Support Services Specialist - CCSO - REMOTE (IL or WI)

Salary: $23.17 Hourly
Location : Grand Avenue Health Center, IL
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 16239-R
Department: Health Department
Division: Behavioral Health
Opening Date: 01/04/2024
General Description
Are you passionate about working with youth and their families? Come and join our team (CCSO) Care Coordination Support Organization! Help Lake County youth find success at home, school, and within the community by providing care coordination and wrap-around services. Pathways to Success Program aims to improve family relationships, help create a more stable living situation for youth, increase family involvement in behavioral health services, improve school attendance/performance, and reduce contact with law enforcement and child welfare. Staff assess needs and strengths, monitor progress, facilitate Child and Family team meetings, and complete mental health assessments and Crisis Prevention Safety plans.
Support Services Specialist Key Responsibilities

• Provide case management services to youth enrolled in the Family Support Program (FSP) or Specialized Family Support Program (SFSP).
• Coordinate and monitor the delivery of additional supportive services for eligible youth. Assist families with applying for Medicaid as needed.
• This position is home-based, meaning there is not an assigned office, but the person is expected to travel within Lake County to attend meetings with children and their families.

Scheduled Hours: 37.5 hours a week

• Example schedule: Monday-Friday: 830am-430pm (flexible hours)
• This position will be remote but for at least the first 90 days will be onsite for training purposes.
• It's recommended the selected candidate lives in Illinois or Wisconsin and no more than one hour away from Waukegan, IL.

Essential Functions

• Assist families with preparing, submitting and tracking applications for FSP and SFSP.
• Maintains regular contact with an active caseload, meeting frequency deadlines as determined by the program.
• Consults with the supervisor regarding status of cases.
• Facilitates with clients and collaborates with the treatment team to develop, review and update treatment goals and referrals both internally and externally.
• Assists clients in obtaining public entitlements, housing, community resources, etc.
• Attends staffings with Court Services, schools, agencies and others, as necessary.
• Organizes and participates in treatment related clinical conferences and staffings on assigned clients.
• Performs initial evaluations and assessments of potential clients regarding their appropriateness for participation in the program.
• Provides education and direction to clients, family members and/or significant others.
• Takes responsibility for training in and documenting clinical chart requirements to meet program and state standards.
• Maintain IM+CANS certification

Knowledge Skills Abilities and Education Required

• A bachelor's degree in counseling and guidance, rehabilitation counseling, social work, education, vocational counseling, psychology, pastoral counseling, family therapy, or a related human service field;
• A bachelor's degree in any other field with two years of documented clinical experience in a mental health setting under the supervision of a QMHP;
• A certificate of psychiatric rehabilitation from a DHS-approved program, plus a high school diploma or GED, plus 2 years of experience in providing mental health services;
• A recovery support specialist certified by, and in good standing with, the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association, Inc.;
• A family partnership professional certificate from and in good standing with the Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association, Inc.;
• An occupational therapy assistant licensed under the Illinois Occupational Therapy Practice Act (225 ILCS 75) with at least one year of experience in a mental health setting;
• A minimum of a high school diploma or GED and 5 years documented clinical experience in mental health or human services;
• An individual who has completed a behavioral health technician or other psychiatric training certification through the Medical Education and Training Campus in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, with one year documented clinical experience in a mental health setting under supervision of a QMHP.
• May also qualify if meeting the requirements of a Qualified Mental Health Professional or above.
• Valid driver's license.

Supplemental Information
As the largest human service provider in Lake County, we believe that services must be available without barriers. No residents are turned away due to the inability to pay. We are looking for passionate, qualified team members, who can help make a difference in our agency, and most importantly, in our community.
As a public health department, we believe in the science, data, and power of vaccines, like the influenza vaccines, to protect against and prevent illness. Therefore, we require all Health Department staff to receive the annual influenza vaccine unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption.
Any offer of employment is conditioned on the successful completion of a background screening, drug and alcohol testing and may include a pre-employment medical exam.
The Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other protected characteristics. At this time, you must reside in either Illinois or Wisconsin to work for the Lake County Health Department.
The information provided is an overview of the Lake County Health Department's benefit package which is available to full-time Health Department employees. Part-time employees (20+ hours) may be eligible on a pro-rated basis for the benefits listed.
Health Insurance: Your health and well-being are important to us. As an employee, you can choose from a variety of plans, including medical, dental and vision. Details of each of the plans are listed below:

• Medical: Lake County offers three types of medical insurance plans through BlueCross BlueShield. The Health Maintenance Option (HMO) and the Consumer Driven Health Plan (CDHP) are available to Lake County employees. All plans use Express Scripts, Lake County's pharmacy benefit manager. Prescriptions are available through home delivery or retail pharmacy.
• Health Savings Account (HSA): The Health Savings Account (HSA) is available to participants enrolled in the Consumer Driven Health Plan (CDHP). The County contributes funds to your HSA account and employees are able to contribute additional funds (up to IRS limits) via payroll deduction The savings account may be used for qualified medical, prescription, dental, or vision expenses.
• Flexible Spending Account: Eligible employees can choose to have pre-tax dollars set aside from their paycheck to use for reimbursement of out-of-pocket health care expenses (HMO only) and/or dependent care expenses.
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (DCFSA): Eligible employees can use pre-tax dollars to pay for out-of-pocket qualified day care expenses. Your dependent must be a qualified dependent under age 13, or requires care because of a physical or mental incapacity.
• Dental: Our dental insurance plan through Delta Dental offers an extensive choice of in-network providers to help minimize your out-of pocket costs.
• Vision: Superior Vision offers supplemental vision coverage for employees and their qualified dependents. With Superior Vision, you can choose from a network of retail providers and/or private practice providers.
• Medical Opt-Out Payment: Full-time regular employees who can show proof of qualified medical coverage through another source (other than Lake County, public aid, or union insurance paid by Lake County) can elect to opt out of medical insurance and receive up to $1,500 annually.

Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Protection Insurance: Employees may purchase additional group coverage through Aflac, which pays cash benefits directly to you if you have a qualifying illness or injury. You can use the cash to help cover expenses that major medical does not-like mortgage, groceries, etc.
Employee Assistance Program: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides free, confidential assistance and referrals for a wide range of personal and family issues. This includes help with stress management, depression, alcohol and other substance abuse, childcare and eldercare resources, financial and legal issues, and more.
Employee Wellness: Lake County cares about your health, and it's important to us to provide you with the tools you need to meet your health goals. Our holistic wellness program focuses on overall employee well-being and engaging in healthy lifestyles.
Employee Immunizations: Lake County Health Department employees are welcome to receive, at no charge, annual flu, and Hepatitis B vaccinations, as well as Tuberculosis testing.
Paid Time Off: We understand that a healthy work-life balance is essential to employee satisfaction and productivity. We offer ample paid holidays, vacation time, sick and personal leave.

• Holidays: 14 paid holidays per year (10 fixed holidays & 4 floating holidays)
• Annual Paid Vacation: 2 Weeks paid vacation (with increases based on seniority)
• Paid Sick & Personal Leave: 12 Paid Sick Days Annually (one sick day for each month worked) and 3 days of personal leave each year to use at their discretion (pro-rated based on date of hire).
• Paid Parental Leave: For eligible employees, Lake County will provide up to 6 weeks of paid parental leave to employees following the birth of an employee's child or the placement of a child with an employee in connection with adoption, legal guardianship, or foster care

Professional Growth: Your career development is important to us, and your skills and knowledge are critical to Lake County's success. We provide our employees with in-house training and classes in a variety of areas, allowing you to enhance your skills and progress to where you want to be in your career.

• Tuition Assistance: Full-time employees who have worked for the county at least 12 months may apply for tuition reimbursement of up to $2,000 per year for courses that are related to the employee's job duties or for a foreseeable future position.
• Student Loan Forgiveness: Student Loan Forgiveness Full-time Lake County employees may qualify for the federally administered Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Contact the U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid office for more information.
• Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program: Loan repayment is available to Registered Nurses (RN) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) working in a public or private eligible Critical Shortage Facility (CSF) OR Nurse Faculty employed at an eligible school of nursing.
• The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program (LRP) offers primary medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health care clinicians the opportunity to have their student loans repaid, while earning a competitive salary, in exchange for providing health care in urban, rural, or tribal communities with limited access to care.
• Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program: Employees working in a community mental health center at Lake County Health Department may be eligible for student loan repayment the through Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Through this program, loan repayment assistance may be received annually for up to four years to help with the repayment of an eligible educational loan(s). The amount of the assistance received is based on the applicant's position, and can range from $2,500 to $35,000 per year. Visit the program page for more information and eligibility.
• The Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR LRP) provides loan repayment for individuals working in either a full-time substance use disorder (SUD) treatment job that involves direct patient care. Eligible Disciplines and Specialties includes providers working at STAR LRP-approved SUD treatment facilities.

A Secure Future: Lake County cares about your future financial security. We offer outstanding options for you to save for retirement, obtain life insurance, and save for your children's college education.

• IMRF Pension Plan: Eligible Lake County employees who work at least 19.2 hours a week are automatically enrolled in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), the second largest fully-funded pension system in Illinois. Most county employees participate in the regular IMRF plan. In return, IMRF provides retirement, disability and death benefits for Lake County employees. See for more details.
• Retirement Savings Plan: Lake County employees also have the option of participating in a voluntary Deferred Compensation (457) plan administered by MissionSquare.
• Life Insurance: All full-time regular employees automatically receive life insurance equal to the amount of their annual salary, and may choose to purchase additional coverage for themselves, their spouse, and their dependent children. All IMRF-eligible employees may also purchase voluntary life insurance through the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems.
• Bright Start College Savings Plan: Bright Start is a Section 529 education savings program created and administered by the State of Illinois. It allows you to save money toward your future student's education in a Bright Start account via payroll deduction. Earnings are tax-free. When it's time for your student to go to college, you can use the funds to pay for qualified expenses at most colleges and universities, whether in-state, out-of-state or abroad.

Employee Dis...