Peer/Support Advisor
Wellpoint Care NetworkAt Wellpoint Care Network, our mission is to facilitate equity, learning, healing, and wellness by restoring the connections that help children and families thrive.
Every person deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. It’s part of human nature, and the promise of our country, that everyone be given a fair chance to be and do their best. Yet, many in our community live with unresolved childhood and generational trauma.
That’s where we come in. We believe we can create a world where children and families have a clearer path to their fullest potential. Wellpoint Care Network has championed the restoration of families for nearly 175 years.
Job Purpose:
Our next Peer/Support Advisor will be responsible for partnering with the Supervised Independent Living (SIL) Team to advocate for youth enrolled in the program. They will work a flexible schedule to allow them time to meet with youth, attend group trainings or events, and accommodate youth schedules. This role intends to provide youth with peer/support who has a shared lived experience. This role will seek to confirm the youth’s understanding of the program, and provide additional guidance, and coaching to help them succeed in their goal of independence.
Qualifications:
- Associate degree preferred. Relevant experience may be considered equivalent to a degree.
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
- Three to Five years’ experience in child and family welfare.
- Experience with and/or as a youth in foster care required.
- Experience making connections and interacting with community groups and representatives preferred.
- Ability to engage others in conversation and information sharing.
- Ability to share lived experience with youth who may share similar experience(s)
- Skills in advocacy and communicating with large groups.
- Demonstrate the ability to understand, work, and communicate effectively and respectfully with all individuals.
- Must be honest, dependable, and able to meet deadlines; Self-motivated and able to work independently.
- Proficient in the usage of computer software; demonstrate an understanding of computer file systems and computer software packages, e.g., Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook, Teams, ADP, etc.
- Physical exam, drug screen, motor vehicle report, and background checks are required for this position.
A valid Wisconsin Driver’s License or occupational driver’s license, reliable transportation and insurance is required.
Duties:
Advocacy and Relationship
- Meet face to face (and/or virtually) with program youth to create peer connections in their homes and the community.
- Have a flexible schedule to accommodate the times when youth are available, including occasional weekends.
- Share lived experiences or use lived experiences to help guide youth to positive resources and supports in the community and benefit their needs.
- Be available to assist program youth in self-advocacy in their life, such as with landlords and or employers, by being assertive and addressing concerns in a respectful manner.
- Introduce youth to the Youth Advisory Council and encourage their participation in meetings and events that will help their voice be heard on a local and state level regarding foster care.
- Provide coaching and modeling for youth to help them learn how to communicate their concerns/opinions effectively with others.
- Invite new SIL Youth to become members of YAC, or engage in their activities.
Engagement
- Assist with youth transitions into and out of the program including all tasks to be done within the first 60 days in the program, moving into or out of their SIL placement, and obtaining items needed for successful placement.
- Seeks out new resources in the community, thinking outside of the box to support the youth in developing a network of caring connections.
- Assist with community events to engage eligible youth such as resource fairs, health fairs, and community meetings.
Agency Representation
- Participates in program as well as overall Agency activities to support/develop integrity and growth of participants and program.
- Acts as a positive ambassador for the program as well as advocates for the needs of young adults aging out of care within Wellpoint, stakeholder systems and in the community.
Documentation and Information Sharing
- Provides accurate, professional, timely documentation for all program participants.
- Utilizes CoBRIS and eWiSACWIS to document case activities as required.
- Maintains database of measurable outcomes for engagement, and enrollment.
Agency Engagement
- All employees will be evaluated on their demonstration of a consistent commitment to the Agency’s Seven Essential Ingredients and engagement in the strategic initiatives of the organization. This will be measured by their active participation in committees and workgroups, and by their communication and practice within their daily work and in the community.
- Participates in assigned meetings, events and learning as required.
- Other duties as assigned including serving in a coverage role for other department members.
- Completion of all agency required trainings, weekly supervision with SIL Supervisor, and attend weekly team meeting. Additional training and coaching provided by leadership as needed or appropriate.
Position Details & Extras:
- Full time.
- Moderate exposure to noise.
- Regular travel in personal vehicles is required with the ability to move intermittently throughout the workday.
Organizational Information:
At Wellpoint Care Network, we have seen exactly how trauma, poverty, systemic racism, social injustices, and other barriers create instability in all areas of life. The people in our care face education and health disparities, high unemployment rates, and unaffordable housing. What’s worse, many have lost connections to resources, family, friends, and other support systems. We have seen the toll it has on a person’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being to try and successfully navigate complex systems that may have failed them in the past.
We believe there is a better way. So, we have anchored ourselves in our 170 years of caring for our neighbors through modernized human services.
Wellpoint Care Network provides a rich continuum of services, including:
• Child Welfare and Foster Care
• Support for youth who have aged out of care
• Care Coordination and Wraparound services
• Mental health therapy and supports such as our Clinic, Family Preservation, Caregiver Support, and Integrated Community Treatment
• Professional education and clinical consultation (for organizations, schools, and individual/family)
Wellpoint Care also works to promote a diverse and caregiving environment to ensure that those we serve and employ are valued, accepted, respected, and treated equitably.
• Equity means we work tirelessly toward fair and just treatment, systems, and policies. At Wellpoint Care Network, we believe that we are accountable – individually and collectively – when inequity or injustice replaces equity and inclusion.
• Inclusivity means that we consciously build groups that welcome and celebrate differences in age, race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, gender expression, education, socio-economic background, personal history, geographical location, marital status, parental status, and work experiences.
Interested parties please apply online. We are committed to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion and strongly encourage minority candidates to apply. For more information, visit our website www.wellpointcare.org.
Equal Opportunity Employer