Youth Advocate, Jjis

*$1,000 Hiring Bonus, Additional $1,500 Spanish Speaking*

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• Experience as a youth with a serious emotional disturbance receiving, or having previously received, services within the public systems, including: mental health, child welfare, or juvenile justice.
• According to the Sacramento County Policy, “The ability to relate to youth and to be seen as a positive role model is essential.”
• Basic knowledge of Public Mental Health/Child Welfare/Education systems, and the ability to advocate on the behalf of clients in navigating and negotiating those systems
• Previous experience with advocacy, outreach, and community resources preferred

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Position Specific

• Youth Advocate: When a Youth Advocate is functioning in the “Youth Advocate” role, he/she performs the following duties:
  • Make reports and provides feedback to the Youth Advocate Manager
  • Provides input to the Family and Youth Partnership Leadership Team regarding policies and procedures that impact service delivery
  • Represent the agency at County Mental Health’s Youth Advocate meeting
  • Participate in one regular County Community Advisory Meeting
• Program Intake: Youth Advocates participate at some level in the youth intake process, ensuring that youth are aware of how to access advocacy and support services from Youth Advocates.
• Coaching and mentoring:Youth Advocates coach and educate youth to acquire greater communication, system navigation, and self-regulation skills that are geared to help them take more effective advantage of treatment while assuring that their personal goals and outcomes are met.
• Outreach: Youth Advocates participate in CFT (Child and Family Team) meetings in family homes or in the community, assessing their strengths and challenges, providing parenting support, informing them about Stanford Sierra Youth & Families services, and linking them to community resources.
• Mutual Support and Education Groups: Youth Advocates offer ongoing education and support Groups that bring families with similar challenges and concerns together. Through support, information and education, youth are provided with a variety of tools that can help them to successfully cope with the challenges that they face.
• Participation in Agency Wide Program Meetings, Family Team Meetings and Management Decisions: The voice and perspective of youth is crucial to the development of all agency decision-making, program development and treatment planning. Youth Advocates participate in program and child and family team meetings to give and exchange their perspectives on youth strengths, youth as partners in the delivery of services and self-help support systems, as well as the expressed needs of youth concerning how the agency may better accommodate voice and choice in service delivery.
• Staff Consultation and Training: Youth Advocates provide on-going feedback and training to staff on the importance of a youth’s voice and choice and cultural sensitivity in all aspects of their treatment planning.
• Participation in the Hiring Process: Youth Advocates participate in the interview process for potential Stanford Sierra Youth & Families’ employees, providing an assessment of a potential candidate’s ability, skill, and inclination to provide services that are sensitive to, and inclusive of youth voice and choice issues.
• Community Advocacy: Youth Advocates may participate in community trainings, workgroups, planning committees, client treatment reviews, and task forces related to children’s mental health, advocacy and policy development.
• Grievance and Complaint support:Youth Advocates assist parents, caregivers, and youth with the grievance and complaint process. This includes mentoring, coaching and educating youth with communication, system navigation, and self-regulation skills, in addition to technical assistance in filling out forms and contacting appropriate administrators.

Agency Specific

• Performs all duties in a manner consistent with the principles and values of agency, while adhering to applicable professional codes of ethics, the agency’s policies and procedures, contractor requirements, and regulatory requirements.
• Model and communicate appropriate positive attitudes toward the agency’s Mission, Vision, and Values
• Work collaboratively with all agency programs and staff to provide support as needed
• Utilize and maintain calendar with all work-related details in order to manage time effectively and share calendar information with coworkers
• Participate in on-going training to expand and develop professional skills
• Perform other duties as necessary for the agency, as assigned

Employment At-Will
Employment at the Agency is terminable at-will, which means that employment may be
terminated at any time, without cause or reason, by either the employee or the Agency. In
addition the Agency may also demote, layoff, transfer or reassign employees at any time at its
sole discretion without cause or reason.

Check out our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement

https://www.ssyaf.org/diversity-equity-inclusion

Starting Salary Range: $22.00 - $26.00 DOE

Skills

• Culturally competent
• Problem-solving
• Written and verbal communication
• Adhere to all confidentiality requirements
• Collaborative
• Flexibility in schedule
• Multi-tasker
• Time management
• Work Independently
• Computer skills
• Ability to use laptop computer
• Work mobile, fast paced environment