Family Support Specialist

Overview

The Family Support Specialist will focus on the family while addressing the needs of the individual children and adults in order to improve overall functionality, ensure family participation in the planning of services and work toward building the strengths and abilities of families. Family Support Specialists will assist children and youth in maintaining positive connections to their families; reflect, respect and respond to the cultural and linguistic strengths and needs of the child and family; and foster the integrity of the family unity whenever possible and consistent with the Department of Children and Families permanent plan, without compromising the safety of its members.

Responsibilities

Ensure linguistic and culturally competent services to families, children and adolescents, kinship networks and foster families.Develop parent's capacity to utilize formal and informal community supports to ensure the safety, health and well being of their children.Improve parenting skills relative to safety, supervision and nurturing.Complete extensive documentation in a professional manner through the use of an electronic record to be utilized by social workers, attorneys, court officials and others as deemed necessary. Stabilize children in foster care setting.Achieve established goals in a time sensitive manner.Assist linguistic/cultural minority families in accessing community resources and supports in order to reduce stress and factors which contribute to abuse and neglect and to also increase the family's self-reliance and independence.Provide individual, family and group outreach and medication services via home visits.Provide parent training for development of effective communication skills and nonviolent parenting methods.Provide advocacy on a variety of issues, which may include educational, legal and accessing community resources or specialized services. Provide ongoing education on addressing difficult topics facing families today, for instance, gangs, pregnancy prevention, STD's, HIV, and substance abuse.Transporting families/children when necessary.All other duties assigned by the supervisor, his/her superior or the designee of either party.

Qualifications

High School diploma

Bilingual preferred

Working knowledge of both community resources and children/parentingValid Driver's License, ability to drive and means of transportation (current vehicle registration and insurance)

Transporting children and families as needed to meet service objectives

Extensive travel to other cities and towns may be required