Family Engagement Specialist, Capital Region - Albany, United States - St. Catherine's Center for Children

Description

Job Description

About Our Organization:

St. Catherine's Center for Children is a leading non-profit organization in New York's Capital District and Mid-Hudson region of the state. Our comprehensive range of human services reaches more than 1,000 children, 600 families, and hundreds of adults across upstate New York each year. Our multi-faceted programs are designed to offer hope, foster growth, and improve the lives of the children, families, and adults we serve. We offer residential and therapeutic foster care programs for children and youth, kinship support, homeless and community-based services for adults and families, a special education elementary school for children ages 5-13, and so much more.

St. Catherine's employs more than 300 full- and part-time staff. Our continuum of services for children, families and individuals suffering from the lasting effects of abuse and neglect, family instability, mental illness, homelessness, and other ongoing traumas, continues to grow. We are committed to cultivating a culture where all employees can bring their authentic and best selves to the workplace. Our DEI-B initiatives are designed to support and build a more equitable, inclusive and diversified workplace, one which exemplifies true respect and dignity for all parties.

Position Overview:

The agency's Capital Region permanency resource center ("PRC" or "center") is designed to support and deliver specialized services to post-adoption, post-guardianship, and kinship caregiving families.

The center's Family Engagement Specialist is in regular, direct contact with the families already participating in services and, also, prospective families. The specialist works with families to address any hesitancies to program participation. The specialist is trained to identify social determinants that may be barriers to engagement and works with the program's case managers to address these barriers for the families. The specialist assists with family engagement, educational activities and respite care events.

Duties & Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Regularly reaches out to families in assigned communities to realize ongoing, direct contact with the families already participating in services and with prospective families.
• Works with families to address any hesitancies to program engagement.
• Identifies and works to address any social determinants that may be barriers to participation in program activities; works with the case manager, as a team, to assist the family and support their connection to program services, reducing and eliminating any barriers.
• Assists with family engagement, educational activities and respite care events.
• (Depending on the skillset and capabilities of the specialist, as assessed by the program coordinator) may manage a caseload of up to 2 families at any given time. In these circumstances, with the steady supervision of the Assistant Program Coordinator, the specialist completes monthly face-to-face contact with the families, in their homes and completes all required case documentation, including various assessment forms and service plans.
• Assists in the program's community outreach, through word-of-mouth and other mechanisms for alerting community members in various targeted communities and drawing them into services.
• As assigned, safely transports community members and/or their children in the delivery of program services, to address basic transportation needs, or to meet the families' other social needs linked to service goal attainment.
• Actively communicates program information, concerns, needs, and progress to program leadership.
• Completes additional position-related duties and responsibilities, as assigned by the agency's foster care director or Assistant Program Coordinator.

Organizational Relationships:

• The Family Engagement Specialist is supervised by the Assistant Program Coordinator, under the leadership of the Director of Foster Care and Kinship Services.
• The Family Engagement Specialist works closely with all other personnel in the program and other agency personnel in providing a continuum of services to the designated communities served by the permanency resource center.
• The Family Engagement Specialist, at the direction of program leadership, works collaboratively with community-based organizations and/or other community partners.

Position Specifications/Requirements:

• Associate's Degree in Human Services or related field, preferred.
• In lieu of a college degree, related lived experience, other related professional experience, and/or educational level, may be considered as qualifying for this position.
• Experience working with clients who exhibit significant emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal challenges, mental health diagnoses, and/or trauma history, a plus. Experience working with at-risk families and in community services also preferred.
• Knowledge of and ability to utilize community resources.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to handle sensitive family and individual data with strict confidentiality.
• Clean and valid New York State driver's license; actively licensed for at least one (1) year, with a reliable vehicle to transport program participants if needed.
• Comfortable working with and relating to culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged populations; ability to exhibit empathy for those in need, supporting their growth and service plan goal achievement.
• Ability to pass required pre-employment background checks, including fingerprinting.

What We Offer You*:

• Competitive Pay with an Excellent Benefits Package
• Health Insurance options*: Medical, Dental and Vision
• Generous Combined Leave Time and LOADS of PAID Holidays*
• $500 Employee Referral Bonus*
• Professional Development & Career Growth Opportunities
• We are a 501(c) (3) agency, which is a qualifying employer for eligible staff under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program*
• Pension Plan with Aggressive Agency contribution*
• Life Insurance – Automatic Benefit, at no cost to you
• Paid Training* including TCI and CPR/AED/First Aid Certification Update courses, if role appropriate
• Tuition Reimbursement*
• Travel/ Mileage Reimbursement*
• Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
• The Comfort of a Business Casual Environment.

*To qualify, certain conditions may apply

EEO Statement: St. Catherine's Center for Children is committed to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, reproductive health and pregnancy, family history and genetics, disability, age, military status, veteran status, politics, or other beliefs, and any other characteristics protected by law.

Background Checks: We run a thorough and complete pre-employment background check on all candidates being considered for a position, this includes fingerprinting. All candidates must successfully clear the pre-employment background check process, which follows NYS/DOJ requirements. We pay for all pre-employment background checks