FAMILY SUPPORT WORKER

Family Support Worker

This is a paraprofessional position providing education, support, and assistance to pregnant women and families with newborns to optimize the safety of the home environment. The position will promote the Safe Baby Initiative which promotes healthy, safe home environments through parent education and referrals to services. This position will work for Healthy Families which is a child abuse/neglect prevention program. The incumbent will work promoting, maintaining, and improving individual and/or community health by assisting individuals and communities to adopt healthy, safe behaviors. Incumbents may also serve as a resource to assist individuals, other professionals, and the community. This position requires local travel and some weekend and evening hours.

Your specific responsibilities include:

• Assessment and eligibility - Ability to quickly establish rapport to engage culturally diverse families in Safe Baby Initiative
• Provide infant safety education and links pregnant women, families and infants to supports and services available in the community.
• Promotes continued participation in prenatal and infant health care.
• Able to answer client questions and assist clients with establishing a safe environment for their child when they identify a safety concerns or needs, using knowledge of child development and community resources and referrals.
• Ability to present materials in a culturally sensitive, effective manner to clients.
• Develop and maintain professional, collaborative relationships with WIC, Healthy Families, DOH staff and other community agencies.
• Networking with community agencies to both promote SBI and to stay current with available resources for families.

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Demonstrates motivation to learn & apply knowledge of child development and child safety.
• Effectively applies basic counseling skills with families such as developing rapport, cultural competence, establishing & maintaining effective supportive professional boundaries, using active listening & reflection & empowerment to support families in reaching their goals.
• Ability to organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing.
• Maintains case work standards as developed by program.
• Knowledge of community resources.
• Maintains dependable, punctual work schedule appropriate to the needs of the program.
• Knowledge of basic computer software and ability to enter data in computer.

Qualifications:

• Minimum- Drivers' License, or the ability to obtain one within 30 days of employment, with access to daily reliable transportation.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including nights and weekends.
• At least 2 years of experience in computer programs including the Internet and e-mail.
• At least 2 years of experience in culturally diverse at-risk families in a hectic office setting.
• At least one year of experience working with at-risk populations.
• Comfortable working in high stress situations.
• Preferred- At least one year of experience working with parents of children at risk of child abuse/neglect.
• Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish.
• Knowledge of pregnancy and child development.
• At least one year of experience working with pregnant women and/or infants or have taken one year of related college courses.

Where you will work: Mid-County Center of the Florida Department of Health 8751 Ulmerton Rd Largo, FL 33771