Mental Health Services Specialist

Location: CCS Head Start Admin Services Spokane

Department: District HS/EHS/ECEAP Administrative

Salary Range: $71,375 - $80,683 

Starting salary for this position is: $71,375 (Annually)

The salary range represents the earning potential for this position, through training, evaluations and years spent working in this position with Spokane Colleges.

About Us 

Spokane Colleges Head Start/ECEAP/Early Head Start provides care and support for more than 1,600 children and their families. We offer safe and secure learning environments for children to grow and develop their skills to succeed in elementary school and beyond.

We are dedicated to working with low-income families. and involve parents and families in developing the goals of each Head Start center including centers on the Spokane Falls Community College and Spokane Community College campuses. We also serve the children of eligible students while they attend college.

Applications will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. PST on 06/23/2025. The application process will not be available after this time. To ensure consideration make sure your application is completed and submitted as soon as possible. Applications will only be accepted prior to 4:00 p.m. on the closing date.

About the Mental Health Services Specialist

JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Director of Program Services, the primary purpose of the Mental Health Specialist position is to provide content area expertise for all mental health services ensuring program compliance with Head Start Performance Standards, as well as federal, state, and local laws, rules and regulations.

This position entails the development, coordination, and evaluation of systems aimed at ensuring the provision of high-quality mental health services to children and families enrolled in Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) programs. These comprehensive systems encompass diverse aspects of mental health, including resource allocation, needs assessment at multiple levels (child, classroom, site, and program), training for staff and parents, supervision, and assessment of services rendered. Additionally, the position involves collaborating with other specialists and center managers, establishing mechanisms for documenting services, data tracking, and conducting evaluations to enhance mental health services for children and families.

Emphasizing staff wellness, this position also involves fostering a supportive environment and implementing initiatives to support the well-being of the staff involved in delivering these crucial services.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure compliance with federal performance standards and state regulations by developing, monitoring and assessing mental health activities, services, practices, procedures, documentation and reporting systems. *
• Maintain accurate and current information and resources. Advise and support development and provision of mental health services for children and families including services to pregnant women. *
• Conduct regular site visits, utilizing observations of mental health services to children and families for providing consultation, guidance, resources, monitoring, recommendations and feedback to staff, center managers and the program’s senior managers regarding the quality of service delivery and compliance with performance standards. *
• Develop and provide component training, resources, materials and written procedures for direct service staff to increase knowledge and capability in complying with policies, procedures and performance standards. Coordinate with outside trainers to enhance staff skills and maintain compliance with performance standards. *
• Review, evaluate and analyze behavior tracking and behavior incident reports in ChildPlus. Provide follow-up and support as needed, including completion and implementation of individual behavior plans and mental health consultant support. Provide aggregate site and program behavior data as requested by senior leadership. *
• Collaborate with contracted Mental Health Consultants to guarantee the availability of mental health support systems across all HS/EHS locations, ensuring consultants are ready to deploy as needed. Utilize the Mental Health Consultant on an as-needed basis to address high-priority challenges and facilitate resource allocation and referrals, as necessary. *
• Ensure that contracted consultants are provided explicit instructions and expectations regarding their collaboration with staff and enrolled families, which includes clear guid