Family Engagement Specialist

Children's Research Triangle; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 40,000 - 55,000; Part time

Job summary

The Children’s Research Triangle (CRT) in Chicago seeks a Family Engagement Specialist to build trusting relationships with parents and caregivers, help families navigate referrals and resources, and ensure they have a voice in their child’s care.

You will collaborate with CRT clinicians and community partners, gather caregiver feedback, support caregiver workshops, and maintain documentation to help CRT continuously improve programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work or related field.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to establish trusting relationships with parents, caregivers, and children.
• Ability to work collaboratively with clinicians, families, and community partners.
• Commitment to working with underserved children and families.

Responsibilities

• Build trusting relationships with parents and caregivers, engaging and empowering them as active partners in their child's care and treatment.
• Help families navigate behavioral health and community systems, including facilitating referrals and reducing barriers to care.
• Provide information and support to families regarding screening results, treatment recommendations, available services, and rights and responsibilities.
• Support family participation in treatment planning and service reviews, promoting advocacy and shared decision-making.
• Collaborate with CRT clinicians and community partners, ensuring the family perspective is represented in discussions.
• Gather and communicate caregiver feedback about their experience with services and how input informs improvements.
• Support caregiver engagement and connection, including facilitating caregiver workshops and related activities.
• Maintain documentation and participate in CRT and community partner activities as needed.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Relationship-building

Collaboration

Commitment to underserved families

Education

Bachelor's degree in Social Work or related field

Job description

Children’s Research Triangle (CRT) is seeking a Family Engagement Specialist to join our team and help children and families successfully access and engage in high-quality, trauma-informed behavioral health services.

The Family Engagement Specialist will build trusting relationships with parents and caregivers, help families navigate referrals and available resources, reduce barriers to care, and ensure that families have a meaningful voice in decisions about their child's treatment.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys working directly with families, building relationships, collaborating with professionals, and helping families successfully navigate behavioral health systems.

What You Will Do

• Build trusting relationships with parents and caregivers, engaging and empowering them as active partners in their child's care and treatment.
• Help families navigate behavioral health and community systems, including facilitating referrals, connecting families with resources, and identifying and reducing barriers to care.
• Provide information and support to families regarding screening results, treatment recommendations, available services, and their rights and responsibilities related to treatment.
• Support family participation in treatment planning and service reviews, promoting advocacy, shared decision-making, and meaningful family input.
• Collaborate with CRT clinicians and community partners, participating in multidisciplinary team meetings and ensuring the family’s perspective is represented in discussions about services.
• Gather and communicate caregiver feedback about their experience with services and help share how family input contributes to improvements in CRT programs.
• Support caregiver engagement and connection, including facilitating caregiver workshops and other opportunities for families to share information and support one another.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and participate in CRT and community partner activities as needed.

What We’re Looking For

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work or a human/social services-related field.
• At least one year of experience providing direct social services to children and families.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to establish trusting relationships with parents, caregivers, and children.
• Ability to work collaboratively with clinicians, families, and community partners.
• Commitment to working with underserved children and families.

Preferred:

• Experience with family advocacy, care coordination, or community-based services.
• Experience facilitating groups, workshops, or caregiver education.
• Bilingual English/Spanish skills.

Schedule: 24 hours per week (60% FTE)

Salary: $40,000–$55,000 full-time equivalent; compensation will be prorated for the 24-hour workweek

Location: Chicago

Travel: Limited local travel to CRT's provider partner sites may be required.

Why CRT?

At CRT, we believe families should be active partners in their children's care. The Family Engagement Specialist will play an important role in making that belief a reality, helping families feel heard, supported, and empowered while connecting them with the services and resources they need.