Position Title: Family Specialist

Supervisor: Kelly Straub, Program Supervisor of Families First Center.

How to Apply: Send resume to admin@familiesfirstcenter.org

Overall Purpose:

The Family Specialist is responsible for providing an array of services as referred including home based casework, parenting education, and supervised visitation, with a goal of supporting families and strengthening the family dynamic.

Essential Job Functions & Expected Outcomes:

General Responsibilities

• Create and maintain weekly schedule as dictated by client needs (including evenings and weekends), utilizing, and updating Microsoft Outlook calendar.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with clients, community partners, and referral agencies.
• Participate in CFTMS, case conferences and other meetings with other services providers working with families.
• Report immediately to the Department of Child Services any suspicion of abuse or neglect.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date electronic case files according to program timeframes and requirements.
• Attend supervision, training, and other meetings as scheduled.
• Testify in court proceedings as necessary.

Home Based Casework

• Assist families in establishing goals and plans for attaining these goals.
• Assist caregivers in making and attending appointments for doctors, social service agencies, and school related activities.
• Provide appropriate community resources to clients based on individual client needs and goals.
• Assist in strengthening the family unit by providing education and promotion of protective factors (Knowledge of Parenting, Social and Concrete Supports, Nurturing and Attachment, Children’s Social and Emotional Competence, and Resiliency).
• Assist families in improving their skills to increase self-sufficiency.

Parent Education

• Facilitate parenting classes, seminars and support groups assigned.
• Provide 1-1 parenting education sessions as needed.
• Ability to clearly articulate material and ideas in an easy-to-understand manner.
• Engage participants using interactive learning processes while being supportive and nonjudgmental.
• Complete all training and accreditations required to facilitate parenting classes, seminars, support groups, and individual sessions.

Supervised Visitation

• Monitor interactions between the family and assist the family by strengthening, teaching, demonstrating, and role modeling appropriate skills using evidence-based interventions.
• Accurately and objectively document observations and interactions.
• Provide transportation for clients to and from the visitation as needed.

The job criteria may include other duties, responsibilities, and activities, which may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Position Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, sociology, or a directly related human services field required and Master’s degree in social work or other human services field preferred
• Experience: Experience in providing supervised visitation, parent education and/or home-based casework services or experience working in a human service organization preferred.
• Functional Skills: Excellent skills in organization and problem solving; great with priorities and multi-tasking; highly organized with strong attention to details
• Technology Aptitude/Skills: Proficiency with Microsoft Office products including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint required, proficiency with SharePoint and Case Management Pro preferred
• Language Skills: Excellent written and verbal skills required, Bi-lingual (English/Spanish) preferred
• Culture Match Behaviors: Has a drive to create an impact while also being a respectful problem-solver and a collaborative, continuous learning team member.

Equipment Used:

• This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, electronic devices, photocopiers, filing systems/cabinets and fax machines.

Physical Requirements to Perform Essential Functions:

• Ability to sit at desk frequently
• Ability to use hands and fingers and to reach for and handle objects to perform tasks frequently
• Ability to write ideas/information in a logical flow frequently
• Ability to read and respond due to nature of the work on a frequent basis
• Ability to talk and communicate with others via phone, in-person, and/or computer frequently
• Ability to listen to customers, problem-solve, and respond frequently
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, reach, stoop, kneel, squat, twist, push, pull, and carry items frequently
• Lifting up to 15 lbs. sporadically

Environmental Conditions & Travel:

• The employee is primarily exposed to a normal office environment with moderate noise.
• This position may face inclement weather conditions when traveling
• Travel: regular local travel
• This position will require work outside of regular office hours