Family Engagement Specialist – Mid-Hudson PRC
Description:
Location: Kingston, NY
Program: Foster Care/ Mid-Hudson Permanency Resource Center
Type: Full-time / Non-Exempt
Pay Range: $19.50 - $21.33 (hourly)
Job Ref. #: 0205
Schedule: Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm. Some evenings & weekends w/flexible schedule
About Us
St. Catherine’s Center for Children is a non-profit organization located in the Greater Capital Region of New York. We offer a wide array of human services designed to meet the needs of vulnerable children, families and adults, including residential and therapeutic foster care programs for children and youth, Kinship support, homeless and community-based services for adults and families, a special education elementary school for ages 5-13, and so much more.
St. Catherine’s is committed to cultivating a culture where all employees feel safe to bring their authentic and best selves to the workplace. We are invested in fostering an equitable, inclusive and diversified workplace; collaboratively embracing mindfulness, relevance, respect and solidarity.
Our Mission
St. Catherine's Center for Children provides a comprehensive range of human services designed to offer hope, foster growth, and improve the lives of the children, families and adults we serve.
Our Vision
St. Catherine’s willingness to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support the human service needs of children, families, and adults throughout the region.
Position Overview
The agency’s Mid-Hudson permanency resource center (“PRC” or “center”) is designed to support and deliver specialized services to post-adoption, post-guardianship, and kinship caregiving families. [The center currently includes contracting for Columbia, Greene, Ulster, and Delaware counties]
The Family Engagement Specialist has regular, direct contact with the families already participating in the center’s services, and also engages prospective families. The specialist works with families to address any hesitancies to program participation. The specialist is trained to identify social determinants that may be barriers to engagement, and works with the program’s case managers to address these barriers with the families. The specialist assists with family engagement, educational activities, as well as respite-care events. The Family Engagement Specialist is supervised by the Assistant Program Coordinator, under the leadership of the Director of Foster Care and Kinship Services.
Job Requirements
- Associate’s degree in Human Services or related field, preferred;
- In lieu of a college degree, related lived experience, other related professional experience, and/or educational level, may be considered as qualifying for this position;
- Experience working with clients who exhibit significant emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal challenges, mental health diagnoses, and/or trauma history, a plus. Experience working with at-risk families and in community services also preferred;
- Knowledge of and ability to utilize community resources;
- Ability to work flexible hours to accommodate client schedules, which may include evening and/or weekend hours;
- Local travel is required; A Clean & Valid New York State Driver’s License (actively licensed at least one year) and have a reliable vehicle for transporting clients to community resources, meetings, etc. is required*;
- Previous experience working in a human services agency is a plus;
- Proficiency in computer applications (Microsoft Office and Google Business Workspace Suite);
- Self-motivated and engaged, with a strong attention to detail; Excellent writing aptitude;
- Comfortable working with and relating to culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged populations, with the ability to exhibit empathy for those in need while supporting their growth and service plan goal achievement;
- Capable of exercising ethical, independent judgment and discretion, and handle sensitive family and individual data with strict confidentiality;
- Have a professional record of integrity, reliability and dependability;
- Qualities of positivity, flexibility and adaptability to day-to-day changes with client needs and functioning;
- Must be able to pass pre-employment background check requirements.
*Staff in driving positions must be able to meet the agency’s minimum requirements of our insurance policy for authorized drivers; including, but not limited to the minimum age of 21 at time of hire, and the ability to maintain insurability throughout employment.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Regularly reaches out to families in assigned communities to realize ongoing, direct contact with the families already participating in services and with prospective families;
- Works with families to address any hesitancies to program engagement;
- Identifies and works to address any social determinants that may be barriers to participation in program activities; works with the case manager, as a team, to assist the family and support their connection to program services, reducing and eliminating any barriers;
- Assists with family engagement, educational activities and respite care events;
- Depending on the skill set and capabilities of the specialist, as assessed by the program coordinator, may manage a caseload of up to 2 families at any given time. In these circumstances, with the steady supervision of the Assistant Program Coordinator, the specialist completes monthly face-to-face contact with the families, in their homes and completes all required case documentation, including various assessment forms and service plans;
- Assists in the program’s community outreach, through word-of-mouth and other mechanisms for alerting community members in various targeted communities and drawing them into services;
- As assigned, safely transports community members and/or their children in the delivery of program services, to address basic transportation needs, or to meet the families’ other social needs linked to service goal attainment;
- Actively communicates program information, concerns, needs, and progress to program leadership;
- Completes additional position-related duties and responsibilities, as assigned by the agency’s foster care Director or Assistant Program Coordinator;
- Additional position-related duties and responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.
What We Offer You**
- Competitive Pay with an Excellent Benefits Package
- Health Insurance options: Medical, Dental and Vision
- $600 Well-being Reimbursement Benefit
- Generous Combined Leave Time (CLT) and Paid Holidays!
- We are a 501(c) (3) agency, which is a qualifying employer for eligible staff under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
- Pension Plan with Generous Agency Contribution
- 403b Retirement Savings Plan
- Life Insurance – Automatic Benefit at no cost to employee
- Paid Training, including TCI and CPR/AED/First Aid Certification & Update courses, if role appropriate
- Tuition Reimbursement & Travel/ Mileage Reimbursement
- Professional Development & Career Growth Opportunities
- The Comfort of a Business Casual Environment
- Our Commitment to Embrace & Foster Mindfulness, Relevance, Respect and Solidarity.
**To qualify, certain conditions may apply