Family Support Specialist, HFA

SUMMARY 

The Family Support Specialist in the Healthy Families of America (HFA) program provides weekly family support and parent-child dyadic activities in the HFA home based program. The Family Support Specialist carries a caseload of 15 to 20 high risk/high needs prenatal women and/or women with children ages 0-5, conducts needs/case management assessments, provides early child development curriculum to parents, case management to families, and administers developmental assessments for children and depression screenings for mothers. Supports parents in learning how to appropriately respond to their child’s cues and coach parents on strategies that foster and facilitate their child’s emerging development.  

 ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Supports and promotes the mission of the Agency: Foothill Family empowers children and families to achieve success in relationships, school, and work through community-based services that advance growth and development.
• Attends program orientation, Home Visiting Core and Assessment trainings and applies acquired skills to daily work with the child and parent.
• Conducts weekly home visits of at least 60 minutes duration for the first six months after the child’s birth and then based on family need until the child is 5 years old.  
• Ensures weekly visits provide client-centered, strengths-based information and support on topics such as bonding and attachment, positive parenting, child health and development, and a safe home environment.  
• Ensures that service components are incorporated and that parents actively participate in home visits.
• Delivers Parents as Teachers curriculum during home visits for both child development education and family centered activities to strengthen the parent-child dyad. 
• Provides assessments and individual family plans to all clients enrolled in the HFA program within 90 days of enrollment.
• Administers the Parent Survey and adheres to deadlines set forth by the County of Los Angeles Public Health Department Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Division. 
• Administers Ages and Stages-3 and Ages and Stages: a Social-Emotional questionnaire for children enrolled and administers the PHQ-9 depression screen for mothers enrolled in HFA adhering to deadlines set forth by the County of Los Angeles Public Health Department Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health Division.
• Assesses the quality of interactions between the parent-child dyad and uses innovative techniques to support healthy attachment and sustained engagement. 
• Uses positive methods to: build rapport, trust, family engagement, and maintenance of families enrolled and participating in the program, including using creative outreach to re-engage families.
• Meets with families in a setting where families feel most comfortable or if the home environment is not conducive to home visiting. 
• Coordinates services for families which may include: breastfeeding assistance, obtaining medical insurance and accessing medical and dental care.  
• Assesses needs with families and makes internal referrals and linkage to community resources.
• Ensures children are up-to-date with immunizations. 
• Prepares and facilitates family/parent workshops, as directed by the Program Supervisor. 
• Uses video (if family consents) as a tool for strengthening home visitation.
• Acquires information and knowledge about the Service Planning Area 3 communities, including but not limited to Azusa, Pomona, Duarte, La Canada/Flintridge. Conducts self in a professional manner according to the policies and guidelines set forth by Foothill Family Service, Healthy Families America program, and complies with all legal federal, state, and local mandates.  
• Displays sensitivity to the service population’s cultural and socioeconomics characteristics.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Early childhood development education and/or experience preferred.  
• At least one year of experience working with children 0-5 or postpartum mothers in addition to at least one year of experience providing case management or home visitation preferred. 
• At least one year of experience working with high risk/high need clients. 
• Bachelor’s degree in social services or related field preferred.
• Experience with Parents as Teachers curriculum and working with an electronic record keeping software system preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills and an ability to manage and prioritize duties are necessary to be successful in this position.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Knowledge of early childhood development and community resources.
• Valid CA Driver’s License and maintains insurability on the Agency’s auto liability policy (including a minimum of 2 years driving experience) and maintains the California state required personal auto insurance liability limits.
• Bilingual skills in English/Spanish preferred.

 PHYSICAL DEMANDS  

The physical demands described here are 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 the essential functions.