EHS Family Services Specialist

The Family Services Specialist has primary responsibility for facilitating the delivery of Family Services activities from all service areas to a caseload of approximately 40 Early Head Start families and to document the process. 

• Implement Family Services to ensure that EHS families receive the family support and health services prescribed in the Head Start and Early Head Start Performance Standards
• Engage families through the establishment of a trusting relationship with assigned families by providing meaningful and consistent client contact as specified in the Early Head Start Policies and Procedures
• Maintain a caseload of approximately 40 families of children enrolled in EHS-CCP child care program partners

Major Duties

• Establish a productive ongoing respectful relationship with each family
  1. Employ a culturally competent and flexible approach by acknowledging, accepting, and accommodating differences (e.g., providing information in an understandable format and/or language for those who have limited/no reading skills or who are English language learners)
  2. Maintain regular contact with families on caseload including visiting at least 1/4 of the families in the home monthly
• Assist EHS families to develop and implement effective Family Partnership Agreements 
• Assist EHS families to complete and annually review a Family Strengths and Stresses Assessment (FSSA)
• Assist in implementing an approved evidence-based parenting curriculum as prescribed by HSPS 
• Support transportation for families as needed to and from medical and/ or social services appointments, center functions, policy council meetings, outings, and social events
• Plan, conduct, and coordinate parent meetings and workshops to meet the requirements of HSPS and assessed needs of EHS-CCP parents including a variety of training including the topics specified by the HSPS
• Facilitate communication between child care program partners staff and teacher, families
  1. Visit each assigned classroom/center to facilitate collaboration with teaching staff, communication with parents, and to monitor the progress of children
  2. Monitor attendance of children on caseload and contact families when children have not arrived at the child care program within one hour of arrival time and/or are absent for three (3) days in the month without prior notification or excused absences
  3. Facilitate assigned families’ transition from EHS to the child’s next placement per policies and procedures
• Be knowledgeable of and utilize community resources, specifically:
  1. Serve as a liaison between families and other community agencies advocating for families as needed, and 
  2. Provide families with information regarding community resources so that they may seek services on their own behalf
• Provide the effective delivery of other EHS service areas as needed, including
  1. Recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance of children and families 
  2. Ensure that health, disabilities, mental health, nutrition, and dental services are delivered to families and children in a respectful and culturally and linguistically responsive manner
• Participate in EHS-CCP self-assessment for annual assessment of Family & Community Partnerships services
• Gather information for Community Needs Assessment as requested
• Maintain required record-keeping:
  1. Maintain a file on each assigned family with thorough, accurate and up-to-date records, including entering data on Child Plus per EHS policies and procedures
  2. Record and maintain written records of all family meetings and events and communications with child care center partner staff
  3. Provide timely family/child information updates to the EHS Data Coordinator for input in Child Plus and to managers and coordinators per EHS policies and procedures
  4. Collect and compile requested data on families for annual PIR report
  5. Submit in-kind documentation (volunteer hours, donations) on required forms monthly
  6. Complete other record-keeping duties as assigned

Other job requirements:

• Interact effectively and respectfully with EHS-CCP partners, coworkers, and customers from a variety of backgrounds, with sensitivity to and awareness of the needs of EHS-eligible families
• Work independently and in coordination/collaboration and communicate effectively with others
• Demonstrate strong organization skills to complete assigned tasks in a timely manner
• Abide by HSPS Standards of Conduct to include the fulfillment of role as mandated reporter as stated in CCRI Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Child Abuse and Neglect Policy
• Commit to reflective supervision as a cornerstone of program and staff development
• Communicate with colleagues, children, parents, staff and community with professionalism, sincerity, and the intent to preserve, respect and improve culturally-responsive relationships
• Complete other duties as assigned

Qualifications 

Education 

Experience

Knowledge and Skills

• Preferred knowledge of and familiarity with Head Start Performance Standards and Head Start’s Parent, Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) preferred approaches 
• Advanced skills and knowledge in Microsoft Office, use of internet, keyboarding, and computer skills 
• Familiarity with data processing methods, information storage, and information retrieval
• Excellent interpersonal and oral and written communication skills, including demonstrated writing ability

Other 

• North Carolina driver’s license, proof of insurance, and access to transportation; Willingness and ability to travel as needed
• Cleared criminal background check as prescribed in the HSPS from DCDEE and CCRI
• Dated report of satisfactory TB test or chest X-ray, prior to the first day working with children
• Signed medical statement dated not more than 12 months prior to employment\
• Adherence with all applicable federal, state & local health requirements
• Must be fully vaccinated

AAP/EEO Statement: CCRI is an equal opportunity employer.  CCRI does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap, age, disability, veteran status or any other basis protected under federal, state or local laws.

CCRI requires all employees to be COVID-19 vaccinated.