RTF Youth Peer Advocate
POSITION OVERVIEW
POSITION SUMMARY The Youth Peer Advocate (YPA) is a new position that will provide support and advocacy for young people enrolled in the Residential Treatment Facility (RTF). The Youth Peer Advocate function will be designed to amplify youth voice and choice, parallel the function of the Family Peer Advocate, and support youth recovery so youth can return to their homes and/or communities. The YPA will work with youth in a variety of settings including home, school, and community, with the goal of inspiring hope and motivation, supporting the youth to communicate effectively with others, advocate for their needs, build on youth's strengths to achieve their goals, provide function modeling, coach and support youth, and promote self-care. The YPA will work collaboratively with the youth, their family/caregivers, and internal and external treatment providers. ESSENTIAL tasks AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other tasks may be assigned. Employees are expected to be awake and alert while working. Assist youth in advocating for needed services and benefits and seek to effectively resolve unmet needs. Advocate by being the voice for the youth in care and represent the youth in all meetings related to and/or about the youth. Empower youth by sharing their own lived practice and knowledge Advocate, especially in the absence of the youth, for the youth and continuously keep the youth in mind when plans are discussed or made. Engage youth through outreach and support. Empower youth through education and training. Promote wellness through modeling and health coaching. Provide mutual support, hope, reassurance and advocacy, which includes sharing ones own "personal recovery story" as the YPA deems appropriate and beneficial to both the youth and them. YPA may also share their recovery with parents as a means to engage parents and help them envision youth possibilities for future in a new light. Connect youth to community resources and services. The YPA may accompany youth to appointments and meetings if requested for the purpose of mentoring and support. Support youth to develop their informal networks of support. Help youth develop self-advocacy expertise (i.e. may attend a CSE meeting with the youth and parent, coaching the youth to articulate his/her educational goals). Maintain all documentation and tracking as required in a timely and expedient manner. Attend regular supervision, staff meetings, and other meetings as required. Adhere to the team philosophy/approach in working with youth, families, and staff at the agency and within the community. Follow agency Compliance Plan and Code of Conduct. Position Description RTF Youth Peer Advocate managerY RESPONSIBILITIES this job offer has no managery responsibilities. leadership abilities Functions as an independent contributor without specific responsibility to give direction or supervision to other staff. SUPERVISION RECEIVED General supervision: routine tasks are performed with minimal supervision; standard practices or procedures allow to proceed alone at routine work; occasional check of work while in progress; work is reviewed upon completion. Work is reviewed by manager for soundness of judgment and overall adequacy and accuracy. QUALIFICATIONS to execute this job prosperously, an individual must be able to execute each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or capability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to execute the essential functions. EDUCATION and/or practice Requires a HS diploma or GED. No previous work practice is required. CERTIFICATION / LICENSURE Drivers license is required. KNOWLEDGE Knowledge of spelling, English, grammar, and math. Basic customer service expertise. Accuracy in writing, proofreading, counting, and following directions. Basic use of computers, and office equipment or other tools requiring a basic expertise knowledge. tasks may include clerical, customer service, direct care, office work, or other basic work adaptable to standard routines. COMMUNICATION and CONTACT with OTHERS Requires capability to communicate clearly. Communication involves interpersonal contact with clients/families or employees in other departments to accomplish work or cooperation with team members to accomplish a task. May also involve routine telephone or written correspondence with clients, families, public, vendors, etc., answering requests for information or obtaining facts. May obtain, present or discuss data, but only as pertinent to specific assignments. DECISION MAKING Work is performed under occasional supervision with regular guidance and follow-up. Standard procedures are followed and unusual problems are referred to the manager. Suggestions for decisions and resolutions that are within accepted guidelines are encouraged. CONSEQUENCES of ERRORS Confined: Errors are usually discovered in succeeding processes but normally only cause minor irritations that are typically confined to a single department group, house, or classroom in which Position Description RTF Youth Peer Advocate they occur. Such errors could cause minor adverse effect to clients or other departments, could cause delays, or could cause an inconvenience or some minor financial obligation. LANGUAGE expertise capability to read and comprehend basic instructions, short correspondence, and memos. capability to write basic correspondence. capability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization. REASONING capability capability to apply common sense knowledge to carry out detailed but straightforward written or oral instructions. capability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations. ORGANIZATIONAL SCOPE and IMPACT this job offer is not a functional head of a program or department. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY Responsible for limited financial transactions. May be responsible for petty cash, flex funds, or similar types of financial transactions. MATHEMATICAL expertise capability to add and subtract two digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's. capability to execute these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume, and distance. TECHNOLOGY expertise Basic computer expertise including e-mail word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, etc. WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Work requires 25 50% community travel/visits. Travel requires use of own vehicle in transporting clients. Community travel/visits require visits to client homes. Direct care of clients; required to execute Therapeutic Crisis Intervention techniques. Possible exposure to blood borne pathogens. Possible exposure to verbal and/or physical aggression. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to prosperously perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to execute the essential functions. Some physical exertion is required such as long periods of standing, recurring bending and lifting, and/or lifting of items up to 35 pounds and/or may be required to execute physical interventions. Position Description RTF Youth Peer Advocate EMPLOYER'S DISCLAIMER All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only tasks to be performed by the employee occupying this job offer. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to execute any other job-related tasks requested by their manager. Furthermore, the agency reserves the right to add to or revise an employee's job tasks at any time at its sole discretion. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" employment relationship.
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