Career Detail

Family Support Specialist- (Interaction)- Social Worker, Waterloo, IA

Job Type: Full-Time
Location: Waterloo, IA
Date Posted: 9/9/2021

Job Description:

This position will serve the city of Waterloo in Black Hawk County and the surrounding areas in Iowa; travel is expected.

The FSS will primarily be responsible for carrying out the Solution Based Casework® model with children and families for Open Agency Family Centered Services cases and/or for ensuring safety of children while they interact with their parents. In addition, depending upon location, referral volume and agency need, the FSS may be required to carry out Solution Based Casework® with Non-Agency Family Centered Services Cases and Motivational Interviewing on Family Preservation Services cases. The FSS will assist with transportation and professional supervision of family interactions to promote child safety and maintain family connections. The FSS performs a variety of support and services, information collection and dissemination, documentation, and reporting for the Family Centered Services contract for the Agency.

Benefits

Families First offers Top Pay and Great Benefits! Our employees have the potential to earn $36,000-61,320 annually. Benefits include health, dental, vision; a flexible spending program; 401K; and additional voluntary payroll deductions through AFLAC and Legal Shield. The agency encourages and supports personal and professional growth through agency sponsored training, conferences, workshops, and other staff development activities.

Families First is one of the leading providers of family based, in-home and in-office services in the State of Iowa.

We are accredited by the Council on Accreditation.
Employ approximately 230 employees.
Serve approximately 3,000 individuals through our various programs in forty-four counties within the State.
Our employees assist entire families with the daily stressors enabling them to balance a family, work, and school.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Open Agency & Non-Agency Child Welfare Cases:

Will accept and review Open Agency and Non-Agency Family Centered Service referrals
Will provide Solution Based Casework®, shall be trained and certified in SBC or working towards training and certification.
Will provide Solution Based Casework® in accordance with model fidelity.
Family Support Specialist (FSS) shall be responsible for delivering and/or coordinating all services and supports provided for the case and preparing and submitting required reports on the case to the DHS worker throughout service delivery meeting all internal and contractual timelines.
Family Support Specialist (FSS) will monitor and ensure safety of children when supervising family interactions between children and parents.
Family Support Specialist (FSS) will assist in transportation of children and/or parents to interactions.
Family Support Specialist (FSS) will document and provide documentation of parent/child interactions in contact notes.
Family Support Specialist (FSS) shall not have more than 14 Families Assigned to their caseload at a time.
Family Support Specialist (FSS) shall have case management and decision-making responsibilities on Non-Agency involved cases and will ensure minimum casework contacts are met.
FSS and the Intervention Specialist assigned to the same Case shall work collaboratively as a team and provide necessary interventions and/or supports to address Family needs.
FSS will participate in a case transition meeting (handoff) with the assigned DHS worker.
Complete required documentation prior to service initiation, including:
- Patient Bill of Rights
- Client Grievance and Appeals Procedure
- Informed Consent
- Release of Information
Administer the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale G +R (NCFAS).
Complete the Signs of Safety Assessment and Crisis Planning tool.
Administer agency endorsed screening tools that evaluate the individual and collective needs of the family unit.
Complete with the family an Eco-Map to outline informal and community supports.
Work to connect family with community resources and informal supports as identified in the Geno gram and DHS case Plan.
In the initial session, the FSS will complete Visitation and Supervision Planning Schedule with the family to coordinate interactions, supervision and instruction for when children are placed out of the home.
Align the specific range of delivering services and supports with the results of these meetings and the family’s Department Case Plan.
Attend all court hearings and other meetings on the children and family while the case is open.
The FSS will make 4 SBC Face-to-Face contacts per full calendar month during service delivery.
If SafeCare® is provided to the family in addition to SBC, FSS will provide 2 Face-to-Face Casework contacts per calendar month.
Casework Contacts will be at least 45 minutes in length for SBC.
FSS will submit all casework contact notes timely, meeting all internal and contractual deadlines.
FSS will attend all court, Solution Focused Meetings (SFM), Youth Transition Decision Making (YTDM) meetings and Child Safety Conferences (CSC) held on the Child/youth and family while the FCS case is open.
FSS will complete an Initial Service Plan and all Case Progress Reports timely, meeting all internal and contractual deadlines.
FSS will complete a Service Termination Summary at case closure and will submit the report timely, in line with all internal and contractual deadlines.
Identify and address any concerns relating to Immediate Threat during service delivery and report concerns of Immediate Threat immediately and directly to the DHS worker or their supervisor by telephone or electronic communication.
FSS shall utilize individualized case needs and results of the SFM, YTDM meetings, and/or CSC to direct the blend of services and supported provided to address Safety, Risk and Permanency issues.
Promptly notify the Department worker concerning any children or adults exiting the household or new children or adults entering the household, while the case is open.
On an ongoing basis throughout service delivery, assess the educational, physical and mental health conditions, strengths and needs of all children in cases open for services; and, in consultation with the Department worker, refer children for additional evaluation or services that may be necessary.
Coordinate service planning, including planning for parent/child and sibling interactions, with staff from the child’s/children’s placement setting.
Coordinate the contractor’s services with services and supports children and families may be receiving from other sources, including both public and private organizations and informal community networks.
Implement plans to connect children and families to other community resources and informal supports, such as local community centers, mentors, or community support groups, and reduce their reliance on formal services.
Adhere to all requirements and expectations of completing high quality documentation, using forms developed for the Family Centered Services and Solution Based Casework®.
Complete Mandatory Child and Dependent Adult Abuse Training and be familiar with and follow all aspects ofmandatory child abuse training.
Provide agency endorsed evidenced based curriculum and interventions to the family to decrease the threat of maltreatment.

Family Preservation Services:

Will accept and review Family Preservation Services referrals.
Family Support Specialist (FSS) shall be responsible for meeting with the family unit within 24 hours of referral and will be responsible for delivering and/or coordinating all services and supports provided for the case and preparing and submitting required reports on the case to the DHS worker throughout service delivery meeting all internal and contractual timelines.
FSS providing Family Preservation Services (FPS) shall be trained and certified in Motivational Interviewing® or working towards training and certification.
FSS will not have more than 4 FPS Families assigned for this service to their caseload at a time.
FSS will at a minimum, make 8 Face-to-Face Casework Contacts within each unit of service, with one of the 8 to include the Child Safety Conference (CSC).
Casework Contacts will be at least 60 minutes for FPS.
FSS shall ensure a 2-hour response time, either Face-to-Face or by phone to provide crisis intervention to crisis situations that present significant risks to the safety, permanency, or well-being of the children.
FSS shall utilize individualized case needs and results of the CSC to direct the blend of services and supports provided to maintain children safety in the home or with kin/fictive kin while addressing individual and family needs.
FSS shall complete the FPS Substance Abuse, Interpartner Violence and Mental Health FPS Model of Practice Tool.
FSS shall assist families with concrete advocacy and service coordination needs.
FSS will submit a daily Casework Contact Note timely, meeting all internal and contractual deadlines.
FSS will complete a Service Summary Report at case closure and will submit the report timely, in line with all internal and contractual deadlines.

Education/Training/Work Experience:

Associate’s Degree from an accredited college/university recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in Human Services related field and 2 years of full-time experience in human services or a related field; or

A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college/university recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA); or

A Master’s Degree from an accredited college/university recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Training:

The FSS will be trained in the Solution Based Casework® model, the Families First Family Preservation Services delivery model, will be trained in Motivational Interviewing® and will be competent in local community resources.

Required licenses, registrations and certifications: Possession of a valid Driver’s license with the State of Residence.

Partnering with Families today to help foster growth and success for tomorrow

This position will serve the city of Newton in Jasper County and the surrounding areas in Iowa; travel is expected.

Family Support Specialist positions within the agency consist of a tiered, level program with each level/tier comprised of a specified salary range. Several factors including but not limited to years of experience, education and training will determine level/tier qualifications, eligibility, and placement.