Family Support Specialists

Family Support Specialist

Catawba Valley Healthy Families uses the evidence-based Healthy Families America (HFA) model to provide in-home visitation services to overburdened families who are pregnant or parenting a child, ages birth – 5 years and living in Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Catawba, and Iredell Counties. This service mitigates child maltreatment risks by helping families reduce stress factors and increase protective factors through supportive, regular, home visits over a span of 3-5 years.

CVHF is one of many programs offered by Children's Hope Alliance to strengthen families.

The Family Support Specialist (FSS) will initiate and maintain intensive, long-term home visitation services to families, beginning during pregnancy or within 3 months of birth. The visits are family-centered, strength-based, and directed at establishing a trusting relationship while honoring diverse family structures and parenting practices. The FSS will develop an individualized plan to ensure all areas of concern are addressed and existing strengths are identified.

As the FSS encourages a family to set and achieve their goals, a variety of activities, information, and linkage to resources will be provided to participating families to strengthen the parent-child relationship; promote healthy childhood growth and development; and enhance family well-being.

The Family Support Specialist will provide services to families throughout the CVHF service area, which includes McDowell, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, and Iredell counties. While the primary focus of this position will be serving families in Iredell and Catawba counties, travel within the broader service area may be required to support program operations and family needs.

Service Delivery

• Work as part of a team to engage referred families by scheduling the Family Resilience and Opportunities for Growth (FROG) initial assessment, administer, document, and score the assessment.
• Initiate and maintain regular and long-term contact / support to assigned families through:
• Home visits lasting at least an hour
• Being on call 24/7 to families (mostly entails responding to calls and texts, occasional in-person support may be required between scheduled visits)
• Build trusting relationships by honoring diverse family structures and parenting practices.
• Develop and regularly update an individualized Family Service Plan to guide interventions that address needs identified on the FROG scale and during the course of service.
• Assist each family in setting and achieving meaningful goals.
• Support parents in learning problem-solving and coping skills and how to effectively advocate for their family.
• Provide parent education through use of Partners for a Healthy Baby, Nurturing Program, Growing Great Kids, and other supplemental curricula.
• Employ strategies to strengthen parent-child interactions and promote healthy childhood growth and development through targeted activities, observation, and the parallel process.
• Administer family screens, including intimate partner violence, depression, and child development (ASQ-3 / ASQ-SE); make appropriate referrals if needed.
• Act as a liaison between families and community agencies as needed, stay informed of available local resources that could enhance a family's well-being.
• Assist families in scheduling and attending doctors' appointments for pre and postnatal care, well-child checkups, immunizations, and other appointments as appropriate.
• Work as a member of the CVHF team by regularly attending CVHF staff meetings, weekly individual supervision meetings, group parent trainings, occasional community outreach events, other meetings and trainings as required.
• Attend training upon being hired and throughout employment, some of which may require travel and overnight stays, to develop professional skills.
• Perform other duties as required when assigned by supervisor.

Documentation

• Document all contact with families in the Family Wise Database.
• Maintain all paperwork; document required screens, family data, referrals, and other required information in the Family Wise Database and/or the family file.
• Work with supervisor to create…