Behavioral Health & Disabilities Coordinator

Position Summary:

Responsible for the planning, monitoring, development and implementation of the Mental Health and Disabilities content service areas in the Children and Family Service program. Includes training staff and presenting, observing and working with children and families, and consulting with staff (Content Area Coordinators, Area Manager, and program staff). Supports CAPSLO’s mission by ensuring the Head Start and Early Head Start Mental Health and Disabilities program runs effective for all families who are involved.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in one of the following areas:
  
  
  
  • Social work, counseling, human development, psychology, early childhood, ABA therapy, or special education.
  
  
  
  


• Minimum two (2) years of experience in providing services to children and families.


• Must have previous experience working with adults and conducting trainings.

Essential Functions:

• Ensures that staff and parents understand IDEA and other laws pertaining to persons with disabilities and their rights. Provides pre-service and other necessary trainings on these laws and the Head Start Performance Standards for Children with Disabilities to program staff.


• Provides training for staff on identification, evaluation and referrals of children in need of further assessment to the appropriate agency. Supports the teaching staff’s utilization of developmental screening and other factors in referring children needing follow-up for special education services or individual family services.


• Ensures that staff and parents understand Mental Health protocols, performance standards, training guides, and other relevant trainings on the relevant Head Start Performance Standards.


• Develops outreach and recruitment activities with other program coordinators and Area Manager to ensure a successful recruitment effort of children with disabilities.


• Provides training to Children, Youth and Family Services staff which will help staff members better understand typical child development as well as the more common behavior problems seen in children. Helps added mental health/disabilities training needs and designs mental health/disabilities training workshops.


• Provides training for staff on observation, the referral process, and identifying mental health concerns. Ensures staff has access to mental health activities, educational information and other resources to promote mental health as a part of daily life for staff, children and parents.


• Provides practical advice and helps to teach staff by observing the children in their physical surroundings at least monthly.


• Works with the Program Director, Behavioral Health/Disabilities Manager and Area Managers in planning and budgeting Head Start funds to assure IFSP/IEP-identified special needs are fully met and that children in the most need of integrated placement and special assistance are served, and that Head Start maintains a level of fiscal support to children with disabilities consistent with the congressional mandate to meet their special needs.


• Arranges for further, formal evaluation of children identified as possibly having a disability. The referral, as early as the child’s third birthday, must be made to the LEA. If the LEA does not evaluate the children, then the Mental Health/Disabilities Coordinator will arrange for evaluation with Head Start resources or will locate other resources.


• Develops implements and provides training and technical assistance to ensure that monitoring, record-keeping and reporting systems are fully understood and utilized for collecting data for the Program Information Report (PIR) and tracking all Mental Health services and Disability services, to include services provided by consultants and outside agencies.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Assists in developing, maintaining and updating Interagency Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding with School Districts, SELPAs and Regional Centers, specifying procedures, types of services, timelines, placement options, shared provisions of services, and other strategies used to ensure that services are provided for children 0 – 5 years old and their families.


• Assists in providing special help for children with atypical behavior or development.


• Advises in the utilization of other community resources and referrals.


• Assists the local program staff to act as liaisons between School Districts, SELPAs and Regional Centers. Ensures that meetings are held/attended on a regular basis with these agencies to ensure healthy relationships.


• Monitors Mental Health/Disabilities content area services on a regular basis.


• Consults with Area Manager, center staff, and Home Base Teachers as needed for mental health/disabilities services.


• Works with Local Education Agencies (LEA), parents and staff to ensure smooth transitions.


• Participates in community events and fairs to promote community support for mental health. Participates in recruitment efforts to introduce mental health/disabilities services to families from the time of enrollment.


• Collects data and provides input into the annual T/TA Plan. Participates in reviewing PIR and use of data for program improvement in the area of mental health and disabilities. Participates in the community assessment process to ensure community mental health resources, agencies and professionals are properly identified. Participates in the annual self-assessment in the areas of behavioral health and disabilities to ensure compliance with all performance standards and to identify areas for program improvement.


• Ensures confidentiality is maintained in accordance with the Head Start Program and California requirements. Provides Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) to staff and parents on the importance of confidentiality.


• Works with center supervisors, teachers and program staff to ensure proper documentation is maintained.


• Ensures that meetings with parents take place when necessary to explain or interpret any aspect of the program’s mental health/disabilities services or concerns parents may have regarding their child’s mental health and/or special needs.


• Ensures all mental health materials, activities and training aides are provided in the language and literacy level of the home. Ensures that family cultural traditions, healing practices and beliefs are respected and acknowledged as they pertain to mental health practices.


• Collaborates with all other content area coordinators to insure mental health prevention education, and activities are included in content area plans for Education, Family/Community Partnerships, Disabilities, Health and Nutrition.


• Ensures contracts with mental health consultants are kept current and complies with the requirements as outlined in the Performance Standards. Ensures mental health professionals receive orientation to the criteria in the Performance Standards that apply to the role of the Mental Health Consultant in CYFS programs.


• Ensures the follow-up recommendations of the Mental Health Consultant are communicated and utilized by the centers for the improvement of mental wellness at the centers.


• Provides activities and information for promoting staff wellness in the areas of stress management, anger management, conflict resolution, self-esteem building, communication and relationship building skills, handling families in crisis, and personal vs. professional boundaries when working with families, etc.


• Works with all staff to provide an environment that promotes mental health wellness for all children and families and staff.


• Responsible for training or delegating the training to qualified professionals for all CYFS staff, in respecting and understanding Children’s Personal Rights as defined by the State of California Community Care Licensing and Office of Head Start’s Health & Safety Standard.


• Supports the continuous implementation of the CYFS Pyramid Model based on the Center for Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning.


• Ensures that staff attends Individual Education Plans (IEP)/Individual Family Services Plans (IFSP) and Transitional Meetings whenever possible.


• Ensures that each child meeting the eligibility criteria as defined in the Head Start Performance Standards, has a current IEP or IFSP.


• Ensures appropriate record keeping and program monitoring for IEP/IFSP goal implementation as well as mental health and disability services.


• Provides adaptive equipment for children with disabilities as needed.


• Works with all staff to provide an environment in our sites and in the community that is inclusive for all children and families.


• Must be dedicated to the goals and philosophy of the division’s child development programs and CAPSLO.


• Must use reasonable precautions in the performance of one’s duties and adhere to all applicable safety rules and practices, and act in such a manner as to assure at all times maximum safety to one’s self, fellow employees, clients and children.


• Performs other duties as needed.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge:

• Possesses a thorough understanding of the definition of children with disabilities as defined by the Head Start Performance Standards.


• Must possess knowledge of developmentally appropriate practices for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.


• Must be familiar with local, state and federal agencies providing services to children with special needs and their families.

Skills:

• Must have effective communication, facilitation and public speaking skills.


• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills and computer skills.


• Must be self motivated with a strong sense of time management and organizational skills.


• Must demonstrate sound judgment in decision-making.

Abilities

• Must be able to relate well to all people of the community regardless of color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, disability or socio-economic level.


• Must be emotionally stable, mature, and tactful and be able to provide professional leadership.


• Must possess the ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with staff, parents, children and the community.


• Must understand, uphold, and continue working toward accomplishing the mission, strategic goals and performance measures of the agency.

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Supervises and supports Behavior/Disabilities Specialists in carrying out their position requirements.

Work Environment:

• Requires working indoors in temperature-controlled environment with some exposure to copier and printer chemicals/fumes.

Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Physical:

• Position requires intermittent sitting, standing, walking, twisting and bending.


• Must be able to lift 30 pounds.


• Simple grasping and hand manipulation required, as well as reaching above and below the shoulder level.

Travel:

• Must be available for travel to other counties, to conferences, meetings, workshops, etc. when necessary.


• Must have dependable, insured transportation and valid California Driver’s License (mileage to be reimbursed) and acceptable driving record. A DMV printout and proof of insurance will be required.

License & Certifications:

• Must have a valid California Driver’s License.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications:

• Must be at least 18 years of age by date of hire. 


• Must submit proof of current vaccination status for measles, pertussis, and influenza (or a current, signed influenza declination form) in compliance with SB 792.


• Must comply with the CAPSLO COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, either being fully vaccinated or sign a COVID-19 vaccination declination form.


• Must complete a health screening physical completed within 30 days prior to employment and a current TB skin test/Chest X-Ray. 


• Employment is contingent upon meeting all job requirements and background requirements: criminal history check (Inclusive of DOJ, FBI and Child Abuse), acknowledgement of child abuse reporting responsibility, criminal record statement (Form LIC508), etc. A criminal history clearance is required prior to employment. 


• Upon hire agency staff will check the Megan’s Law (or the current sexual predator website) to ensure each staff being hired is clear for employment. Program administrative staff will check the website annually to ensure all program staff are cleared to work. 


• Must meet the Head Start Performance Standards and State requirements. 


• Employment in Head Start, Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Programs is contingent upon approval of the Policy Council.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Reasonable Accommodations:

I have read and understand the Essential Functions of this position, including the Responsibilities and Duties. I also acknowledge that the Responsibilities and Duties for this position may change in the future with or without prior notice.

I further understand that I can request a reasonable accommodation, should one be necessary for me to carry out the Essential Functions of this position. I can perform these with or without reasonable accommodation.