Therapeutic Visitation Specialist - Bilingual

Therapeutic Visitation Specialist – Bilingual

Pay: $34.13/hr – $36.54/hr

The Therapeutic Visitation Specialist at The YMCA of the Jersey Shore intentionally fosters a cause-centered culture that is welcoming, genuine, hopeful, nurturing, and determined.

Responsible for supporting parent-child visitation for families in their homes or communities who require therapeutic intervention: completing initial intake assessments, assessment tools, and visitation plans; documenting visits and completing reports; facilitating parent debriefings before and after visits and visitation planning meetings; transporting children and/or parents; communicating with children, parents, relatives, resource parents, DCP&P, and/or other stakeholders by phone and in person;

attending various meetings and trainings; and assessing families’ service needs and linking them to appropriate community providers.

ABOUT SUPPORTIVE VISITATION SERVICES Parent-child visitation services for CP&P-involved families with children in out-of-home placement to maintain and strengthen familial interactions and facilitate permanency. Services are provided in the least restrictive setting that maintains safety along a continuum of supervision based on family need. Core activities include ongoing assessment, visitation, aftercare (post-reunification support), transportation and documentation.

Position is contingent upon the availability of grant funding.

• Initiates and maintains ongoing communication with families in a culturally sensitive manner utilizing a family's preferred language and taking into account the family's faith and culture.
• Schedules and conducts visits in the least-restrictive, most home-like location (the first preference being within the family's home) while ensuring the safety of the children.
• Ensures the environment for parent-child contact is safe, non-traumatizing, and promotes healthy attachment.
• Uses strengths-based, solutions-focused, family-centered, trauma-informed strategies to elicit family input.
• Initiates and maintains ongoing communication with DCP&P, other providers, and supports.

• Uses a process to gather information which includes reviewing collateral information and inquiring about the family's natural supports.
• Completes required assessment tools including but not limited to bio-psychological assessments, Rose Wentz Matrix, and SVS Caregiver Surveys and documents contacts with families in agency's progress notes and DCP&P contact sheets.
• Creates a visitation plan with active familial involvement and updates the plan at regular intervals.

• Creates an environment that empowers family members, including parents, children, and caregivers to communicate their goals and
• Utilizes various interviewing and/or communication techniques in a culturally competent manner.
• Recognizes non-verbal communication and maintains good eye contact and posture.

• Advocates for parents/families as necessary and supports them in advocating for
• Links the family to community resources and formal and informal supports and coordinates with DCP&P.
• Collaborates with and shares relevant information with DCP&P staff, other providers, and supports.
• Delivers and scores assessment.

• Enhances parental skills by goal setting, modeling, mentoring, reinforcement, and feedback and reflection through a trauma-informed perspective.
• Prepares for each visit with caregivers reviewing goals and expectations and encouraging them to be the lead in visit planning.
• Debriefs with caregivers after each visit to allow for processing and self-reflection and discussion of strengths and challenges.

• Contact referral source and client within 2 business days of receipt of referral.
• Carry a caseload of 3 visit hours and 1 transport hour daily. Part-time staff will conduct a prorated number of transportation and visit hours per week based on hours worked.
• Available a minimum of 3 evenings per week.
• Establish visit parameters with all parties involved.
• Provide transportation to family members who require it as per caseworker.
• Supervisor visits according to level of supervision required by caseworker, except in case of emergency bathroom…