SUMMARY

The Family Service Specialist provides family-centered, client-focused, relationship-based case management services to families in the Early Head Start (EHS) Child Care Partnerships (CCP) program. Supports parents' knowledge and capacity to promote healthy child development through offering referral and linkage to resources, parent workshops, and one-on-one meetings. By maintaining close communication with the Foothill Family EHS child development team and the family's EHS child care provider, the Family Service Specialist partners with each family to meet their family's goals and promote regular attendance.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develops relationships with families fostering open communication and helping families feel comfortable sharing information regarding their needs.
• Provides case management services according to the Head Start Performance Standards, including:
  • Networking, outreach, and recruitment
  • Assessment and Reassessment of the Family's strengths and needs
  • Family goal setting in the areas of EHS comprehensive services (health, disabilities, nutrition, mental health, child development and child care)
  • Coordination and Planning of services that includes referral, linkage and advocacy
  • Monitoring and evaluating the family's progress towards goals and revising them in accordance with new and emerging family needs.
  • Data collection and record keeping
• Carries an average caseload of forty families.
• Conducts home or community setting visits according to the frequency agreed upon in the Family Partnership Agreement and as needs arise to regularly follow-up on the family's progress towards achieving their goals. Adjusts plans, approaches and services to meet each family's unique needs.
• Conducts work with families and child care partners in a manner that upholds the standards of health and safety at all times.
• Works collaboratively with EHS staff, childcare partners and other program areas to ensure comprehensive services are coordinated and family needs are addressed.
• Follows-up on attendance-related concerns and issues through documentation and parent contacts; creates plan for increasing attendance in collaboration with the FSS Supervisor.
• Provides information about the program to parents and problem-solves to remove barriers to active parent involvement.
• Educates and supports parents to develop leadership and advocacy skills and capacity.
• Displays sensitivity to the service population's cultural and socioeconomics characteristics.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• A credential or certification in social work, human services, family services, counseling or a related field required.
• Bachelor's degree in child development, social work, human services, family services, counseling or a related field preferred.
• Two years of case management experience working in the school or community providing services to at-risk children and/or their families required.
• Knowledge of Early Head Start Performance standards and experience in an Early Head Start Program preferred.
• Possess organizational skills to manage high activity level, provide needed services and attention to each client while maintaining all reporting and documentation requirements in a timely and accurate manner.
• Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team and coordinating care when multiple services providers are involved.
• Must be familiar with the ethnic backgrounds and heritages of families in the program and able to effectively communicate, either directly or through interpretation and translation, with children who are dual language learners and to the extent feasible, with families with limited English proficiency.
• Flexible schedule; evening hours may be required.
• Valid CA Driver 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 (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.