Family Support Specialist

Brown County; Green Bay (WI); On-site; USD 38,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Brown County is seeking a Family Support Specialist to work directly with clients and Child Protective Services Case Managers in Green Bay, WI. The role focuses on service coordination, support, and training to help families meet children’s needs and improve parental protective capacity.

The position involves coordinating family interaction visits, transporting families when necessary, and developing individualized plans with case managers. Strong communication and confidentiality are essential.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of general office procedures and practices.
• Knowledge of human behavior.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Responsibilities

• Arrange, coordinate and plan family interaction visits when children are placed outside of the family home; provide transportation to and from visits and medical appointments when necessary.
• Encourage, model and coach parenting skills and behavior management techniques that are evidence-based; promote caregiver self-reflection on actions to improve daily routines.
• Coordinate referrals to services and related agencies; help identify supports in the community; develop an individualized plan with the family and the assigned case manager.
• Safeguard and maintain confidential consumer records; file documents securely; obtain and document releases of information before sharing private data.
• Develop knowledge of topics related to parent requests; share resources on developmental milestones; work with families in an empathic, professional, and objective manner; maintain a flexible schedule including evenings/weekends.
• Participate in training to maintain competency; attend meetings and coordinate services with team members; exercise independent responsibility and initiative in completing work; handle non-public confidential information per laws and policies.

Job description

JOB REQUIREMENTS

The Family Support Specialist (FSS) is responsible for working directly with clients and Child Protective Services Case Managers. The primary role of the FSS is to develop working relationships with families to provide service coordination, support, and training to assist families in meeting the needs of their children and enhancing a parents' parental protective capacity. This position will require the ability to work individually and with small groups of clients on tasks including, but not limited to, money management, parenting skills, personal hygiene, nutrition, housing, safety services, and supervising family interactions.

Essential Duties

Arrange, coordinate and plan family interaction visits when children are placed outside of the family home. Provide transportation to and from family interaction, community visits, or medical appointments when necessary.

Encourage, model, and coach appropriate early childhood practices, parenting skills and behavior management/modification techniques that are evidence based approaches. Promote self-reflection by caregivers on actions to determine the effectiveness of actions or practices within daily routines.

Coordinate referrals to services and related agencies to meet the needs identified in the care plan. Assist with identifying and establishing natural and professional support in the community. Partner with families and the assigned case manager to develop an individualized plan/goals for the family that is based on information collected through the assessment and family interviews to address medical, social, educational, and other services needed to further family goals, plans, and success strategies.

Safeguard and maintain individual records to keep consumer files complete, confidential, and in order. This includes filing consumer documents in secure areas; adhering to the recommended organization of components of individual files; and obtaining and documenting Releases of Information agreements prior to sharing private consumer information with others.

Develop a personal knowledge of topics related to parent requests through use of literature, personal contacts, electronic resources, and professional development. Share information and resources regarding developmental milestones. Work with families in an empathic, professional, and objective manner. Maintain a flexible schedule to accommodate program and client needs that may include evenings and weekends. Participate in training opportunities to maintain individual and organizational competency in assigned areas of responsibility. Attend meetings and coordinate services with other team members as necessary. Ability to exercise a high level of independent responsibility, judgement, and initiative in evaluating and completing work assignments. Handling non-public confidential information in accordance with department policies and practices, as well as local, State, and Federal law. Other job duties as assigned by supervisor.

NON-ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Performs related functions as assigned.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT USED

General office equipment Computer, Microsoft Office Applications (Word, Outlook, TEAMS, Excel), EWiseCWIS PHYSICAL DEMANDS Lifting 20 pounds maximum with frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Intermittent standing, walking and sitting; occasional driving. Using hand(s)/feet for repetitive single grasping, fine manipulation, pushing and pulling, and operating controls. Occasional bending, squatting, climbing, reaching, and grappling; frequent twisting. Communicating orally in a clear manner. Distinguishing sounds at various frequencies and volumes. Distinguishing people or objects at varied distances under a variety of light conditions.

OTHER EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of general office procedures and practices. Knowledge of human behavior. Knowledge of and ability to utilize a computer and the required software. Ability to plan and organize work to make effective use of time. Ability to accept new ideas and ways of accomplishing purposes with understanding of need to deal with existing system. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the team, clients and the public. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Ability to work the required hours of the position. Ability to set professional boundaries with clients and coworkers. Ability to identify, discuss, and mitigate biases related to the provision of services to diverse client groups.

Brown County is an E-Verify employer.