What are the responsibilities and job description for the Families First Specialist position at Bethany?
Families First Specialist
Requisition # : req14605
Location : Kalamazoo, MI
Hours : Full-time (40 hours / week)
At Bethany Christian Services, we believe families provide the strongest foundation for care and connection. That's why we focus on strengthening and empowering families, always advocating for family-centered solutions to keep children safe. Our work began in 1944 with the care of a single child. Today, inspired by our faith, our aim is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus in our services for children, youth, and families. Working at Bethany means joining a team of nearly 2,000 dedicated professionals with diverse skills, serving communities across the country. Together, we're united in our mission and these shared values : we're motivated by our faith, we support one another, we champion justice, we pursue excellence, and we're in it for the long haul.
The Families First Specialist is primarily responsible for providing in-home case management services to a small caseload of high-risk families exposed to abuse and neglect. This individual is also responsible for focusing on clients' strengths, monitoring safety, timely report writing and working effectively as a member of the team.
This position is expected to function effectively with moderate supervision while following the guidelines given on procedures, along with agency, federal, and state regulatory requirements.
ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide case management services in the client's home or neutral setting as defined by program expectations and guidelines;
- Ensure the child's safety while in care;
- Respond to phone referrals from defined social services agencies during normal business hours or while on-call as a backup to the Program Supervisor or Manager;
- Initiate in person contact with families within 24 hours of referral;
- Provide the pre-defined amount of hours of in person services to each family weekly;
- Create and submit initial service, progress and termination reports to referring worker in accordance with the program's timebound requirements;
- Conduct termination conference with the referring worker no later than 7 days prior to anticipated closure date;
- Conduct termination interview with each family during final session that summarizes progress and outlines plan for continued development;
- Complete client follow-ups after termination conference via home visits, telephone calls or written communications at routine intervals in accordance with contract guidelines;
- Conduct weekly meetings with the referring worker in accordance with time-bound program requirements to update, plan and discuss recommendations of the case;
- Attend weekly supervision meetings to consult on cases, to review case plan and direction and to evaluate client participation and progress;
- Attend and actively participate in weekly team meetings;
- Assist families with funds when needed;
- Willing and able to be available to clients 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to include some evenings, weekends, and holidays, while also arranging the appropriate coverage, when needed;
- Attend internal and external training and apply newly gained knowledge in providing services;
- Keep abreast of community resources and refer families for support, as needed;
- Stay abreast of all agency, federal, and state regulatory requirements related to social services;
- Complete other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS :
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