Family Support Specialist

Under the general supervision of the Executive Director/Program Supervisor, works with parents to optimize the home environment for the physical, mental and emotional well-being of children who are at-risk of being abused or neglected by assisting in strengthening the parent-child relationship, improving parenting skills, reducing family stress, and assisting parents in meeting their own needs.

• Establishes a trusting relationship with at-risk families by providing regular client contact through visits in the client’ homes.
• Applies working knowledge of established family dynamic principals including but not limited to parent-child interaction, child development and the dynamics of child abuse/neglect to help client improve parenting skills, reduce family stress, and meet needs of parents.  Helps parents learn problem solving and coping skills and refers them to appropriate community agencies as is appropriate.  Helps parents to incorporate effective disciplinary techniques in the family structure.
• Assists parents in making and attending appointment for doctors, social services agencies etc., and acts as a liaison between families and other community agencies.
• Maintains effective, professional and on-going relationships with other agency representative through oral and written communication.
• Identify potential substance abuse issues or safety issues or both and refer to the Program Supervisor.
• Performs case management and development of individual or family service plans with goals, objectives and activities to meet individual client needs.  Meet with supervisor on a weekly basis to evaluate client status.
• Implements IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan) and developmental screening tools under the general supervision of the Program Supervisor.
• Makes legal entries in client records in a tight time frame and ensures the confidentiality of those records while accounting for the accuracy and timeliness of all entries. 
• Performs developmental assessments within the parameters of established instruments, and if warranted, with the Program Supervisor, refers the family with any suspected developmental disabilities to Infant Intervention and their family physician.  
• Assists clients with paperwork needed in applications for programs such as medical or financial assistance. 
• Attends regular staff meetings, team meetings, in service trainings, and other meetings as required.
• Assists with coordination of program activities.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by supervisor.

• Minimum educational requirement is a Bachelor’s Degree in social sciences, an Associate’s Degree plus two years of experience in working with at-risk families, or any combination of education and experience beyond the high school diploma that would result in the knowledge, skills, and abilities equivalent to a four year college program.  
• Demonstrated maturity, humility in successfully working with families of varied cultural backgrounds including teenage parents, infants, cognitively limited adults, children adults with clinical diagnoses, families with histories of physical, mental, and substance abuse and families with medically fragile children. 
• Working knowledge of established models of family dynamics, family dysfunction, and programmatic modalities for response to dysfunction. 
• Knowledge and belief in non-violent approaches to disciplining children. 
• Demonstrated skill in crisis intervention, teaching and listening, and basic problem solving. 
• Excellent oral and written skills are essential. 
• Ability to recognize the need for professional intervention, to be nonjudgmental. Ability to engage in building reflective capacity (capacity for introspection, communicating awareness of self in relation to others, recognizing value of supervision) and to be motivated to learn from direct experience as well as from training and supervision. 
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and ability to establish trusting relationships. (bilingual skills preferred)
• Must be able to successfully complete Core Training specified by Healthy Families America within 18 months of beginning job, function. Must also be able to successfully complete training offered by Prevent Child Abuse Virginia in the areas of Language Development and Infant Care, Family Violence, Child Protective Services, Substance Abuse, Child Development and Health, and Cultural Diversity Pertaining to Parenting. 
• Working knowledge of IBM compatible computers using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access at a basic level. 

• Infant mental health endorsement preferred
• A valid Virginia driver’s permit and reliable transportation with appropriate insurance coverage. 

• Knowledge of family dynamics, child development, and community resources.
• Knowledge of issues related to maternal-child health, infant mental healthily, and child abuse and neglect.
• Knowledge of community resources

• Demonstrated skill in interviewing and communicating with clients and professionals in the community
• Basic computer and word processing knowledge.
• Critical thinking, complex reasoning, and analytical Skills.
• Basic Math 
• Organization and time-management skills.
• Problem-solving, customer service and communication (oral, written, and listening) skills.
• Skilled in teaching parents to interact and meet the needs of their children, training others in agency on how to use curriculum, interventions, etc.

• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse cultures, humility in successfully working with different background.
• Ability to plan effectively for client services
• Willingness to engage in building reflective capacity (capacity for introspection, communicating awareness of self in relation to others, recognizing value of supervision)
• Demonstrates accuracy and an understanding of confidentiality of client records and need for follow up on issues with other community professionals and clients

• Work is generally performed in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, family homes, light traffic), requiring regular use of motor vehicles, mechanical, and/or technical equipment, and observing general surroundings and activities. Worker maybe exposed to extreme noise, irate clients, and to potentially dangerous people or situations.

• Stooping, crouching, walking, pulling, lifting, grasping, hearing, seeing up close, seeing far away, kneeling, reaching, pushing, talking, standing, finger movement, repetitive motions, and depth perception. 
• Typical weight handled up to 25 lbs.

Salary : $42,000 - $44,000