Spanish Speaking Adoption Youth Mentor (San Fernando Valley)

About This Job

Who is Olive Crest?

For over five decades, beginning in 1973, Olive Crest has been dedicated to changing the trajectories of more than 200,000 vulnerable children and adolescents, as well as their families, who have faced abuse, neglect, or significant risk. Our mission focuses on addressing the unique needs of each young person in crisis through the provision of secure housing, therapeutic counseling, and educational support for youth and parents across Southern California, Nevada, and the Pacific Northwest. The organization is committed to halting the cycle of child abuse by empowering, strengthening, and healing children and families in distress, focusing on One Life at a Time.

Why join Olive Crest?

Olive Crest provides a meaningful opportunity to apply your innate talents and draw upon your own life experiences to guide and support individuals and families as they navigate the adoption journey within the child welfare system.

Overview

This is a part-time position requiring 5 to 10 hours per week. Compensation is set at $20 per hour, with the rate reflecting bilingual proficiency.

We are looking for a caring and committed Youth Mentor to become part of our Adoption Promotion and Support Services team. The Mentor will work directly with pre-adoptive or post-adoptive clients and parents, providing guidance and support throughout the various stages of the adoption process. This role demands a dedication to building constructive relationships, encouraging personal development, and safeguarding the welfare of the individuals we serve. Although this position is administratively based in our Glendale office, the work is conducted primarily in the field, serving clients located throughout Los Angeles Service Planning Area 2. A map detailing SPA 2 can be found at the following link: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/chs/SPAMain/ServicePlanningAreas.htm

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Demonstrate willingness and availability to connect with clients in community settings, or via phone, email, or virtual platforms, at minimum once monthly; in-person meetings must occur at least once per quarter.
• Address and manage details of emergency situations that may occur during assigned hours, and potentially outside of standard work hours when appropriate.
• Share insights and knowledge about the adoption process, contributing personal experiences through informal mentoring, training sessions, and consultations.
• Collaborate with the assigned Case Manager to identify and facilitate referrals to relevant community resources.
• Provide general assistance and guidance through the adoption process.
• As required, mentor children involved in adoption proceedings, including conversations with youth who may express reservations about adoption.
• Participate in and present at various community events.
• Aid in connecting clients with support services and evaluate the suitability of those services, in coordination with the case manager as necessary.
• Accurately complete and submit monthly and quarterly reports documenting service provision—such as activity logs, incident reports, progress notes, and summaries—by the designated deadlines to the Director.
• Facilitate monthly parent support groups as directed by the supervisor.

Required Qualifications

• Must possess personal experience of having been adopted or of adopting a child through the dependency system.
• Must be fluent in Spanish, with proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing.
• Mentors working with adult or guardian clients must be former adoptive or foster parents with relevant experience, including foster care or adoption, or have served as resource parents or prospective adoptive parents with a positive adoption outcome; adult adoptees also qualify.
• Mentors working with child or youth clients must meet one of the following criteria:
  1. Be an adult adoptee, including individuals adopted as minors or as adults under the age of twenty-six.
  2. Be a former foster youth who spent at least three years in the foster care system and had a positive adoption experience.
  3. Be a former adoptive parent (including kinship and foster/adoptive parents), or a resource parent/prospective adoptive parent with a positive adoption experience; adult adoptees also qualify.
• Must show the ability to manage one\'s personal adoption story in a manner that allows for healthy and effective support to assigned clients.
• Must have a functional knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite.

Some of the Perks

• Cell phone expense reimbursement.
• Mileage reimbursement for travel.
• A flexible work schedule.
• Opportunities for professional advancement within a stable and well-regarded organization.