Cuyahoga County Safe Babies Program
Hiring: Safe Babies Program Parent Peer Mentor
The Cuyahoga County Safe Babies (SB) Parent Peer Mentor provides active, hands- on peer support to help families navigate through child welfare and other systems while also providing hope and motivation to cultivate healing, minimize trauma and promote healthy family dynamics. A SB Parent Peer Mentor works with families with a child under 6 years of age involved with the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Infant/ Early Childhood Mental Health Services (IECMH) who participate in the Safe Babies program. The SB Parent Peer Mentor serves as a member of the Safe Babies Team along with the SB Family Coordinator, DCFS caseworker, IECMH provider, and other behavioral health service providers. The goal of the entire team is to keep children safe and families together. Effective peer mentorship and support should be friendly, helpful, accessible, flexible, and maintain confidentiality. Peer mentorship may take place at agencies, in family homes or in community environments. The Parent Peer Mentor works collaboratively with the SB Coordinators, Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) staff, service providers, etc. to support systems change by increasing parent and caregiver involvement and voice in policy and administrative decisions.
The Cuyahoga County Safe Babies Program intends to transform the way we serve infants and
toddlers vulnerable for mental health, behavioral, social, and/or safety issues, and their families,
so that they can be safe, loved and thrive; as well as to enable the child welfare, legal, and human
service systems to be non-adversarial, racially, and culturally equitable, as they collaboratively
address the issues that interfere with the health and well-being of young children and families.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each
essential duty listed below. Reasonable accommodations will be made for disabled persons
covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, in accordance with its requirements.
• Participating as an active member of the SB Program’s Leadership Team;
• Support the Leadership Team in envisioning and implementing program enhancements;
• Participating in monthly family team meetings for each SB- involved family;
• Serving as a liaison, when needed, between families and service providers to help
providers understand family’s needs and strengths and to help families understand
provider’s roles;
• Providing support to parents in practicing effective communication skills and self-
advocating through role playing and modeling between and during Family Team
Meetings;
• Providing education to SB families on child welfare system processes and what to expect
throughout their case;
• Teaching families skills to effectively navigate to the child welfare and social service
systems;
• Advocating that each family’s input is valued throughout their journey in the SB
Program, amongst all members of their SB Family Team;
• Modeling practice and behavior that promotes a focus on the unique developmental needs
of infants and toddlers;
• Utilizing the social determinants of health model in working with SB families to help
identify factors impacting the family’s health and wellbeing; and with the help of the
team, connecting families with needed interventions to mitigate risk factors;
• Working jointly with the SB Coordinators, DCFS caseworkers, and behavioral health
providers to ensure seamless and efficient delivery of needed services to SB families;
• Assisting families with identifying and accessing natural support systems in their
community; and
• Identify barriers (internal and external) to full participation in community resources and
developing strategies with SB families to overcome those barriers.
The SB Parent Peer Mentor must:
1. Have a high school diploma or GED.
2. Have been involved in a child welfare agency as a parent in the past.
3. Have no current, open criminal cases pending.
4. Have no current child welfare agency involvement.
5. Candidates’ involvement with a child welfare agency ended at least twelve months prior
to starting as an SB Parent Peer Mentor and:
1. Candidate has been reunited with their children or:
2. If termination was determined, the candidate is now in a place where they can
provide effective and stable peer support to others.
6. Candidates whose child welfare agency case involved substance abuse disorders have
been substance free for at least twelve months proven by negative urine screens and/or a
report from an IOP or other substance use treatment provider.
7. Be willing to complete a BCI/FBI background check. Drug testing may be required.
The SB Parent Peer Mentor should have knowledge or be willing to attain knowledge, through
required trainings, of:
• The SB program model as well as general child welfare processes
• Signs of child abuse and neglect
• Trauma informed care
• Basic principles of early childhood development
• Basic principles of infant and early childhood mental health
• Principles of client privacy/ confidentiality
• Local resources and services
• Communication (listening, verbal, nonverbal, written)
• Cultural competency and humility
• Advocacy skills
The ideal candidate will possess the following traits and skills:
• Organization
• Time management
• Patience
• Problem solving
• Professionalism
• Setting personal/professional boundaries
• Positivity
• Open mindedness and adaptability
• Empathy
• Clear and consistent communication
The successful SB Parent Peer Mentor candidate will possess the following qualifications:
• Experience providing support services or advocacy for others and/ or willingness to
receive training in this role.
• Demonstrated personal qualities that promote collaboration and partnerships with
community partners such as integrity, good listening skills, ability to empathize, and a
positive attitude.
• Appropriate behaviors consistent with professional conduct.
• Demonstrated commitment to growing, learning and being able to adapt to changes.
• Demonstrated commitment to the safety and well-being of children and are willing to
embrace the mission of the SB program.
• Understanding of/ willingness to learn the requirements of a mandated reporter of child
abuse and neglect.
• Strong communication skills and ability to set clear boundaries and expectations of your
work with and support for clients.
• Flexibility in their schedule and willingness to have a fluctuating schedule of work hours
from week to week. Work with families is sometimes unpredictable and each week will
look different.
Work Hours: Number of hours worked will average to 20 hours each week, but exact times and
number of hours worked each week may fluctuate depending on family needs. The number of
hours worked will be logged by the employee at the end of each week in an online portal. The
majority of the work will be done in-person: in family homes, in community settings, or at offices at the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio (6393 Oak Tree Blvd, Independence OH, 44131). The employee may work remotely from home occasionally (no more than 5 hours each week) on tasks that do not require in- person contact with other Safe Babies staff or Safe Babies families, like documentation. Equipment Operated: Standard office equipment and office technology such as copy machines, personal computers, and telephones will be used. Confidential Data: All child welfare related information regarding allegations of abuse or neglect, etc. that the employee may come in contact with is confidential and must not be shared.
Working Conditions: Potential exposure to hazardous situations that may occur due to working
in the court environment can be tense and hostile atmosphere, contagious diseases, vulgar and
obscene language, emotionally charged situations. The employee must have the capacity to work
with criminal offenders. Occasionally handles emergency or crisis situations; frequently subject
to interruptions, and multiple calls and inquiries. Usual Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit, to speak clearly, and to hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
Conflicts of interest can occur when a mentor’s personal or professional interests clash with their
mentoring role and responsibilities. Conflicts of interest should be avoided.
Examples of Conflicts of Interest:
1) Dual relationships
a) A dual relationship is when a mentor has another role or relationship with the person they
are supporting, such as a friend, family member, coworker, or romantic partner. A
conflict of interest occurs when a mentor has a personal or emotional attachment such as
a crush, a friendship, or a other type of emotional involvement. If the mentee is hired at
the same company as their mentor due to their relationship, it creates a conflict.
2) Financial interests
a) A financial interest is when a mentor has a personal stake in the outcome of the support
they provide, such as a fee, a commission, a donation, or a referral. If a mentor indirectly
benefits financially from their mentoring relationship, it’s a conflict of interest. For
example, offering a discounted or free registration for a training class or event to a
mentee can create a conflict, as it may provide an inappropriate benefit to the mentor.
3) Ideological interests
a) An ideological interest is when a mentor has a strong belief or conviction that influences
the support they provide, such as a political, religious, or moral view. For example, a
conflict of interest would arise if a mentor who has a religious faith tries to impose their
beliefs or values on the person they are supporting, or rejects or condemns them if they
do not share them.
To apply, send a resume and cover letter to heather.corcoran@escneo.org. Applications are due by end of day on December 30th, 2024.
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