Family Support Worker

Pay range: $24.42 - 31.20
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

The Family Support Worker position provides visitation services to foster safe nurturing and lasting relationships between parents and their children, and maintain a safe, healthy environment. The Family Support Worker also teaches and models parenting skills. They also assist, as needed, with budgeting, finding employment, applying for, and securing housing.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

80% Support to Families:

Provides visitation services to foster safe, nurturing, and lasting relationships between parents and their children, teaching parents about stages of child development, behavior modification techniques, nurturing skills, and proper discipline.  Helps parents to improve their household management skills through budget planning, meal planning, decision making, time management, and family activities. Provides support to families by transporting to essential medical, educational, and treatment services. Provides drug screens, when requested by the Social Worker II. Creates awareness of community resources for families and connect them. Provides effective collaboration and coordination with community resources. Serves as a member of the family team in developing and implementing treatment plans to ensure safety for children, strengthen family relationships, and increase self-reliance and independence. Assists with monitoring the plan by providing safety services to the family in their home. Confirms safety of home environments.

Prepares and testify in court hearings to assist the court in making sound decisions for the safety and wellbeing of children. Coordinates phone calls between foster families and birth families. Schedules preplanning sessions which include coordinating days times/schedules, location, transportation, communicating with foster family, then rearranging when they cancelled, postponed, change of plans, etc. Relays messages with foster families about how visits are going. Provides information to birth parents about the children’s day. Rearranges and knowledge of car seats/car seat safety. Transports children to medical (scheduled and emergency) appointments, educational meetings, treatment and/or therapy. Transports to forensic interviews, dentist appointments, psychological evaluations (with and without parents present). Communicates updates with families. Discusses with teachers and day care staff. Assesses parental protective capacities and provide feedback. Assesses for safety and provide feedback. Assesses the need for virtual visits and arrange for that. Arranges jail visits between children and parents. Models’ behavior and teaches skills for parents and children. Works with extended family by encouraging them to be part of the visit/plan to encourage more positive natural supports.

Assists with moving items from parent homes to foster homes/relative homes. Encourages foster families and birth families to communicate constructively, notebook back and forth, text messages, pictures, phone calls. Supports foster families and help them understand the parent’s perspective, assets, and limitations, focusing on the positive to keep things positive for the children. Assesses the needs of the child and foster family and passing along that information to the workers. Coordinates and arrange for birth to three and Parents as Teachers during visitation time. Reviews case work documentation – case plans, perm plans, family interaction plans, safety plans, to ensure knowledge of the family. Presents and apply the supervised visit guidelines to parents and answer questions. Provides mentoring to youth regarding development of independent living skills, educational success, social skills, and self-control. Assists youth to work toward independent living.

10% Documentation:

Produces written documentation and verbally communicate families’ needs and progress toward achieving service goals timely and accurately. Collaborates with community partners to support and reach families goals. Document visits (who, what where, why, SOAP and time. All phone calls, emails, text messages).

5% Support to Colleagues:

Assists social workers. Pass along forms to be signed. Encourages healthy relationships between families and workers. Attends team meetings, supervision, collaborate with colleagues, offer ideas and assistance. Helps typing forensic interviews, scan documents, copy and paste emails, complete law enforcement and medical summaries from their documents.  Cleans the visitation rooms, organizes items in storage room. Assists with information for TPR Reports and other court documents. Assists with other Children and Family Division needs. Other duties as assigned by the Children and Family Supervisor, Children and Family Initial Assessment Supervisor, and/or Children and Family Manager.

5% Other:

Assist in organizing foster family picnic/support groups. Supervise drop-in/emergency visits. Attend division meetings, outreach committee, All-staff meetings, and training sessions.

Supervision Exercised

None

Minimum Education Qualifications

Education and/or Experience Requirements:

• High School Diploma Required
• Two years’ experience working with children and families.
• Valid Wisconsin Driver’s License.

Licenses, Certifications, and Other Requirements:

• Training through the Child Welfare Training Program
• Additional training specific to safety services

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Qualifications

In order to perform the functions and responsibilities of the position (listed above) the following knowledge, skills, and abilities are essential.

• Knowledge of child and family development.
• Knowledge of child abuse and neglect.
• Knowledge and experience working with mental health and AODA needs.
• Experience working with families of diverse ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Excellent relational skills and writing skills.
• Knowledge of Trauma Informed Care and strengths-based practice to child welfare.
• Ability to maintain accurate, timely, and comprehensive documentation.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships.
• Ability to mentor and coach parents and children.
• Ability to apply critical thinking skills and exercise sound judgment in working with a variety of people and circumstances.
• Ability to teach parenting skills, budgeting, household management, independent living skills, social skills.
• Ability to provide effective collaboration and coordination with community resources.
• Ability to be a constructive member of a treatment team that applies a unified treatment approach consistent with agency policies and philosophy.
• Ability to carry out a structured visitation between parents and children.  This includes conducting preplanning sessions, monitoring visitation, facilitating, evaluating, and providing verbal and written documentation of results.
• Ability to provide comprehensive documentation in compliance with agency policy and procedures.
• Ability to apply and incorporate skill enhancement from ongoing training.
• Ability to work during after-school hours and evenings.
• Ability to follow a code of ethic outlined in NASW Code of Ethics.

In evaluating candidates for this position, Ozaukee County may consider a combination of education, training, and experience which provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position. 

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting and working on a computer.
• Periodic periods of standing or walking.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.

Work Environment

Working with families either in the office, family homes, community, and public settings. Working remotely is available for some tasks.

Ozaukee County offers a generous benefits package including: health, dental, life, & vision insurance; free employee health clinic & Teladoc; paid holidays, vacation, & sick time; state of Wisconsin WRS defined benefit pension program; bonus opportunities; employee fitness room; wellness program & wellness reimbursement; tuition reimbursement & continuing education opportunities; and more! Please note some that benefits offered are dependent on full-time/part-time status.

Ozaukee County prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, disability, genetics, veteran status or military service, marital status or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic or status protected by federal, state or local laws. Ozaukee County also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act and applicable state and local laws.

Salary : $24 - $0