Family Support Specialist

Family Support Specialist (FSS)

Family Support Specialist (FSS) will provide an array of formal and informal supports to families caring for/raising a child who is experiencing social, emotional, medical, developmental, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges in their home, residential, school, placement, and/or community. The Family Support Specialist (FSS) provides a structured, strength-based relationship between a Family Treatment Teams in Foster home and Residential as well as with the parent/family member/caregiver for the benefit of the child/youth. Services are delivered in a trauma informed, culturally and linguistically competent manner by Service Providers with documented lived experience.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Supervise and coach family visits on grounds and in the community to support and effectuate goal of permanency/reunification and decrease QRTP recidivism
• Supervise and coach sibling visits in various settings to support sibling relationships
• Supervise and coach visits between youth and resources to support the youth's step down into a less restrictive placement towards the goal of permanency
• Assist youth and families to implement strategies recommended by clinicians during visitation to support the goals of increasing visitation to effectuate permanency
• Assist youth and families with achieving their goals pertaining to skill building, coaching, transitional support from residential, self-advocacy, self-efficacy, empowerment and/or community connections
• Support the efforts of families in caring for and strengthening their children's mental and physical health, overall development and well-being
• Help families learn and practice strategies to support their child's positive behavior
• Monitor the families progress in achieving goals detailed in the plan; collaborate with other care providers and community supports to help youth meet their needs
• Provide individual or group parent skill development related to the behavioral and medical health needs of the child (i.e., training on special needs parenting skills)
• Deliver community-based services in-person and using approved virtual platforms individually or in a group setting
• Provide Family First Aftercare services to discharged youth and families as assigned

Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED required; Bachelor's degree is preferred
• Minimum one year of previous experience working with youth in foster care or in a residential setting
• Demonstrated lived experience as a primary caregiver of a youth who has participated in (or navigated) the child welfares system is preferred
• Proficient using Microsoft office and virtual platforms, with the ability to learn new platforms
• Complete all required and recommended JCCA, ACS, and OCFS trainings

Pay Rate: $25.47 -$28.86