Family Support Specialist Position Available In Essex, Massachusetts

Family Support Specialist 3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 13 Market Street, Newburyport, MA 01950 JOB

DESCRIPTION POSITION/TITLE

Family Support Specialist

JOB CLASSIFICATION

: Full time; Exempt

STARTING SALARY

$45,000 – $60,000 based on experience.

WORK WEEK/HOURS

: Schedule varies with some evenings and weekends.

REPORTS TO

Executive Director Qualifications:

Bachelor or master’s in social work preferred or related field experience. Experience working with low-income households required. A sound understanding of safety net resources for low-income households required. Strong grounding in family system theory, child development, trauma informed care, mental health and substance use disorders as well as crisis intervention. Work within a multi-discipline agency that embodies program collaboration. Demonstrated ability to engage and form trusting relationships with diverse households; create meaningful, client-driven goals for individualized support plans. Demonstrated ability to work independently with good organizational skills. Description of the

Position:

The YWCA Greater Newburyport is a multi-disciplinary women’s organization serving women, men, children, and families. Guided by our mission, we seek to help individuals and families achieve economic empowerment through direct services (housing, childcare, youth leadership development, swim teams, and wellness) and advocacy (locally based coordination of services for individuals, broader coalition building and lobbying efforts with local, federal, and state agencies). The Family Support Specialist would be responsible for providing direct client services through case management, developing community resources by collaborating with other local agencies and engaging the broader community to support lobbying efforts. The Family Support Specialist will provide case management for all supportive housing as well as identified case management needs within the YWCA (childcare or wellness).

DUTIES:

Responsibilities include but may not be limited to the following:

Case Management :

(primary focus of position) As requested, work with program managers to screen potential program applicants. Develop a referral system to work with YWCA departments for clients in need of case management. Ensure that all tenants, childcare families, and Encore participants are aware of the availability of case management services. Based on the needs of participants, place them into service delivery tiers and provide services to all participants based on tiers. Collaborate with identified participants to create and implement “Empowerment Plans” that address some or all the following: educational, financial, housing, parenting, life skills, physical and mental health. Develop strategies and success measurements to help participants achieve their personalized goals. Provide support for other YWCA staff in their interactions with participants as needed. Create a referral plan for participants who need services in the community and provide support through that process which may include accompanying them to meetings with other agencies, school, etc. Develop a crisis management plan for participants who need unexpected assistance and ensure its implementation. Maintain accurate records and statistical information that may be required by your supervisor and submit written reports as assigned.

Resource Development/ Volunteer Management :

Attend community resource meetings as assigned. Develop relationships with other agencies, schools, businesses to broaden the community safety net available to participants. Maintain a working understanding of referral processes and key contacts in the community. Work with the YWCA Property Manager, Child Care Director, Youth Director, Wellness Director to direct participants to financial resources to help address payment plans and other issues. Assist participants in identifying seminars, trainings or other learning opportunities that could be offered by the YWCA. Work with Program Directors to create opportunities for community building for YWCA participants (internal and with the greater community). Provide regular and up to date information to participants about learning, recreational, spiritual, and other opportunities in the community. Meet with groups of tenants on a regular basis; mitigate residential discourse within the housing programs. Nurture the development of community within the project-based housing. Collaborate with directors to identify opportunities for participants and tenants related to social services. Recruit, train, and manage social service volunteers and student interns; and Identify potential funding sources, resource development and assist in grant applications for the expansion of services within the social services portfolio. Advocacy and Education (as time permits) Create community wide educational and advocacy opportunities on the issues aligned with the advocacy goals of YWCA Greater Newburyport and

YWCA USA.

Educate community members and agencies about the YWCA mission and programs. Assist the YWCA in developing a plan for enhancing supportive strategies as the YWCA expands its offerings. Promote the values and mission of the YWCA in all interactions with participants, staff, and community members; and Provide support to the Racial Justice and Advocacy Committees of the Board of Directors. Other duties as assigned. From time to time, you may be assigned additional job duties to support the work and mission of the YWCA.