Peer Support Specialist

Peer Support Specialist | Xenia, OH

Ohio START Program | DeCoach Recovery Centre

About Us

DeCoach Recovery Centre provides compassionate, evidence-based care for people working to overcome substance use disorders, with a focus on long-term recovery and wellness. We believe lived experience is one of the most powerful tools in recovery, and we invest in the people who bring it to our team.

The Role

We’re looking for a Peer Support Specialist to work out of our Xenia location as part of the Ohio START (Sobriety, Treatment, and Reducing Trauma) team, partnering closely with Greene County Child Services. You’ll use your own recovery and life experience to support families, help keep children safe, and connect parents to the resources they need to build a stable future.

Responsibilities

• Participate as an active member of the Ohio START team.
• Assist with the safety of the child(ren) by working collaboratively with the Ohio START case worker and behavioral health provider to ensure the seamless and efficient delivery of intensive wrap-around services to the START families on their caseload.
• Participate in initial meetings, weekly status meetings and Family Team Meetings to review families’ progress and child safety in their respective cases.
• Provide continual exploration of family’s needs to empower the family to take ownership over their long-term successes and the safety of the child(ren).
• Support the parent(s) to achieve personal independence.
• Connect START families to community resources.
• Teach families skills to effectively navigate the child welfare system.
• Assist families to identify and access natural support systems in the community.
• Promote coordination and linkage among providers within local community.
• Coordinate access to crisis intervention services and assist with family stabilization.
• Teach START families self-advocacy and empowerment skills.
• Identify barriers (internal and external) to full participation in community resources and develop strategies to overcome those barriers.
• Provide input on court forms as needed.
• Provide input on development of the case plan and child safety.

Qualifications

• Have an earned minimum education level of at least a GED
• Certified Peer Support Specialist certification in the state of Ohio is required
• An active Driver's license in the state of Ohio is a requirement, along with a clean driving record
• Competent in peer support services
• Demonstrate long term recovery (at least 2 years is required, three years is preferred) from a substance use disorder.
• Demonstrate no ongoing criminal activity.
• Have lived experience with the child welfare system as a parent, with the case closed at least one year, or indirect lived experience with the child welfare system. Indirect lived experience means the candidate navigated a system (mental health, SUD recovery, public benefits, court, etc.) coupled with 1) intervention by a relative who took informal/formal custody of their child / children, 2) an understanding of how their substance use/recovery affected their own children, or 3) raising a child of a relative/friend with a substance use disorder.
• The START Family Peer Mentor should have knowledge or be able to attain knowledge of: Alcohol and Drugs (pharmacology), behaviors associated with addiction, court processes, diversity, family dynamics, family team meetings, health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA), human behavior, local resources and services.

You should also have skills in: advocacy, coaching, communication (listening, verbal, non-verbal, and written), computers and technology, crisis intervention and de-escalation, cultural competency, and motivational interviewing.

The ideal candidate will possess the following traits: common sense, compassion, creativity, empathy, honesty, integrity, non-judgmental, open-minded, maintaining confidentiality, medically assisted treatment (MAT), navigating systems, pathology of addiction, process recovery, OHIO Start Program, self-help programs, signs of child abuse and neglect, trauma informed care, behavioral health and / or substance use treatment options, multi-tasing, negotiation, networking ,observation, organization, parenting, problem solving, professionalism, setting personal / professional boundaries, time management, patience, personable, positivity, professional courage, reliability, self-motivation, sympathy and tolerance.

Grow With Us

• Opportunities for advancement as our programs grow
• Yearly merit raises
• Tuition reimbursement to help you continue your education
• STAR program eligibility to help you pay down student loans
• Meaningful, hands-on experience in a specialized child welfare partnership

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Company-paid life insurance
• Company-matched 401(k)

Your story can change a family’s outcome. Apply today and start a rewarding career with DeCoach!