Job Title: Family Support Specialist (FSS)

Status: Non-Exempt  

Department: AVPH Healthy Families America® (HFA) Home Visitation Program  

Reports To: Supervisor  

Hours: Full-time, Weekdays; Occasional evenings, and/or weekend work required 

Effective Date: 01/01/2018 

Revised Date: 03/01/18; 02/01/22; 8/1/22; 4/26/23  $20.00/Hr.  

Job Summary: 

The Healthy Families America® (HFA), Family Support Specialist (FSS), is selected because of a combination of  personal characteristics, experiences, and educational qualifications, per the current Healthy Families  America® (HFA) Best Practice Standards (BPS) cited requirements. Individuals must reflect a willingness and  desire to work in, and with, culturally diverse communities, while utilizing their knowledge, skills, and abilities  to provide a comprehensive home-based service with voluntary participants, who are either pregnant, or  parenting children ages 0-5. 

The role of the Family Support Specialist is to primarily provide in-person home visitation as a direct service  offered voluntarily to families consenting for services. Virtual visits may also be offered/provided if public health  climate indicators require such, or if initiated by family request. The FSS must use a personal vehicle to conduct  in-person home visits, outreach activity, or any additional case management/programmatic needs. 

The Family Support Specialist is responsible for participant assessments/screenings, risk identification,  participant and funder identified documentation, database input, outreach, and providing resources through  home-based supportive services. Additionally, the Family Support Specialist provides strength-based maternal  child health and parenting educational instruction, on-going support, and guidance. The Family Support  Specialist must be able to initiate, engage, maintain good rapport, and build trusting relationships with  participant families as they progress and transition through the continuum of services, typically for 3-5 years.  

The Family Support Specialist incorporates and emphasizes the Protective Factors while partnering with families  as they become more resilient, connected to their community, have developed an appropriate and wholesome understanding of prenatal, infant, and early childhood development, have exhibited healthy parenting practices,  and reflect the ability to manage stressful events, while mitigating or eliminating risk.  

The Family Support Specialist who routinely collaborates with the Supervisor(s), and/or the Program Manager, and/or Director, therefore, must be open and receptive to the parallel process, Reflective Practice concepts and  activity, motivational interviewing, 1:1 Reflective Supervision, Clinical Reflective Group process, and actively  participate in a co-case management, evidence-based service model, while effectively supporting a caseload of  assigned voluntary participants.  

Education and Experience:  

• AA degree or Bachelor degree preferred; minimum requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent  with experience as described  
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish preferred 
• Be at least 18 years of age

If viewing this job description on the portal, the master, signed original document is located in Human Resources   

• One year experience working in the field of maternal child health and/or related program  • One year experience and maturity successfully working with children (0-5 years of age) and their families • Appropriate knowledge of infant and child development, milestones, and concerns  • One year home visitation experience preferred 
• Experience and humility working with families and children ages 0-5, in culturally diverse communities,  and the ability to be socially sensitive, respectful, and appropriate; accepting of an individual’s  differences  
• An ability to establish trusting relationships 
• Experience performing interviews and assessments preferred 
• 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.)  
• Infant Mental Health (IMH) endorsement level l or ll – preferred 
• Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 

Family Support Specialist – Specific Areas of Responsibility, Includes: 

The ideal candidate for this position will possess a combination of skills, experience, and passion in the following  areas: 

Initiation of Services 

• Pull and review participant documents/charts of referred, or pre-screened/identified potential  individuals who meet the target population requirements  
• Contact participants to establish an interview/assessment/education session within 24-48 working hours  of pre-screening or referral identification  
• Complete and score the FROG (Family Resilience and Opportunities for Growth) scale assessment tool in  a comprehensive manner to determine risk factors of interviewed clients, eligibility “best fit” for their  needs, and potential enrollment 
• Based on assessment outcomes, offer voluntary home visitation services and/or community referrals  and linkage  
• Schedule initial in-person home visit for intake and assessment within 1-week of initial referral and  assessment eligibility/Acceptance, contact, meeting with participants to review home-based service expectations, which includes evaluation, and completion of required documents pertaining to informed  consent, voluntary services, participant rights, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability),  the AVPH complaint/grievance process, and child abuse reporting mandates  
• Either virtually, or in-office setting, complete a start to finish day – electronically notating client contact  and data base documentation/assessment outcomes, sort and file all participant contacts, preferably  the same day of participant contact 

Case Management/Education 

• Conduct routine assessments to identify risk, assess individual/family status, and to monitor progress as  needed 
• Partner with the Supervisor to review the intake and assessment results, addressing concerns by  developing a Home Visit Service Plan requiring intake and assessment issues identified through e.g.,  (Parent Survey-former) or FROG Scale (new), are reviewed initially (Intake), and continuously addressed  and updated based on Service Plans, family Service Level guidance/frequency of visits over the course of  receiving voluntary services

If viewing this job description on the portal, the master, signed original document is located in Human Resources   

• Perform infant-child development screenings at specified time point intervals, beginning with ages Newborn to 3 months, and then on-going based on predetermined intervals  
• Perform age specific and developmentally appropriate parent-child activities  
• Conduct maternal depression screenings/assessments, prenatally and postpartum, during specified time  points, and as needed 
• Conduct routine/timeline maternal and programmatic assessments, monitor participant compliance  with prenatal/OB visits, post-partum well-woman checks, newborn 6-week follow up visits with medical  providers, and routine infant immunizations/well-child exams; Breastfeeding; and age-appropriate child  nutrition 
• Educate and guide parents as they learn about newborn-infant safe sleep practices, SIDS (Sudden Infant  Death Syndrome) prevention, home and child safety, ages prenatal – 5 years.  
• Use of Creative Outreach measures routinely to initiate and ensure on-going participant engagement,  involvement, and retention 
• Utilize cultural competencies; establish trusting relationships with families using nonjudgmental,  nurturing interventions, which are family-focused and strength-based  
• Foster strategies to achieve progressive maternal/fetal/child health practices including education,  teacher-demonstrator, guidance, support, linkage/referral, advocacy, and skill-building while utilizing  the HFA chosen prenatal, post-natal, and early childhood development curricula(s)  
• Assist, guide, and support participants as they develop routine Family Goal Plans with short and long term goals emphasizing hope, identified participant strengths, and enhance family functioning  • Assist, guide, and support participants to identify their parental and personal capacities, and build upon  the Protective Factors which will assist them in creating an optimal home environment, healthy  relationships, competencies, self-confidence, social supports, resilience, and adaptable life-skills  • Assist, guide, and support participants to develop and strengthen coping, problem-solving skills,  accessible resources, and abilities  
• Assist, guide, and support participants as they begin to apply new knowledge, insight, and skills gained  through home based educational experiences  

Referrals and Linkage 

• Assist, guide, and support participants as they identify, explore, and utilize natural and community  support systems 
• Assist, guide, and support participants to advocate for themselves, their children and community  • Make referrals to community agencies as needed for case management, collaborative services, and  mandates 
• Comprehensively and accurately follow-up on referrals while additionally gathering data/outcomes as it  becomes available, preferably within 5 working days from date of service 
• Maintain daily work schedule, routines, and organizational management duties, such as keeping Outlook  calendar updated and reflective of a start to finish day, to include accountability activity such as home  visit appointments, trainings, Reflective Supervisions,’ program meetings, etc., completed the last  workday of the week, prior to the following week, and updated regularly as scheduling changes occur 
• Attend and participate in agency, programmatic, and community-based meetings; trainings, and  outreach events as required, and as authorized 
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Supervisor, Program Manager, and/or Director of Direct  Services 

If viewing this job description on the portal, the master, signed original document is located in Human Resources   

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

Knowledge 

• Knowledge and experience of maternal/fetal/child health 
• Knowledge and experience working with families and children 0-5 years  
• Working knowledge of infant and early childhood development, bonding, attachment and enhancing  parent-child relationships 
• Knowledge of at-risk, high-risk families experiencing domestic violence, substance abuse, depression,  disabilities, child abuse, and that of a mandated reporter’s duties and responsibilities  • Knowledgeable of community resources and how to access them 

Skills  

• Skill and ability to assess risk and respond accordingly using best practices within the law, adhering to  the standards, policies and procedures set forth by AVPH, Healthy Families America®, and the AVPH  HFA® Home Visitation Program  
• Strong Interview and assessment skills 
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to empathetically relate to families, maintain boundaries, set, and  hold limits within the home visitation models’ scope of practice  
• Strong grammatical and written skills  
• Skills in collaboration and teamwork 
• Proficiency in data entry and computer skills with the desire and ability to learn new database systems  and office applications as needed 

Abilities 

• Ability to establish and maintain personal/programmatic boundaries, while providing supportive  services that are best fit for the family  
• Ability to believes in, and is secure, with approach and advocating for nurturing, nonviolent discipline of  children 
• Ability to interview effectively to solicit thorough, pertinent, and accurate information • Ability to relate to participants from a family focused and strength-based paradigm • Ability to engage families and sustain participant retention  
• Ability to refrain from providing clinical intervention 
• Ability to provide basic and supportive skills 
• Ability to communicate with others respectfully and effectively 
• Ability to multi-task, maintain and file records/reports/documents in an organized and timely manner • Ability to understand, acknowledge, and follow AVPH and HFA programmatic policy and procedures, to  include that of mandated reporter duties and professional reasonability 

Administrative: 

• Function as part of the interdisciplinary team  
• Attend agency and programmatic meetings and trainings as required, locally as well as outside of the  Antelope Valley SPA-1 (Service Planning Area 1) region when necessary  
• Perform all duties in a professional, positive, respectful, and caring manner 

If viewing this job description on the portal, the master, signed original document is located in Human Resources   

Non-Essential Duties: 

• Operate fax, phones, photocopiers, computers, and all other office related equipment to complete  required duties  
• Contribute to job-related skills and abilities through educational pursuits  
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Supervisor, Program Manager, and/or Director of Direct  Services 

Required Licensure and/or Certifications: 

• Current and maintained CA driver’s license  
• Current/maintained auto insurance 
• Reliable and available transportation for work-related purposes (up to 75% of daily activity) • Current and maintained CPR 
• Meet basic health requirements, background check, and physical job standards 
• Bi-lingual, English/Spanish, preferred 
• Certified Lactation Educator (CLE) preferred 
• Infant Mental Health (IMH) endorsement level l or ll – preferred 

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: 

• • Work in flexible settings, such as: Hybrid, In-office/desk and/or Virtually; In participant homes/ residential  locations; Community; and other business locations as needed, to perform job duties  • Work with low economic and varied cultural backgrounds, living in high-risk areas, unstable housing, etc.  • Able to maintain HIPAA requirements with confidential information, safely and discreetly, as required,  when working in various settings  
  • Able to follow all safety and communication protocols  
  • Work often performed under stressful and emotional conditions 
  • Work may require sitting for occasional extended lengths of time  
  • Work may require periods of case management and documentation in the field using electronic devices • This position requires lifting/carrying up to 25 lbs., reaching, stooping, bending, squatting, sitting on the  floor, walking, running (may be needed) 

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