Family Support Specialist

Job Title: Family Support Specialist Department: Student and Family Support Services Reports To: Manager of Mental Health Services Grade: H-15 ($ 18.89 - $27.50 ) Number of Days: 12 month/220 days; 20 -25 hours per week Security Access: District Overtime Status: Non-Exempt / Hourly Current Date: April 7, 2025 Oklahoma Teacher’s Retirement: Optional Participation Bargaining Unit: AFT Funding Source: Grant Paid Mission: Our students lead through l iteracy, are empowered through experience, and contribute to their community. Vision: Tulsa Public Schools honors the diversity, creativity, and passion of our students, elevating every student to be designers of their destiny. Core Values: Our core values guide how we work and interact with each other at every level of the organization. We embrace and embody these values every day: • Equity: We know that our diversity is a community treasure, and we are committed to dismantling practices and systems that perpetuate inequalities, being actively anti -bias, anti-racist, and working toward justice and opportunity for all. • Character: We are honest, trustworthy and have high standards of behavior. We make decisions based on what our students and community need, and we do the right thing even when it is hard. • Excellence: We work together to give Tulsa the world -class schools it needs and deserves. We expect a lot of one another, and we support one another in achieving our shared, high expectations. • Team: We care for one another and work together to celebrate success, learn from struggles, and work to help every team member be their best selves. • Joy: Joy at school and at work makes us more productive, because when we create, innovate, and imagine, our motivation grows. Also, we love to have fun! Position Summary: The Family Support Specialist acts as an educational advocate, a liaison between community agencies, government institutions and Team Tulsa sites, and a case manager for transitional support upon reentry . The family support specialist is an advocate for families and collaborates with discharging agencies and institutions, Team Tulsa schools, district personnel, and community stakeholders to increase continuity of care for general education (non -ESS) students with identified mental health needs reintegrating into the school setting. Minimum Qualifications & Preferences: Education: • High school diploma Experience: • Previous e mployment or volunteer experience in social service, case management, equivalent agency (e.g. psych tech, discharge planning), or peer/customer support Specialized knowledge, licenses, Etc.: • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Office Suite • Bilingual in Spanish preferred Responsibilities and Essential Functions: The following duties are representative of performance expectations. A reasonable accommodation may be made to enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform essential functions. • Directs support to families throughout the transition and reintegration process through linkage, advocacy, and referrals to community mental health resources • Serves as a primary contact for related supports to increase continuity of care • Conducts family wellness check -ins with students and families recently transitioned back to Team Tulsa • Performs ongoing PIF and wellness team consults through duration of term(s) • Audits existing referrals and completions for behavioral health referrals • Facilitates collaborative convenings with local mental health agencies to coordinate and facilitate ongoing training for families of transitioning or recently transitioned students (e.g. dealing with family members facing mental illness, accessing adult se rvices, wraparound connections, etc.). • Provides additional support to families via collaboration with SFSS Mental Health representatives responsible for oversight • Arranges ongoing mental health education and prevention and intervention training through ODMHSAS, Team Tulsa resources, and community partnerships, etc. • Gathers, analyzes, and reports retention and qualitative experiential data for students and families returning to Team Tulsa • Coordinates with the Manager of Mental Health Services, Mental Health Service Interventionist, and Mental Health Social Worker and community partners to develop support protocols for students reentering Team Tulsa sites • Coordinates prevention activities for families with district and community teams focused on engaging and empowering students and families • Interacts with staff, students, and the community in a positive and respectful manner • Promotes positive relationships with school -based, school -linked, and community mental and behavioral health providers • Consults with school counselors, deans, and social services specialists to coordinate services for students • Maintains confidentiality and security of all student mental and behavioral health information • Performs other tasks, duties, or services consistent with this position, as assigned Skills and Abilities Required: The following characteristics and physical skills are important for the successful performance of assigned duties. • Understands challenges facing students and families reentering the educational setting following an interruption in the academic calendar • Understands educational success and social /emotional learning and development • Ability to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of settings • Ability to perform under stress, deal with people acting under stress and displaying emotional distress, and adapt when confronted with an emergency situation • Facilitator experience with adult learners or ability to train with SFSS/OPL staff regarding session facilitation • Ability to build community partnerships and maintain working relationships • High level of interpersonal skills in work with diverse populations • Strong organizational skills • Strong oral and written communication skills • A demonstrated commitment to mental health advocacy, community collaboration , and child, youth, and family empowerment • Open to change and applies critical thinking while developing solutions based on new guidelines, methods, and technologies • Ability to oscillate between independent and collaborative work with ease Customer Contacts: • Internal: TPS District Employees • External: Students, parents, partnered vendors, community members Supervisory Responsibility: • This role does not directly supervise any individuals Working Conditions: Exposure to the following situations may range from rare to frequent, depending on circumstances and factors that may not be predictable. (In accordance with district safety regulations and accepted exposure as approved by district protocols.) • Physical requirements consistent with an office setting • Occasional to frequent travel to district and non -district sites Tulsa Public Schools is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team of individuals who contribute to the district's mission with their talents, skills, and energy. Tulsa Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on th e basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, age, or any other classification protected by applicable law. Tulsa Public Schools also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the application process, please contact the district's talent management department at 918 -746-6310 or the district's human rights and title IX coordinator at 918 -746-6985 . You can also direct your request for accommodation in writing to the Tulsa Public Schools Education Service Center, Attn: Talent Management, 3027 S. New Haven Ave., Tulsa, OK 74114 -6131 .