Start Family Mentor- Full-time - Hamilton Center, Inc. - Terre Haute, IN

START Program Family Mentor

Department: Addiction Services

Division: Vigo County Services

Supervised By : Program Manager

Position Summary

START Family Mentors will work with children and families with Vigo County Department of Child Services (VCDCS) involvement in which at least one of the parents is abusing substances. The purpose of this program is to keep children safe and to prevent placement in foster care whenever possible; to develop a safe, nurturing, and stable living situations for minors as rapidly and responsibly as possible; and help parents address problematic substance use.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully The Family Mentor’s primary responsibility is to work with the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) START (Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams) initiative through Vigo County (VCDCS). The following tasks will be included in the job function:

Drawing on personal experience as a client of the child welfare system and/or as a person in recovery, provide emotional support to START clients, including phone calls and visits with clients in home or office settings.

Advocate for START clients to obtain necessary services and supports such as housing, benefits, drug treatment services, and other needs.

Work in collaboration with START team, including VCDCS and other partner agency staff; advise START team on the needs and experiences of VC DCS clients who are in active substance use; participate in case conferences/reviews, service planning meetings, and joint training sessions.

Accompany and transport parents to services, including but not limited to substance abuse treatment sessions, court (health/mental health related), educational, and social service appointments.

Participate in and take guidance from individual and group supervision session.

Record activities in case files in addition to the State of Indiana’s KidTraks system, and contribute to data gathering for the START team.

Complete correspondence, records and reports by designated deadlines.

Attend staff meetings, agency trainings and conferences.

Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications/Requirements

High School Degree, GED, or equivalent.

Be confident about, and committed to, staying clean with a minimum of three years documented sobriety; to include working with a sponsor and active participation in the recovering community.

Experience as a former DCS client with prior substance abuse history and treatment.

Utilize personal vehicle for client related services

Possess strong communication/interpersonal skills.

Commitment to and passion for working with parents and children, and engaging clients in treatment follow through.

Ability to use a productive problem-solving approach; help others develop unique sobriety approaches for themselves; utilize supervision and work well with clinicians; think about challenges that may be faced in job situations and formulate ideas on how to address those challenges.

Knowledge of or familiarity with basic office practices, how to carry out instructions in written or oral form, dealing with complex family issues, completing routine forms, and answering routine telephone inquiries.

HCI training expectations must be met by designated time frames

Must demonstrate flexibility regarding scheduled hours in order to be available for evening and weekend crisis; maintaining appropriate boundaries and ethical practices is a must.

Preferred Qualifications:
Experience as a parent advocate/family mentor in any system.

Bilingual Spanish and English.