Family Development Specialist

Position Title:         Family Development Specialist

Location:                 Northside Family Center

FLSA:                       Non-exempt, Full Time

General Summary:  

The Family Development Specialist is responsible for providing direct service to families who have children 0-5 years of age. This position helps parents/guardians deal with difficult life events and set personal goals. This direct service will include regular check-ins with the family, delivering concrete goods as needed, goal planning, advocacy, and referrals to link the family with any necessary outside services. The individual will keep accurate case notes and files on each family, demonstrate a practical knowledge of child development and understand that relationship building is the key to successful progress. This is a full-time position with benefits.

Reports to:  

Family Center Director

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Ø Develops trusting, constructive relationships with parents and their children to provide advocacy, support and coordinated services linked with Northside Family Center.

Ø Conducts bi-weekly check-ins to:

o  Work with parents to set realistic goal plans

o  Increase their understanding of child development

o  Develop parenting skills

Ø Conducts child development assessments and screenings for children ages birth to 5 years in our day care, pre-school and intensive case management families every six months.

Ø Fulfills all case management duties and responsibilities which include but are not limited to the following:

o  Provides housing advocacy and referral

o  Provides mental health advocacy and referral

o  Participates in case management meetings

o  Maintains case records and files

o  Provides accurate follow-up as needed

Ø Participates in recruitment activities as needed in order to maintain a minimum caseload of 50 families

Ø Participates in special events, holiday celebrations and Family Fun Nights to interact with families and build trusting relationships. Please note that some of these activities will occur in the evenings after typical business hours or on weekends to accommodate our families’ schedules.

Ø Assists with other programs at the Northside Family Center as the need arises to provide services to families.

Ø Participates in supervision with the Director, team meetings, staff meetings, and development trainings

Ø Performs other responsibilities as requested by the Director

Education/Qualification:

Ø Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services or related field

Ø Experience in strengths-based human service delivery approach

Ø Knowledge of Social Service systems in Allegheny County

Ø Strong interpersonal, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills

Ø Must possess initiative, productivity, creativity, and problem-solving skills

Ø Ability and willingness to work evening and occasional weekend hours

Ø Ability to work as a team member

Ø Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance

Ø Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Criminal History Clearance

Ø FBI Clearance

Ø National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) Verification Certificate Tips: Provide a summary of the role, what success in the position looks like, and how this role fits into the organization overall.