The Family Support Worker (FSW) is responsible for establishing and maintaining a regular and long-term relationship with the family.

• • FSW will outreach families referred through Central Intake or a Service Provider.
  • FSW will use a standardized screening tool to determine eligibility for home visitation services.
  • Activity will occur primarily within the participant's home; each visit should last for at least one hour.
  • The interventions should be family-centered and strength-based.
• Interview/conduct the Parent Survey with parents to identify strengths/risk factors to support the family throughout home visitation services.
• Establish a trusting relationship.
• Assist in strengthening the parent-child relationship.
• Assist parents in improving their skills to optimize the home environment
• Assist in increasing the family support system and increase the family's ability to problem solve and assume the role of advocating for themselves and their children.
• Responsible for assisting the family in establishing goals and a plan for the accomplishment of those goals. The assessment of the normal growth and development of the target child.
• Identify and refer to other supportive agencies, including healthcare appointments.

Selection Criteria:

• Minimum of a High School Diploma or GED equivalent with two years of experience in working with children (0-3 years of age) and families or,
• Knowledge of normal child growth/development and parent-child relationships.
• Experience in working with community agencies, including implementing referral processes.
• Ability to relate to families from a strength-based model even in an apparently chaotic family environment; ability to approach families from a family-centered service model.
• Demonstrates motivation and ability to learn and practice basic supportive skills.
• Flexible availability
• Non-judgmental
• Enjoys and functions appropriately with long-term, ongoing projects; doesn't need immediate feedback or results for personal validation.
• Ability to establish and maintain personal/programmatic boundaries, while providing supportive services.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to individuals who may not share a basic commonality, including value system and behavior norms.
• Believes in and is comfortable with advocating for nurturing, a nonviolent discipline of children.
• Experience in working with culturally diverse communities/families and the ability to be culturally sensitive and appropriate.
• Demonstrates strong writing, effective communication and organizational skills
• Enters and maintains data entry of client information into the database(s).
• Open to reflective practice (i.e. has the capacity for introspection, communicates awareness of self in relation to others, recognizes the value of supervision, etc.)
• Ability to travel throughout New Jersey to attend required core training, curricula training and ongoing training required by the model and/or agency.
• Infant mental health endorsement level I or II preferred.
• If serving a bi-lingual community, the FSW should be proficient in the first language of the community.

Must have an acceptable driving record and use of an insured vehicle.

EEO