Family Support Staff

Family Support Staff

The Family Support Staff (FSS) provides support to participants enrolled at Clare House, a shelter for women with children and expectant mothers who are unhoused. This position is a critical member of a family's support team and provides services that align with goals developed by the caregiver in their family support plan. FSS staff use a coaching model of support to help caregivers build assets that contribute to permanent stability once they exit the program.

A successful FSS uses Motivational Interviewing to help coach clients through change and incorporates a 2

Gen model to contribute to wrap around support for the family. All services are provided through a trauma informed lens and support both caregivers and youth. This position is responsible for maintaining a healthy, safe, trauma informed environment that conveys dignity and respect for clients, staff, and visitors.

About Us

CSS is a Catholic human and social services agency and behavioral health care provider that welcomes people of all faiths through its programs and employment. We provide help for our Alaskan neighbors through a variety of supportive service programs, including emergency shelter, food stability, housing, case management, and refugee assistance. CSS empowers individuals and families on their path to permanent stability, creating thriving communities for all.

Located in Anchorage, Alaska, CSS is a nationally accredited organization through the Council on Accreditation (COA), which recognizes that CSS provides high quality services that meet best practice standards in the social service field.

Mission:
To promote the physical, spiritual and mental welfare of persons in need in the community. This mission is achieved by:

• Offering charitable assistance to those in need, especially persons who are poor
• Developing and conducting programs to strengthen and support families and the dignity of the human spirit
• Administering the Corporal Works of Mercy and Gospel of Jesus Christ as defined by the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church and envisioned by the traditional concepts of Catholic Social Teaching and Action through the laity
• And advocating for social justice for the common good of all

About Our Program/Department

Clare House operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, serving women with children and expectant mothers who are unhoused. The shelter provides individual rooms along with food, clothing, and other personal hygiene items for up to 23 families at a time. Program staff facilitate many types of services designed to assist families with recognizing their resilience and build assets to move into permanent housing and remain stable.

Must love kids! Children make up about two thirds of the people staying in the program; there are youth focused activities hosted in the facility and community. Staff embrace a team spirit and enthusiastically support one and other to contribute to a thriving community.

Required Competencies

Accountability:
Takes ownership for delivering on commitments; accepts responsibility for mistakes and uses them as opportunities for learning and development; openly discusses his/her actions and their consequences both good and bad; has an ability to identify strengths and developmental opportunities and leverages insight to adjust to improve their effectiveness; courage to have difficult conversations.

Initiative:
Ability to identify the need for change and take steps to begin and follow through with plans to make the change.

Adapting to Change:
Accepts and adapts to change in a professionally appropriate and thoughtful manner. Is willing to offer a different perspective or approach and yet knows when and how to stand down graciously and accept a well-thought-out decision. Embraces change.

Confidentiality:
Maintains the highest level of confidentiality regarding CSS's records and information. Appropriately uses internal confidential information for business purposes only.

Communicating Effectively:
Shares information. Listens and involves others. Clearly conveys ideas in a manner that engages others and helps them understand and retain the message.

Cultural Humility:
Practices self-reflection and mindfulness of power imbalances in service delivery. Seeks to learn from others and build relationships based on mutual respect.

Decision Making/Judgment:
Approaches problems and decisions methodically and objectively; involves others as needed; uses sound judgment in making decisions and understanding the impact to themselves, customers, their team, and the organization; conducts the appropriate analysis to identify the symptoms and root cause of issues; makes timely decisions.

Delivering High Quality Work:
Makes sure responsibilities central to the role meet all requirements and expectations. Finishes tasks promptly and critically reviews work to ensure quality and accuracy. Considers impact of work to others and takes steps to mitigate.

Results Orientation:
Is focused on outcomes and accomplishments;…