Family Support Specialist

Supervises: N/A

Home Start’s vision is for every child to have a safe, stable, and nurturing home. Guided by our mission to assure the safety and resiliency of children by strengthening families and their communities, Home Start, Inc., a non-profit child abuse prevention, and treatment agency has strengthened and developed San Diego’s families and communities since 1972.

Job Summary: Responsible for delivering high quality in-home visitation services to support healthy and secure attachment between parents and children. Completes supporting documentation and assessments according to Healthy Families of America and First Steps policies and procedures.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement curriculum using the Healthy Families of America model and the Parents as Teachers curriculum tailored to the specific needs of each family on the Family Support Specialist’s caseload

• Provides case management services including: identification of family needs and goals on case plan with ongoing monitoring and follow-up on progress towards those goals

• Deliver supportive services to clients including, but not limited to supportive counseling, crisis intervention, mentoring, motivational interviewing and parent education

• Educate families on child development topics and developmental milestones and provide activities to enhance child’s learning using various Evidenced Based Curriculums including but not limited to Parents as Teachers and Great Beginnings

• Identify protective factors within family systems that need strengthening and skill building and with the help of the Supervisor develop a family service plan to address concerns

• Provides support to families in identifying, obtaining and accessing community resources. Empower families to apply these skills with future needs

• Maintains a flexible working schedule to accommodate families’ schedule

• Assess families in multiple areas and maintain fidelity and validity to assessment models, including but not limited to: The Healthy Families Parenting Index, Ages and Stages Questionnaire, PHQ 9 depression screening

• Observe and Assess Parent-Child Interactions and work with Supervisor and Family to strengthen interactions

• Maintains accurate and timely case records documenting all services provided

• Maintains monthly reporting and data entry as required by the contract and agency requirements

• Develop and Deliver Parenting Groups to enhance and support protective factors and program goals

• Assures security of confidential information and materials, following HIPAA

• Networks and develops relationships with various community service agencies

• Attends agency, program and collaborative meetings as assigned