Bilingual Family Support Specialist

Description

Hand to Hold NICU Family Support Specialist

Hand to Hold is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides compassionate in-person and virtual support to NICU and bereaved parents before, during and after a NICU stay. All programs are designed with the emotional, physical and social needs of NICU families to help them feel more secure during a highly stressful time. This early intervention mental health support is available at no cost to NICU families across the United States.

As a 2022 Best Place for Working Parents business, our dynamic, growing organization seeks a Family Support Specialist to join our team in Austin, TX (hybrid). Reporting to the Hospital Partner Program Manager, under the general direction of the Program Director, this person will play a vital role in helping to bring the 3-year strategic plan to life for Hand to Hold.

We are dedicated to hiring a diverse workforce that reflects the diverse families that we support through our mission. We are thought leaders and change makers. We are always learning, developing, and evolving to champion a world where all NICU families thrive. One in seven babies born in the US spends time in the NICU. Bring your talents to our growing team to help ensure that all NICU families have a hand to hold.

Hand to Hold is seeking a person with an empathetic personality combined with a dynamic professional attitude to convey Hand to Hold's mission and values on behalf of the entire organization. The Family Support Specialist will help Hand to Hold fulfill our contractual agreement with local area hospitals to provide peer psycho-social support and education for NICU families, in partnership with hospital staff as appropriate.

The role requires leaning on one's own personal experience and specific peer support training. Training to become a certified Mental Health Peer Specialist and with others on the Hand to Hold programs team will be offered to prepare for this peer support role. Additionally, to fulfill our contractual agreement with local area hospitals, the Family Support Specialist will complete the hospital's credentialing process that requires proof of vaccinations, including COVID-19, before orientation and training commences in a hospital setting.

The Family Support Specialist's primary responsibilities include visiting families at the bedside one-on-one, facilitating weekly support groups, distributing resources, and hosting holiday events. There are also essential data entry and reporting requirements to supervisors and hospital staff about the interactions with families.

• Provides bedside support and encouragement to families during their antepartum and/or NICU stay. Work shifts include daytime, evening and/or weekend hours.
• Identifies and provides timely and effective peer psycho-social support and interventions for families either directly or through referrals.
• Disburses Hand to Hold resources and NICU Milestone beads to parents and families.
• Plans, prepares for and facilitates in-person support groups using Hand to Hold's custom support group curriculum.
• Provides bereavement resources and support for families who have experienced a loss in the NICU.
• Transports materials (including parent bags and resources, event materials, etc) required in the NICU from Hand to Hold's office, or other locations, as needed.
• Helps families identify and access medical and therapeutic services in their community.
• Serves as liaison between Hand to Hold and hospital NICU staff.
• Tracks and reports program data within program timelines to collect demographic information and to measure the impact, satisfaction, and overall effectiveness of each program component.

• Contributes to Hand to Hold's…