Parent Partner

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

AGENCY OVERVIEW

Centers For Family Development, Inc. (CFDI) is a private, non-profit comprehensive family counseling agency that was originally established in 1978 as Black Family Development, Inc. (BFDI) by the Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers (DNABSW). By establishing CFDI as a family counseling agency, DABSW sought to promote and provide quality community-aligned social work services in Detroit. Since that time, CFDI has grown to accommodate the in­creasing demand for a variety of specialized family-focused counseling and services in the community.

CFDI’s programming includes early childhood resources and literacy development, a 3-tiered juvenile justice service array, mental health prevention and treatment, substance use disorder prevention and treatment, R.E.A.L Brothers supportive resources, school-based intervention, and trauma-informed care. Most importantly, our staff are heroes who strive to match passion for service with equal parts best practice to partner with families to achieve their goals.

Our organization is seeking a Full-time Parent Partner with the corresponding experience requirements:

Requirements:

Are you a person with a history of an open CPS or foster care case that was successfully closed, and are you willing to share parenting experiences as a learning opportunity for other parents, community partners, and referring workers? This might be the opportunity for you!

Work with parents in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) child welfare system, MDHHS staff, and the community to support reunification goals for families involved with the child welfare system and enhance their capabilities to provide for their families’ needs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work intensively with parents to promote engagement in case plan activities via face to face visits, phone calls, letters, emails and /or phone calls, at a minimum of two hours each week
• Make face to face contact with the referred family within 72 hours of referral for the purpose of engagement and determination of their willingness to participate in services
• Administer the Protective Factors Survey at the initial face to face contact with the referred family
• Assists families in building protective factors
• Develop and submit a Service plan for each assigned family within 30 calendar days of the first face to face contact : to include the following:

-Existing Strengths and resources of the family and individual family members

-Goals to be accomplished by the family

-An assessment of the family’s current situation (successes and concerns)

-Evident of negotiating concerns of the family, referring worker’s expectations, and assessment of areas of concerns

-Evidence of empowering the family in the formation of positive solution-focused goals and action steps

-Evidence of collaborative goal setting between the family, Parent Partner and Referring Worker

• Assist with reunification goals and/or the development of appropriate alternative permanency plans
• Coach parents on what to expect throughout their involvement in the child welfare process
• Help maintain positive connections between parents and children by observing and advocating for children and family rights.
• Assist parents with identifying and advocating for their needs
• Provide outreach, advocacy, encouragement and permanency planning support by connecting families to community resources
• Support and advocate for parents’ rights by attending Family Team Meetings, court hearings, treatment and recovery appointments or other events with parents
• Collaborate with members of the Parent Partners Team, including Parent Partner Supervisor, Program Manager, referring worker and planning committees as needed
• Maintain periodic contact with MDHHS caseworker duration the duration of services via in person meeting, call or email, as requested or needed by the family
• Attend meetings and co-facilitate groups
• Requests case re-assignment if there is a conflict or concern, including knowledge of the birth family or living in close proximity to the referred family
• Develop written termination reports for each client for the purpose of documenting the reason for case closure and submit to the MDHHS referring worker within seven calendar days of case closure
• Upon case termination, submit the following surveys:

- Referring Worker Satisfaction Survey

-Protective Factors Survey

-Post Project Outcome Survey, after the first six months of termination, and again after the first year of termination, to identify successes or needed modifications.

• Participate in mandated trainings
• Participate weekly in individual, group and clinical supervision meetings to review progress on assigned cases including date and length of contact with each assigned parent/family, confirming the family agreement to participate and the initial plan of service
• Notify MDHHS if the family is not engaging in services
• Participate in a minimum of one monthly Parent Partner team/support meeting with all Parent Partners, for in-service training, case consultation, support, and feedback
• Provide training/education to MDHHS local office staff about the Building Community Partners Program

QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma or GED; some college or business courses preferred
• Excellent computer, technology, and software skills, including Microsoft Office.
• History of an open CPS or foster care case with successful case closure
• Willingness to share parenting experiences as a learning opportunity for other parents, community partners, and referring workers
• Healthy and stable family situation without current children’s protective services (CPS) substantiation for safety issues
• No confirmed child abuse report during the role of Parent Partner
• valid Michigan driver’s license without restrictions and proof of auto insurance
• Ability to work flexible, non-traditional hours, including evenings and weekends in accordance with family needs;
• Ability to allow for the release of medical or mental health records/reports upon request