Family Support Specialist

Square One is a private nonprofit organization in Springfield, Mass. Our programs include early education and care, home-based care settings located throughout Springfield and out of school time care for elementary school age children. Our parent education, support and training programs are offered through groups, home visitation and personalized case management to help parents access whatever services are needed to be successful in their role as their child’s first teacher.

We are currently looking for a Healthy Families Family Support Specialist/Home Visitor interested in joining our home visiting team.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of high school diploma or equivalent. Associates or Bachelor’s degree in Human Services in a related field preferred.
• Experience providing supportive services to young children and families.
• Experience working with a culturally diverse population; Demonstrated acceptance of individual differences and practice of inclusion.
• Ability to establish trusting relationships and utilize basic supportive skills.
• Ability to approach families from a strengths-based and family-centered service model.
• Knowledge of infant and child development and parent-child attachment principles.
• Awareness of particular needs of low-income families and multi-stressed families.
• Ability to learn and integrate into teaching/ coaching, material related to each domain of service delivery including: healthy pregnancy & preparation for birth, ongoing parental health, well-being and social connectedness, infant care, child development & social-emotional wellness, positive parenting and abuse prevention, positive life skills, educational attainment & economic stability, family planning & birth control
• Open to engaging in regular reflective supervision practice (integrating introspection, building understanding and utilizing constructive feedback).
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries while providing supportive services.
• Willingness to work non-standard business hours as needed and scheduled.
• Ability to self-direct daily work tasks and practice effective time management.
• Must be able to meet documentation requirements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate as part of a team.
• Computer literacy, preferably with Microsoft Office, email, internet.
• The employee must have a valid driver’s license and the ability to be added to Square One’s non-owned and hired vehicle policy, and have access to reliable transportation.
• Must have successful CORI, SORI and Safe Driver Record check.
• Bilingual skills in both English & Spanish are strongly preferred.

Description of Duties:

• Under the Healthy Families Massachusetts/Children’s Trust guidelines; provide intensive, long-term home visiting services to young parents across the Greater Springfield program catchment area.
• Conduct family assessments and screenings, develop individual family service plans, and provide brief interventions community referrals, advocacy and follow-up to participants.
• Prepare and implement individualized curriculum for home visits from available materials focusing on parent health and wellness, child health and development, positive parenting skills, educational, and vocational achievement, life skills, and family planning/birth control.
• Provide supportive services to participants while also increasingly encouraging families to utilize more informal and community resources.
• Maintain flexibility in order to schedule home visits at times that are convenient for the family.
• Conduct outreach and engagement activities as necessary and assigned while promoting the Healthy Families program and appropriately representing the agency at large.
• Maintain an overall home visiting caseload as determined by Healthy Families Massachusetts guidelines as assigned.
• Keep all documentation up-to-date and accurate, including electronic web-based records and paper records.
• As member of a team, assist in implementing groups/activities/events at times that work best for participants, as assigned.
• Participate in weekly reflective supervision, staff meetings, trainings, program evaluation activities, and workshops, including all required Children’s Trust CORE and Topic Trainings
• Other duties as assigned by your supervisor.

Reasons to work with Square One:

• Work with an agency that makes a difference in our community every day!
• Be a part of a great team that provides excellent services and support to its families
• Gain experience in various areas of early education and care, human services and behavioral health
• Our fast paced environment is never boring!
• We offer comprehensive health benefits package and 403(b) retirement plan
• Our employees enjoy robust time off policies, 12 paid holidays, over 4 weeks of paid time off to begin, and flexible schedule

Want to learn more about Square One?

https://startatsquareone.org/

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $17.00 - $18.50 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• 403(b)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Loan forgiveness
• Mileage reimbursement
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Language:

• Bilingual (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• Springfield, MA: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $17 - $19