Family Support Specialist

Socket.dev; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 36,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top Workplace award

Vacation time

Sick leave

Paid holidays

Tuition reimbursement

Health insurance

401(k) retirement

Job summary

Community of Hope is hiring a Family Support Specialist to provide home visits, education, and advocacy for families under the PAT program in Washington, DC. The role requires bilingual skills, a valid driver's license, and experience in public or human services.

You will manage a caseload, coordinate resources, and document progress in the agency systems while collaborating with the HFA Program Manager and PAT Coordinator. The position is hybrid in SW Washington, DC with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required.
• CPR & First Aid certification.
• 2+ years in public or human services field.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish/Amharic.
• Experience providing health education to at-risk populations.
• Ability to conduct home visits; valid driver's license and auto insurance.

Responsibilities

• Provide home visitation services per DC Health grant and PAT curriculum.
• Maintain caseload of 15–25 families; conduct in-home visits.
• Develop and update Family Support Plans within 1 month of enrollment.
• Complete assessments (ASQ-3, ASQ:SE-2, PHQ-9, etc.) and scan results into DCRS.
• Document casework activities and maintain records per guidelines.
• Network with COH and community resources; document referrals and follow-ups.
• Weekly 90‑minute reflective supervision with PAT Program Coordinator.
• Refer families to Strong Start or Early Stages when screenings indicate risk.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish/Amharic

Public health education experience

Home visits

Flexible hours

Education

High school diploma

A.A./B.A. in Human Services

Job description

Description

Washington, DC | Hybrid | $25.96 - $26.92 per hour| Washington Post Top Workplace (8x Winner)

Community of Hope is seeking a Family Support Specialist to provide direct support and education to families through home visits, resource coordination, and advocacy. In this role, you will help build skills, connect with community resources, and create safe, nurturing environments for the entire family. This position is located at our Conway Health and Resource Center located in SW, Washington, DC.

Our Approach and Values:

We celebrate people’s strengths and acknowledge the impact of trauma on people’s lives.

We embrace diversity, welcome all voices, and treat everyone with respect and compassion.

We lead and advocate for changes to make systems more equitable.

We strive for excellence and value integrity in all that we do.

What You’ll Do

• Provides home visitation services and ensures home visitation activities meet requirements of the DC Health grant and the Parents As Teachers (PAT) evidence based home visiting curriculum.
• Maintain a caseload of 15-25 families enrolled in the Parents as Teachers (PAT) Home Visiting program. Meet with families on case load face to face in the home environment to review progress on Family Support Plan, and to follow‑up on tasks and services. Frequency of visits are based on PAT standards.
• Develop Family Support Plans to address risks identified in the Parent Survey within one month of the participating family’s enrollment in home visiting, which are updated at least monthly in collaboration with the HFA Program Manager.
• Complete required assessments and screenings with families at designated intervals, e.g., ASQ-3, ASQ: SE-2, PHQ-9, Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory, and the Abusive Behavior Inventory. All completed assessments should be scanned in the DCRS database.
• Maintains appropriate documentation in files, including updated notes, current release of information forms, incident reports, referrals, assessments, etc. and completes these items per the program guidelines.
• Network with COH and other community resources for housing, employment, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, training, child and family services, etc., and makes referrals as appropriate. Progress on referrals provided, releases of information, and follow‑ups, should be documented in the records database.
• Meets weekly with the PAT Program Coordinator for 90 minute reflective supervision sessions. Communicates about client and case management issues in person, via e‑mail, or by phone with supervisor as needed outside of regularly scheduled meetings.
• Offer parents referral to Strong Start or Early Stages following ASQ screenings below the identified cut off. Makes referrals to appropriate resources following depression and domestic violence screens that indicate risk.

Requirements

Must-Haves

• High school diploma.
• Valid CPR & First Aid Certification.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in a public and/or human services related field.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish/Amharic.
• Experience providing public health education (ex. reproductive health, smoking cessation, child development, and/or parenting) to at risk populations.
• Ability to conduct home visits. Valid driver’s license and vehicle required, as well as proof of auto insurance.
Knowledge of community resources or the ability to become knowledgeable.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends and evenings.
• Proof of required vaccinations is required. This includes, but is not limited to, flu. COH will consider requests for reasonable accommodations for anyone who cannot be vaccinated for a religious or medical reason, subject to applicable law.

Nice-to-Haves

• A.A. or B.A in Human Services field (social work, early childhood education, family studies, or psychology) or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong interpersonal skills required, as well as cross‑cultural sensitivity.
• Strong organizational and scheduling skills required; ability to work independently.

Why You’ll Love Working Here! At COH, we prioritize the following well‑being and work-life balance‑centered benefits:

• 8 x Washington Post 150 Top Workplaces winner.
• 8-hour workdays with paid lunch.
• 3 weeks vacation (additional week after two years), 2 weeks sick leave, + 11.5 paid holidays and one personal floating holiday on an annual basis.
• Annual performance‑based raises, up to 5% of your annual pay.
• Tuition reimbursement & loan repayment (NHSC & DCHPLRP), Licensing reimbursement & CEU funding.
• Medical, dental, vision, life & disability insurance + 403(b) retirement.
• Leadership development, internal promotions and career growth opportunities.
• A culture grounded in equity, compassion, and well‑being.

About Us

Community of Hope is a mission-driven, innovative, rapidly growing nonprofit, and Federally Qualified Health Center. For over 45 years, we have provided health and housing services, perinatal care coordination, and community support services to make Washington, DC more equitable. Community of Hope also strongly emphasizes maternal and child health, with midwifery practice and the only free‑standing birth center in DC. We are honored to be one of DC’s largest providers of housing and homelessness prevention services for families and individuals throughout DC. Through our Family Success Center, our WIC nutrition centers, and our various partnerships, we have reached hundreds and believe that everyone in DC deserves to be healthy, housed, and hopeful. With the help of our amazing staff, we have successfully provided:

• 50,000+ medical visits
• 6,300+ dental visits
• 17,000+ emotional wellness visits
• 1,384 families and 220 individuals with housing/homelessness prevention services

Community of Hope is an equal opportunity employer.