Intergenerational Support Specialist

Role Details

Title:

Intergenerational Support Specialist

Location:

Easthampton, Massachusetts

Travel:
None

Hours:

40 hours per week

Treehouse Easthampton is an innovative award‑winning intergenerational community with a social purpose. Intergenerational Support Specialists utilize trauma‑informed care and best practices to meet the emerging needs of our community members. Broadly, Intergenerational Support Specialists support children and youth who have experienced foster care, the families who provide permanency, and the older adults who volunteer and live in the Treehouse Easthampton community.

Intergenerational Support Specialists report directly to the Treehouse Program Director.

For 20 years, Treehouse has worked to transform child welfare. The Treehouse Foundation drives innovation on a local, state, and national level to create positive outcomes for children and youth in foster care. Treehouse’s award‑winning vision is that every child is rooted in family and community. The Treehouse Foundation is at an exciting juncture of growth. The primary focus of our collaborative social change efforts is the Treehouse Intergenerational Community model — the first intentional neighborhood was established in Easthampton, MA in 2006, with new sites in Boston, Worcester, and Framingham in development.

Treehouse Communities are intentional, affordable, highly relational neighborhoods designed to support families parenting children who have experienced foster care and older adults acting as “honorary grandparents.” We are known for innovation in foster care, vital aging, intergenerational connection, and affordable housing.

• Practice cultural humility and work in a culturally responsive and compassionate way with diverse community populations.
• Effectively engage and partner with 3 generations of community members, children and youth to support their goals, emerging needs and challenges, and cultivate opportunities and resources.
• Work collaboratively, creatively, and flexibly within dynamic team, community, and program settings.
• Develop and facilitate culturally inclusive, responsive, developmentally appropriate programming, including out of school time enrichment programs, special events, and year‑round intergenerational activities for children, youth, young adults, foster/adoptive families, and older adult community members.
• Create and maintain safe and enriching community and program environments that promote social and emotional growth, build strengths and agency, foster compassion and understanding, and enhance emotional regulation, well‑being and connection.
• Promote a vibrant, inclusive, accessible and welcoming intergenerational neighborhood environment where neighbor‑to‑neighbor and professional supports are offered year‑round in order to help all generations thrive.
• Employ tools (technology, social media) and creative approaches to maintain community and connection and navigate unexpected challenges and events.
• Other team/Treehouse related tasks as necessary.

Working collaboratively with the Program Director, the Intergenerational Support Team and other staff, the Intergenerational Support Specialist will be responsible for the following:

• With the support of the Program Director, implement after‑school and out‑of‑school programming for children and youth following trauma‑informed best practices to ensure their well‑being.
• Address social emotional needs of youth participating in programming, utilizing individual and group supervision for support and identifying creative solutions.
• Support the one‑on‑one and group tutoring/mentoring programs

• Engage and build relationships with parents, children/youth, and providers,
• Identify and help to address emerging needs,
• Offer advocacy and support to help families navigate systems, complete paperwork, and access services,
• Make referrals to outside organizations as needed.

• Engage and build relationships with older adults,
• I…