Family Support & Stabilization Program Manager

The Agency: Founded in 1873, Bridges Homeward has evolved over time into a group of dynamic, highly dedicated, mission driven professionals meeting the current needs of the Greater Boston community. Bridges Homeward is committed to strengthening and advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion, for our staff and those we serve.  Bridges Homeward, and our staff are dedicated as individuals and as a community, to continually seek to advance racial equity initiatives to address long-standing systemic racial biases and discrimination in our society. Our goal for every person we work with is for them to find permanency; a healthy, nurturing relationship with an adult that they can count on for the rest of their life. Sometimes, permanency in our work means making sure a child can remain with their biological family; sometimes it means ensuring someone with a developmental disability can live with family instead of having to move to an institutional setting; sometimes it means finding a child in foster care a forever family and for other youth it means having a safe, secure parenting relationship with a supportive adult.   

PURPOSE & SCOPE: The Family Support & Stabilization Manager a member of Bridges Homeward Family Support and Stabilization team serving Families, children and youth referred by the Department of Children and Families, or other community providers. The Family Support and Stabilization Program's goals are to:

• Provide a range of interventions aimed at supporting family capacity to safely care for children in order to prevent out-of-home placement of children and youth, or to support return of children and youth to their families;
• Provide in-home crisis response aimed at stabilizing the family;
• Mediate and support families in resolving conflicts;
• Support and educate parents to enhance their capacity to care for their children.

The Family Support & Stabilization Manager is supervised by the Family Support and Stabilization Director and provides coordination of services in addition to direct referral, coordination and management of resources and services to families and children.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assists Program Director in recruitment, hiring and training of Family Support Specialist and MSW Interns
• Participates in DCF Regional meetings, SOC meetings and other provider meetings as needed
• Assists PD and APD in further growth and evaluation of FSS program and ensuring existing policies and procedures, including case reviews and paperwork completion occurs across all services in FSS.
• Assist PD & APD in developing policies and procedures for taking external referrals while still ensuring the safety and appropriateness for our program.
• Assists in ongoing support of permanency priority at Bridges Homeward and provides direct interventions with individuals and families aimed at increasing positive, supportive adult relationships.
• Provide direct supervision to Family Support Specialist; including providing weekly supervision, monitoring approving paperwork, managing case assignments, staff PTO etc
• Provide direct service to small caseload of families
• Assists APD in management of Virtual Gateway database and approval of paperwork

• Organizes and manages a caseload of families and children referred by Department of Children and Families, including completing clinical assessments of families and children;
• Manage data entry database
• Ensures follow through of staff responsibilities including-

• Referrals for services such as substance abuse treatment, domestic violence resources or mental health services;
• Developing safety plans to reduce risk to children;
• Providing crisis intervention as needed.
• Provides parent education and support directly or through referral;
• Monitors safety of children in the home;

• Directly manages growth and organization of FTV service
• Provides support with quality assurance and improving service delivery

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, education or a related field; Master's degree preferred
• Minimum of 3 years' experience providing case management and/or counseling services to children, adolescents and families; preference given to those with experience working