Therapeutic Visitation Specialist - Bilingual (Spanish

Position Title
:
Bilingual Therapeutic Visitation Specialist

Reports To
:
Supervising Therapeutic Visitation Specialist

Broad Function
:
Provide therapeutic visitation services.

• Values and participates in the team as a proactive member.
• Respects others’ professional opinions and tolerates a range of feelings.
• Able to give and receive constructive criticism.
• Willing to take on extra work as needed (e.g., when there is a vacancy).

• Attends supervision consistently and comes prepared.
• Able to receive feedback and learn from it.
• Has insight about self (i.e., strengths and weaknesses) and utilizes that knowledge toward growth and change.

• Attends all necessary trainings in compliance with the SVS model.
• Schedules and conducts visits in the least‑restrictive, most home‑like location, ensuring the safety of the children.
• Initiates and maintains ongoing communication with families that is culturally sensitive, utilizing the family’s preferred language and respecting faith and culture.
• 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.
• Advocates for parents/families as necessary and supports them in advocating for themselves.
• Uses a process to gather information, reviewing collateral information and inquiring about the family’s natural supports.
• Completes required assessment tools including but not limited to bio‑psychosocial assessments, Rose Wentz Matrix and SVS Caregiver Surveys.
• 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.
• Facilitates visit planning meetings and participates in other relevant meetings.
• Links the family to community resources, formal and informal supports, and coordinates with DCP&P.
• Collaborates with and shares relevant information with DCP&P staff, other providers, and supports.
• Provides therapeutic support and modeling around appropriate and nurturing parenting.
• Uses clinical interventions and trauma‑informed approaches to promote behavioral change in caregivers and children through education, modeling, reinforcement, and empowerment.
• Interventions may include family counseling, play therapy, art therapy, and/or individual therapy focused on improving parenting skills, attunement, and communication within the family.
• Intervenes in the event of a safety issue.
• Incorporates trauma‑informed care in all facets of treatment.
• Creates an environment that empowers family members to communicate their goals and needs.
• Utilizes various interviewing and/or communication techniques in a culturally competent manner.
• Recognizes non‑verbal communication and maintains good eye contact and posture.
• Enhances parental skills by goal setting, modeling, mentoring, reinforcement, feedback and reflection through a trauma‑informed perspective.
• Prepares for each visit with caregivers by reviewing goals, encouraging them to lead in visit planning.
• Debriefs with caregivers after each visit to allow processing, self‑reflection, and discussion of strengths and challenges.
• Provides in‑home aftercare services in the event of reunification of families.
• Provides transportation for parents and/or children to and from visitation location.
• Engages in case presentations and completes timely documentation.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Education & Experience
  :
  Master’s degree in social work or related field (e.g., counseling) and a valid professional license (LPC, LCSW, LAC, LSW, CSW). Must possess a driver’s license valid in New Jersey with a safe driving record. Minimum of one year of work experience with children and families, especially those involved with the child welfare system or impacted by trauma. Experience working with diverse populations.
• Knowledge
  :
  Child welfare system, community resources, social services, mental health systems, appropriate therapeutic interventions in crisis and non‑crisis situations, infant, child and adolescent stages of growth and development, trauma and its…