Family Support Specialist McMinn County Bilingual Preferred

Nurture the Next

Apply

Job Summary

SUMMARY 

Family Support Specialists (FSS) in the Healthy Families TN and Nurturing Parenting programs are responsible for building trusting relationships with families and utilizing this connection to support families in identifying strengths and barriers, accessing resources, and obtaining the knowledge and skills to achieve their goals. Family Support Specialists are focused on the health and well-being of parents and their children, and they serve families individually in their homes and in group settings. This position will serve families in McMinn County.

Job Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Provide intensive, long-term home visiting services to parents according to Healthy 
• Families of America (HFA) and Healthy Families Tennessee (HFT) guidelines
• Conduct family assessments and screenings, develop individual family service plans and provide brief interventions, solicit community referrals, advocate on behalf of families, and follow up as needed
• Prepare and implement individualized curriculum from available materials focusing on parent health and wellness, child health and development, positive parenting skills, educational and vocational achievement, and life skills
• 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 regularly participate in engagement activities
• Promote, adhere to, and demonstrate our organization’s values.
• Maintain regular and reliable attendance
• Maintain an overall home visiting caseload as determined by HFT and contract guidelines
• Acquire and maintain Infant Mental Health Endorsement
• Facilitate individual or small group Nurturing Parenting sessions as needed
• Keep all documentation up-to-date and accurate, including electronic web-based records and paper records
• As a member of the team, plan, develop, and implement groups/activities/events at times that work best for program participants
• Participate in weekly reflective supervision, staff meetings, training, program evaluation activities, and workshops
• Assist with child abuse prevention month activities.
• Participate in major fundraising events benefitting NTN, community awareness events that promote the agency and programs, and program activities of the organization no matter the individual role
• Represents the agency at community, civic, or other public functions and attends quarterly site visits
• Follow organizational policies
• Participate in agency ad-hoc committees as appropriate and needed
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

•  Experience working with or providing supportive services to young children and families
• Experience and humility to work 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 the needs of low-income and multi-stressed families
• Ability to learn and integrate into teaching/ coaching, material related to service delivery
• Willingness to engage in building reflective capacity (e.g., capacity for introspection, communicating awareness of self in relation to others, recognizing the value of supervision, etc.)
• 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
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to collaborate as part of a team
• Microsoft Office, email, internet; Must be able to meet documentation requirements
• Reliable transportation and a valid driver’s license

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE 

Graduation from an accredited high school or equivalent program with experience working with children and families. College education in social work, early childhood education, or a similar social services field is preferred. Infant mental health endorsement preferred.    

DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT 

The physical demands and work environment described is representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Accommodation requests can be made with the CHRO. 
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to position themselves in a sitting position, talk, and/or hear (with or without aide). The employee is regularly required to remain stationary, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee is frequently required to keyboard and enter data at a computer. The employee is frequently required to operate a motor vehicle, move throughout homes or buildings, and may be required to climb stairs in family homes and in a variety of community-based and home settings. The employee must learn new tasks, remember processes, maintain focus, complete tasks independently, make timely decisions in the context of a workflow, and communicate with program participants and community partners. FSS must have the ability to complete tasks with speed in situations that ensures the safety of children. Employees must move supplies and equipment up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include vision, the ability to adjust focus, and operate a vehicle safely. The employee must have access to reliable transportation. Employees are required daily to remain alert and engaged to safely operate vehicles and ensure the safety of small children. The work environment includes indoor office environments or comparable spaces, families’ homes, and community spaces, with frequent exposure to outdoor weather when traveling to home visits and meetings. The noise level varies by site, home visits, and meetings. 

TRAVEL 

Occasional out-of-area and overnight travel may be expected. 

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Apply online at https://secure2.entertimeonline.com/ta/PCAT.careers?CareersSearch

Details

• Date Posted: August 3, 2023
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Educator
• Service Area: Children / Youth
• Start Date: 08/21/2023
• Salary Range: $37,000-$39,000
• Working Hours: 40 hrs/week