Consumer/Family Relations Program Assistant

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended.

 

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.

 

Supplemental Questionnaire:  A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application.  Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

 

Qualified bilingual persons who speak English and are also fluent in: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Korean, Mien, Tagalog, Amharic, Farsi, Dari, Tigrigna, Russian, Romanian or Sign Languages are especially encouraged to apply. There is an additional biweekly compensation for persons in positions designated bilingual. Qualified candidates may be tested to demonstrate language proficiency.

THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county.  The County employs 9,700 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $3.4 billion.  Oakland, the County seat, is California's eighth largest city.  One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities and rural areas.  As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens.  The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles.  The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.  

 

THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY

Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program areas: Behavioral Health Care, Public Health, Environmental Health, and Agency Administration/Indigent Health. The ultimate mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents. Health Care Services Agency currently has multiple career opportunities for experienced professionals to become part of a service delivery team dedicated to the optimal health and well-being of Alameda County residents.  For more information about the Health Care Services Agency, please visit www.acgov.org/health/

 

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE

It is the mission of Behavioral Health Care Services to maximize the recovery, resilience and wellness of all eligible Alameda County residents who are developing or experiencing serious mental health, alcohol, or drug concerns. We envision communities where people realize their potential, and where stigma and discrimination against those with mental health, alcohol and/or drug issues are a thing of the past.

 

Only through exemplifying the following Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services values will we be successful:

 

ACBHCS

Access - where every door is the right door for welcoming people with complex needs;

Consumer and Family Empowerment - through shared decision‐making best practices, that clinically produce effective outcomes;

Best Practices - business excellence that uses public resources cost‐effectively;

Health and Wellness - by integrating emotional, spiritual and physical health care;

Culturally Responsive - appropriate services built on the strengths and life experiences of culturally diverse consumers and their families;

Social Inclusion - utilizing advocacy and education to eliminate stigma, discrimination, isolation, and misunderstanding of persons with mental illness and substance abuse.

 

For more information about the department of Behavioral Health Care Services, please visit www.acbhcs.org/

 

THE POSITION

Under general supervision, to provide programmatic assistance and administrative support in the Behavioral Health Care Services Office of Peer Support Services; serves as a program representative and supports the involvement of consumers/family in implementing systems change, training and education, hiring of consumers/family in behavioral health care programs, and developing self-help and consumer/family–operated programs; and to do related work as required.

 

These positions are located in the Behavioral Health Care Services Department (BHCS), and report to the Office of Peer Support Services Manager. The Consumer/Family Relations Program Assistant provides administrative support and coordinates a variety of related community and educational outreach activities and events, performs a variety of administrative functions in the implementation of consumer/peer related programs/projects. This class is further distinguished from the next higher-class Consumer/Family Relations/Office of Peer Support Services Manager in that the latter class has supervisory responsibilities and provides leadership for the activities of the Office of Peer Support Services.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications, knowledge, and skills below, the ideal candidate will have a minimum of six months experience as a consumer who has received services in the public and/or private mental health system, AND training and/or experience with the concepts of self-help, self-care, advocacy, peer/family support, peer/family-focused care, peer/family-driven care, and wellness/recovery/resilience. They will also:

·       Provide suitable advisory assistance, programmatic guidance, feedback, and resources in mental/behavioral health and wellness, recovery, and resilience services.

·       Believe in and inspire teamwork, team spirit, and collaboration by being accessible, supportive, open-minded, empathetic, and able to effectively manage conflict by facilitating constructive interactions amongst differing stakeholders that result in diverse work teams that better serve our diverse communities.

·       Commit to develop oneself and others by continuously aspiring to gain increased competence and technical and professional skill or knowledge in the areas of mental/behavioral health and wellness, recovery, and resilience services, while modeling excellence and seeking to motivate and facilitate continuous learning.

·       Be experienced at coordinating programmatic and administrative support activities, and completing procedures, documents, forms, reports and/or budgets that are essential to the day-to-day operations.

·       Be an effective communicator who develops and maintains effective relationships with others and relates well with people of diverse cultures, interpersonal styles, abilities, motivations, or backgrounds even in times of conflict.

·       Be capable of establishing courses of action for self and others to ensure that work is completed efficiently to achieve goals and results while maximizing resources wisely.

·       Strive to build a customer-focused service organization ensuring that the mental/behavioral health consumer/peer perspective is a driving force behind program decisions and activities; advocates for diverse customers including mental/behavioral health consumers/peers; and crafts and implements service practices to meet both the organization’s and consumer’s needs.

For a detailed listing of the essential responsibilities and core competency requirements for this position, please click here for the job description.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

The equivalent of completion of two years of college (90 quarter units or 60 semester units) from an accredited college or university.  (Additional work experience as outlined below may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.)

Experience:

The equivalent of three years of full-time administrative and/or programmatic support experience which has included some combination of program coordination and administrative support, compiling and maintaining data, preparation of narrative and statistical reports, and organization and facilitation of program events preferably in a mental health setting.

AND

The equivalent of six months experience as a consumer who has received services in the public and/or private mental health system, or as a direct family member/caregiver of a mental health consumer who has received services in the public and/or private mental health system, AND training and/or experience with the concepts of self-help, peer/family support and/or wellness/recovery/resilience.


License:
May require possession of a valid California driver's license.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Examples of Duties" section of this specification.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Consumer/family movement.
• Self-help and peer support techniques and concepts.
• Public and/or private mental health/behavioral health care systems.
• Information and referral systems.
• Wellness, recovery, and resilience services, supports and principles.
• Cultural and social factors affecting consumer/family members.
• Federal and state legislation and regulations affecting consumer/ family members.
• Office administrative practices and procedures, including records management and the operation of standard office equipment.
• Word processing and computer applications related to the work.
• Research and report preparation principles.
• Basic principles of administrative analysis.

Ability to:

• Facilitate diverse and multidisciplinary groups.
• Plan, coordinate and conduct public presentations.
• Represent consumer/family members.
• Analyze, evaluate and draw logical conclusions.
• Prepare clear and accurate reports, correspondence, procedures and other written materials
• Organize, prioritize and meet critical deadlines.
• Maintain accurate records and files.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1. A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements.

2. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process which is a review of candidates' Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process.

3. Those candidates selected as best qualified will move on to the next step in the examination process, an oral interview examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview examination may contain situational exercises.

 

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

 

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

 

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

 

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

 

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN: 

Deadline for Filing	5:00pm, Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Review of Minimum Qualification	February 22, 2023
Supplemental Questionnaire Review for Best Qualified	March 13-16, 2023
Oral Interview Exam**	April 4-5, 2023

**The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

 

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

 

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues.  To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

 

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs/divisions/ps/application.htm

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

 

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org, nonreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org, and Noreply@jobaps.com as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

 

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

 

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email boxes Noreply@jobaps.com and nonreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org, are routed to unmonitored mailboxes. If you have questions, please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

 

Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 272-6468 • nicole.lewis-bolton@acgov.org

 

Disaster Service Worker

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law.  Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of: race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.