HFI Program Support Staff - Bilingual

Responsibilities

Sinnissippi Centers is looking to hire a HFI Family Support Staff (FSS). Responsible for outreach, engagement and enrollment of participants into the Healthy Families Illinois (HFI) program. This includes making and maintaining relationships with referral sources in order to generate program referrals for recruitment when there are available openings on the FRS/FSS’s caseload as well as attending occasional community resource and engagement events to share about the program and encouragement engagement directly with families.

Responsibilities include completing the Family Resiliency and Opportunities for Growth (FROG) Scale. The FROG Scale is a validated family-centered assessment used to identify the presence of both protective factors that promote resilience and factors associated with increased risk of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The FROG Scale is administered in a relationship-building, conversational style and is utilized to develop an individualized HFA Service Plan that guides program services by building on identified family strengths and addressing identified risk factors.

Home visits typically last a minimum of an hour and occur in the home. Prior to home visits, the FSS reviews HFA Service plans, developmental screens, family goals, and participant records to develop a home visit plan tailored to each family that includes references to the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines, caregiver–child interaction activities, and educational curriculum. The FSS is responsible for accurately and fully completing all documentation both written and electronic and ensuring that family charts both paper and electronic are complete for their assigned families.

During home visits the FSS establishes a trusting relationship; assists in strengthening the parent-child relationship; assists caregivers in improving their skills to optimize the home environment; improves the family support system; increases the family’s ability to problem solve and to assume the role of advocate for themselves and their children; and increases school readiness for focus children. The FSS also assists the family in establishing goals and a plan for accomplishment of those goals, as well as the assessment of the normal growth and development of the focus child including tracking well child visits and immunizations.

FRS/FSS responsibilities also include identifying needs and referring families for services in the communities in which they live. All interactions should be family-centered, trauma-informed and strength-based.

After completing home visits, the FSS documents the visit records with content areas as defined by the Healthy Families America (HFA) Best Practice Standards and funder requirements. The FSS also plans and executes monthly/quarterly socialization events that promote caregiver skill development and/or parent-child interactions while building connections to extend the social connections of program families.

The FSS is responsible for preparing for and engaging in 1½ to 2 hours of Reflective Supervision each week to reflect on and deepen their work with families by reviewing each assigned family’s strengths, needs, and plans to continue strengthening caregiver reflective capacity and the caregiver-child relationship. This includes reflecting on the FSS’s emotional experiences in relation to their work with each family in order to acknowledge and address any implicit biases with the goal of strengthening the relationship with each family.

Furthermore, the FSS prepares for and attends weekly team meetings to exchange and receive information on family and program trends as well as provide input and receive updates on program policies and practices.

• Bilingual is required to be considered for this role.
• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood, psychology, social work, or related field preferred. Minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent required.
• Experience in working with or providing services to children and families.
• An ability to establish trusting relationships.
• Acceptance of individual differences.
• Experience and humility to work with culturally diverse populations.
• Knowledge…