children, young adults, and family members per year with much-needed services related to behavioral and mental health, early intervention in schools, LGBTQIA+ support, transitional housing for foster youth, and special education.

Side By Side places high value on individuals with a passion for helping underserved youth and families in a collaborative and inclusive work culture. We strive to work together to create a trauma-informed workplace where we walk the walk of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles.

Compensation

This position has an hourly rate of pay of $23.00 to $26.78 based on experience and bilingual language skills.

Benefits

• 3 weeks of paid vacation for F/T employees increasing to 4 weeks of vacation after 2 years of service (for all non-school based employees).
• 2 weeks of sick leave for F/T employees with 2 additional sick days for direct service staff and 4 additional for school staff
• 10 paid holidays per year and 1 Self-Care Anniversary Day each year
• 100% employer-paid Medical for F/T employees including platinum level Kaiser Permanente insurance, Sutter Health or Anthem options
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• Long Term Disability insurance up to $9,000 per month, plus $50,000 Life and AD&D insurance. Employees also have the option to purchase additional life insurance at their own cost.
• 403b Retirement Plan with matching after one year of employment
• Professional development and other learning opportunities including unlimited access to over 1,000 behavioral health courses online. Side By Side is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness certified employer
• FREE Employee Assistance Program including up to 10 complimentary personal counseling sessions per problem, per year for staff and dependents
• Employee recognition program with $500 bonus awards
• Employee referral bonus of up to $1,000
• Pet Insurance

Program Overview

The Our Space LGBTQIA+ Prevention Early Intervention Program is a partnership between Our Space (community center for LGBTQIA+ youth) and Alameda County Behavioral Health. The prevention early intervention program provides a continuum of services towards the prevention of LGBTQIA+ youth falling into substance use, housing displacement and life destabilization.

Job Summary

The role of the Peer Specialist is to provide support services to LGBTQIA+ youth ages age 13 - 18 who are in San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLUSD) and Hayward Unified School District (HUSD). The Peer Specialist may, at times, serve youth younger than 13, at the discretion of their supervisor. Support services will be focused on prevention intervention services, mental health services, and life stabilization and may include weekly, individual support meetings with youth; facilitation of a weekly support group for LGBTQIA+ youth; collaboration and case consultation with San Lorenzo Unified and Hayward Unified staff and community partners; assessment and support of clients’ needs; and referral and linkage services. This position requires a high level of independent decision making as 60 – 75% of the Peer Specialist’s time will be spent in the field providing community-based support services to youth referred to the OS Prevention Early Intervention Program. When not in the field, the Peer Specialist will be at the Our Space Office to help provide youth drop ins and LifeSkills workshops to youth. The Peer Specialist will carry a caseload of 8 youth. 

A portion of this role works to raise awareness around the programming and services offered through Our Space and services specific to San Lorenzo Unified. The Peer Specialist is responsible for overseeing communications platforms, including social media, the monthly newsletter, and print materials. Additionally, the Peer Specialist will network and collaborate with SLZUSD staff and administration, HUSD Staff and administration and community partners serving LGBTQIA+ youth, to identify and pursue opportunities for collaboration.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Provide intake and case management to 7-9 youth at any given time and provide mental health, social service, SUD, medical, and basic needs referrals as needed. 
• Provide weekly support youth workshops at Our Space Community Center, San Lorenzo Unified School District Schools, Hayward Unified School District Schools and local organizations for youth, and provide school-based training workshops for educators
• Responsible for assessing the placement and support needs of LGBTQIA+ youth referrals.
• Responsible for assessing the mental health support needs of LGBTQIA+ youth referrals. 
• Collaborate with SLZUSD, HUSD, and the Family Engagement Specialist to host 20 Allyship Forums in the school year. 
• Training Curriculum development and Training Fascilitation for SLZUSD and HUSD
• Build mutually respectful and supportive relationships with community partners and community providers to improve services for LGBTQIA+ youth.
• May be responsible for writing Progress Notes for clients in therapy in accordance with Medi-Cal guidelines and within expected agency timeframes to ensure that CCM and Peer Youth Worker are in alignment.
• Participate in Our Space special projects, events, and/or community center programming and staffing as needed (at discretion of supervisor).
• Participate in the tracking of outcomes and use of outcome measurement tools, including Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS).
• Submit reports and required paperwork on time.
• Maintaining regular communication via e-mail, phone, and in person meetings with community partners to create and sustain community partnerships.
• Identifying and pursuing opportunities for promoting Our Space and the YAC in the community, including tabling at resource fairs, workshops at local schools and nonprofit organizations, and presentations.
• Updating Our Space’s social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, with information about community center programming, special events, and local resources.
• Creating and distributing original content for monthly newsletter, flyers, and infographics.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and expectations required of the position.

Agency-Wide Core Competencies

Code of Conduct: Understands and adheres to the Agency’s Code of Conduct, demonstrates a high level of integrity in all internal and external activities and complies with the Employee Handbook and all other Agency policies, practices and procedures.

Communication: Able to inform verbally and in writing, with clarity and good effect and to understand clearly and quickly when instructions or orders are received. Includes judgment about what information is important and what is not, and what should be communicated, how, to whom and when. 

Judgement: Able to make decisions in a timely fashion that are sound, accurate and supported by the reasoning and inclusion of appropriate people. Includes the ability to recognize, address and propose solutions to problems that arise. 

Position Specific Competencies

Agency Service Principles

• Ability to administer a procedure that ensures confidentiality of client records.

Team Building

• Ability to view yourself as a leader and pass on teachable skills and knowledge to others.
• Ability to hold yourself accountable for your work.
• Ability to give and receive feedback to others.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently.
• Enthusiastic and strengths-based approach to partnering with youth and collaborating with peers.
• Ability to develop mutually respectful relationships with community providers.

Action Oriented

• Commitment to effectiveness, prioritizing efficiency and follow-through.
• Strong problem-solving skills.

Leadership Qualities

• Ability to manage time effectively.
• Skilled in independent thinking and able to use judgment to make sound and appropriate decisions.
• Ability to serve as a role model for youth being served.
• Commitment to self-reflection and personal awareness as a means of being able to remain emotionally available and connected with youth, and function as an engaged team-member.
• Ability to respond to volatile youth in a kind and non-judgmental manner.
• Ability to advocate for positive social change in systems impacting LGBTQIA+ youth without alienating community partners and stakeholders.
• Ability to develop mutually respectful relationships with community providers and members of a youth’s treatment team (i.e. group home staff, clinician, child welfare worker, and more).
• Ability to view families, both biological and chosen, as resources and support systems for youth, and commitment to involve families in services.
• Commitment to self-reflection and personal awareness as a means of being able to remain emotionally available and connected with youth, and function as an engaged team-member.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

• Commitment to working in a diverse workplace, and self-awareness regarding issues of race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion/spirituality and disability.
• Passion for working with a diverse group of youth including youth of color, LGBTQIA+ youth, and youth with disabilities. 
• Knowledge of risk and protective factors for LGBTQIA+ youth and systems-involved youth.
• Ability to view families, both biological and chosen, as resources and support systems for youth, and commitment to involve families in services

Requirements

Qualifications

• One to two years of experience working with LGBTQIA+ youth, preferably runaway/homeless youth and systems impacted youth.
• Experience with, and commitment to using, a positive youth development model.
• Experience with training facilitation and curriculum development.
• Bilingual Spanish preferred but not required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency in utilizing Internet, email and web-based programs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• California Department of Justice and FBI fingerprint clearance.
• Associate degree preferred, High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• A valid California driver's license, personal vehicle for the job, insurable by Side by Side’s insurance policy based on DMV record and personal vehicle insurance.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Sitting, walking, standing, twisting and bending for brief periods of time.
• Occasional reaching and/or grasping using hands and/or arms.
• May be required to lift up to 20 pounds.
• May be required to ascend/descend stairs.
• Regular use of hands requiring dexterity in using the telephone, computer keyboard, mouse or calculator.
• Visual ability to read documents and computer monitor.
• Exposure to low to moderate noise levels characteristic of working in an office or client environments.
• Ability to drive to various sites.
• Hearing and speech to converse in person and over the telephone.

We are committed to maintaining a culturally inclusive work environment. We strongly encourage LGBTQIA+ people, people of color, and others with diverse personal experience to apply.

Side by Side provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.