Supportive Visitation Specialist - Bilingual

Supportive Visitation Specialist - Bilingual at YMCA of the Jersey Shore

This position supports the work of the Y, a leading nonprofit, charitable organization committed to strengthening the community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

The Bilingual Supportive 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; completing and updating visitation plans; documenting visits and completing reports; facilitating parent debriefings before and after visits and visitation planning meetings; transporting children and/or parents, as needed; 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.

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.

This 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 taking into consideration a 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 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.
• 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.
• Facilitates visit planning meetings & participates in other relevant meetings.

• 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 hours per day. 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…