Family Support Specialist (Family Preservation)

Family Support Specialist (Family Preservation)

The Family Support Specialist (FSS) will provide trauma-informed, non-clinical, hands-on support to parents/caregivers receiving child welfare or juvenile probation services and interventions. The FSS engages with children and caregivers with professionalism, empathy, genuineness, and respect. Effective support is friendly, helpful, accessible, and flexible, and may be delivered at the agency, in family homes, schools or other community environments in accordance with the treatment plan. The FSS provides support and services that build on the strengths of the family to help them achieve desired outcomes. The FSS provides mentoring and education to caregivers to enhance overall parenting skills and knowledge, resulting in increased caregiver confidence in managing difficult parenting moments and day to day stressors. The FSS provides parenting education that aligns with the chosen evidence-based curriculum. The FSS works with the Child and Family Team to build family resilience and improve functioning across all life domains, while simultaneously working with system partners to decrease unintentional bias about parents. The FSS ensures child safety in the family home a minimum of once weekly. Services are person-centered, focused on recovery and resiliency, and self-directed where possible. The Family Support Specialist helps families navigate and connect to sustainable community resources to help prevent future involvement in child welfare or juvenile justice systems.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Can articulate an understanding of System of Care and Wraparound values.
• Ensures all elements on the task timeline are completed within associated time parameters.
• Works collaboratively with the Wraparound Facilitator to assess and develop interventions that will best support the family.
• Works collaboratively with the family and Wrap Facilitator to determine potential team members.
• Actively participates in the child and family team.
• Provides crisis support as needed and works with the child and family team to determine the need for additional support or revisions to the Plan of Care.
• Maintains direct communication with the parent/caregiver to ensure their needs are being met and interventions are effective.
• Rehearses crisis responses with the family as identified in the Plan of Care and the Crisis Plan.
• Provides evidence-based education and skill building to parents and caregivers that teach them strategies for effective parenting.
• Assists parents in effectively advocating for culturally appropriate services.
• Provides transportation to appointments for service linkage when appropriate.
• Manages competing priorities with minimal supervision.
• Willingly completes other duties as assigned to advance the mission of Choices.

Qualifications

• Be at least 21 years of age.
• Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
• Must have experiences with child serving systems (i.e. mental health, child welfare, probation and special education).
• Prefer experience participating in Wraparound services or serving as a member of a Child and Family Team.
• Demonstrated leadership and advocacy skills.
• Strong communication skills. Bi-lingual skills (Spanish) a plus.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Enthusiasm about advancing system change within the community.
• Must possess a valid driver's license in state of residence and auto insurance.

Hourly rate: $19.95/hr Benefits Include: Medical, Dental, Vision Employer Paid Life Insurance, Short & Long Term Disability 401k Match Tuition Reimbursement Paid Parental Leave Generous PTO plan