MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE / PREPARING LOS ANGELES FOR COUNTY EMPLOYMENT (PLACE) PROGRAM

Position/Program Information

EXAM NUMBER :
b8111P

JOB TYPE :
OPEN COMPETITIVE JOB OPPORTUNITY

FILING START DATE:
JANUARY 23, 2025 AT 8:00 A.M. (PT)

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice

DEFINITION:

Provides a variety of peer support, advocacy, and other recovery services to clients transitioning to community living.

CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:
Positions allocable to this class work under close technical and administrative supervision of professional staff, and are typically assigned to mental health clinics, urgent care and wellness centers, Inter-Agency Screening Committees, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) multi-disciplinary teams, the Patients' Rights Bureau, Full Service Partnerships, System Navigation and Outreach Units, and the Consumer Empowerment and Advocacy Program. Positions perform a variety of direct supportive services for clients in connection with mental health or social services matters, such as answering questions and providing information regarding available mental health/social services and potential financial resources; coordinating group facilitations; and providing other support and assistance as appropriate. Incumbents must demonstrate knowledge of the application and provision of community and support resources; and the ability to make referrals to appropriate agencies. Mental Health Advocate is distinguished from Community Worker by the latter's allocation to positions that require a broader scope of responsibility and greater latitude of independent action.

Essential Job Functions

• Within the context of the program population served, communicates, represents, and promotes the mental health services consumer's perspective within the continuum of care.
  
• Orients consumers' family members, significant others, and caregivers of mental health consumers to the mental health system in order to assist these parties to navigate the system and receive necessary services.
  
• Facilitates consumer, family member, and caregiver access to departmental and community resources and services provided by other community and public agencies by assisting with scheduling appointments and transportation; or by accompanying the consumer to meetings that affect their receipt of services in order to provide advocacy and support in meeting consumers' needs.
  
• Assists clients in developing independent living skills in activities such as housekeeping, cooking, shopping, budgeting, using public transportation, and attending to personal grooming and hygiene, etc. through demonstration and coaching.
  
• Assists clients with housing needs by facilitating access to residential care or permanent housing.
  
• Facilitates clients' participation with multi-disciplinary teams by assisting in formulating service goals and plans for achieving such goals.
  
• Conveys community and client cultural patterns and attitudes to mental health professional staff.
  
• Assists clients with obtaining and completing appropriate application forms for various benefits and services.
  
• Leads recovery dialogues and discusses common transitional experiences.
  
• Acts as interpreter for client population.
  
• Recruits and trains volunteer mentors for clients transitioning into community living settings.
  
• Participates in conferences/meetings within the Department of Mental Health.
  
• Accompany clients to appointments and self-help activities, as needed.
  
• Attends seminars and in-service trainings in connection with related duties as assigned.
  

Requirements

SPECIALTY REQUIREMENTS:
Successful completion of a specialty M ental Health Advocate training program, as certified by the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) programs Preparing Los Angeles for County Employment (PLACE) program amongst other related departmental programs, which prepare applicants with the following competencies:

• Effective customer service/relations;
• Organizational skills, including critical thinking, time management, and priority-setting on the job; and
• Skills necessary to provide a variety of peer support, advocacy, and other recovery services to clients.

Applicants must meet the above requirement(s) at the time of filing in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment. No withhold will be allowed.

LICENSE:
A validCalifornia Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS II - Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stopping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

* To receive credit for the specialty program, applicants must upload a copy of their certificate of successful completion of the DEO PLACE specialty clerical training program at the time of filing. If you are unable to attach required documents, you must e-mail the documents to Exams@dmh.lacounty.gov, within seven (7) calendar days of filing online. Please include the exam title and your full name as it appears on your application.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
Additional credit will be given for experience related to the desirable qualifications.

• Experience working with underserved, underrepresented or underrecognized minority groups on efforts to educate, train, and empower groups or individuals in the community.

• Experience in public speaking (e.g. teaching, giving presentations, or giving speeches in schools, churches, community meetings or other public spaces).

• Experience working in the community in a non-traditional settings (such as door knocking, schools, churches, parks, libraries, community centers, or senior centers) to provide information about health/mental health or community programs to individuals or community groups.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT:

This examination will consist of an evaluation of training and experience based upon the application, supplemental questionnaire, and desirable qualifications at the time of filing, weighted 100%. Additional credit will be given for experience related to the desirable qualifications.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher in order to be placed on the eligible register .

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:

Applications will be processed on an "as-received" basis and those receiving a passing score will be promulgated to the eligible register accordingly. The names of candidates receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the eligible register in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of promulgation. No person may compete in this examination more than once every twelve (12) months.

SPECIAL INFORMATION:

Past and present mental health clients and family members are encouraged to apply.

FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE:

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

VACANCY INFORMATION:

The resulting eligible register for this examination will be used to fill vacancies in the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

AVAILABLE SHIFT:

Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION

Applications must be filed online only. Applications submitted by U.S. Mail, Fax, or in person will not be accepted. Apply online by clicking on the green “Apply” button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website. Application filing may be suspended at any time without advance notice.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING ONLINE

Applicants must complete and submit their online applications and upload documents (e.g., Certificate, Resume, etc.) as attachment(s) during application submission or send by email to exams@dmh.lacounty.gov within seven (7) calendar days from date of application submission. Include Mental Health Advocate/PLACE in the subject line when sending required documents by email.

The acceptance of your application will depend on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Selection Requirements. Provide any relevant training, and experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, and description of work performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.
Plan to submit your online application well in advance before the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on govermmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty,gov you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

CORRESPONDENCE AND UPDATES WILL BE SENT VIA E-MAIL

For the time being, all notifications, including results letters and notices of nonacceptance, will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add exams@dmh.lacounty.gov and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

Applicants have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES:

For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD:

All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

DEPARTMENT CONTACT
Department Contact Name: Celia Yeung, Exam Analyst
Department Contact Phone: (323) 705-4249 or (213) 972-7034
Department Contact Email: exams@dmh.lacounty.gov
ADA Coordinator Phone: (323) 705-4249
Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922

For detailed information, please click here

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• Los Angeles County

• (800) 970-5478

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