Family Time Specialist

I. PURPOSE/FUNCTION OF THE PROGRAM:

The Function of the Quality Parenting Center is to strengthen and preserve relationships and critical connections between children placed in out of home care with their parents, siblings, parents and other family members. The QPC will offer a variety of services designed to promote and effect successful permanency, strengthen parent child relations and attachments, and reduce the risk for further abuse and neglect.

II. POSITION SUMMARY:

The Family Time Specialist will provide reunification services according to Connecticut’s Reunification Model and provide therapeutic family time to maintain family relationships.

III. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides facility based intensive treatment services to families including crisis intervention, parent guidance, and education, brief psychotherapy (as needed), concrete services, advocacy and linkage to other services and supportive interventions individualized to meet the broad needs of children and adults to be served.
• Assumes responsibility for facilitating strength based, client focused treatment planning
• Works nontraditional flexible hours to meet families’ needs, including evening, weekends, and rotating holidays
• Provides services consistent with Therapeutic Family Time as outlined in DCF contract.
• Documents all services in adherence with state statutes, contract, COA standards and Boys & Girls Village Standards.
• Leads in development of crisis plan
• Participates in all required trainings, network meetings, DCF reviews, etc
• Keeps program Coordinator apprised of all situations which involve the safety of any individuals in the program or community, to monitor the impact on the agency as well as its mission of care for children and families.
• Demonstrates understanding and adherence to the Visit Coaching Model.
• Identify family resources and informal/formal supports in the family and how they may be used in safety planning.
• Administer any identified screening tools as designed by the program.
• Organize and facilitate Family Team Meetings.
• Provide case management/care coordination services to meet the family’s basic needs and link them to corresponding services/resources in the community. Collaborate with other service providers.
• Participates in Permanency Team Meetings with DCF.

IV. OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Contact DCF Social Worker and/or Supervisor if issues arise that do not appear to be resolved and conduct a case conference as needed.
• Ensure family is linked to appropriate services in the community prior to termination of services.
• Collaborates with the family, the Department of Children & Families, area schools, mental health community agencies among others.
• Completes monthly DCF data forms in compliance with state mandates.
• Responsible for coordination or provision of transportation of the children and families to and from therapeutic family time
• Performs additional duties as assigned to deliver seamless services through Boys & Girls Village.

V. ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:

• Experience working with families and children with complex needs and various degrees of family functioning that may be characterized by an array of risk and safety factors.
• Experience working with child and family serving systems, such as but not limited to, child welfare, judicial, educational, behavioral health and other community-based agencies.
• Experience in providing direct services to diverse populations.

VI. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s level mental health professional with a course of study in Social Work or equivalent.
• Bi-lingual (Spanish).
• Experience working with Visit Coaching.
• Experience providing direct services to family and children with complex needs
• Experience in working with child welfare, judicial, educational, behavior health systems.
• Knowledge of the cultural, linguistic, or experiential backgrounds of the communities to be served

VII. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

N/A

VIII. PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Must be able to climb several flights of stairs
• Must be able to work with clients in a variety of settings

IX. WORKING CONDITIONS AND ENVIRONMENT (i.e., necessary travel, unusual work hours, unusual environmental conditions, etc.)

• Evenings and weekends may be required
• Must have a valid drivers license and be willing to drive to off –campus sites for home visits, collaborative meetings and transport clients.
• Ability to be flexible with work schedule