Family Support Worker

Polk County (WI); Town of Balsam Lake (WI); On-site; USD 47,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Polk County in Wisconsin seeks a Family Support Worker to join the CPS/YJ team. The role emphasizes in-home parenting education, family engagement, and collaboration with social workers to strengthen families and support children and adolescents.

Responsibilities include planning behavior management, arranging visits, transportation to appointments, housing assistance, budgeting support, and community resource access. Evening/weekend flexibility may be required.

Qualifications

• Associate degree in human services, education, child development or related field(s).
• Combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge may be considered.
• Strong customer service background and ability to communicate clearly with clients and colleagues.
• Detail oriented with ability to maintain accurate records and documentation.
• Requires a valid Wisconsin Driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Provide in-home parenting education to families.
• Work with families on creating behavior management plans for children in their home.
• Arrange and supervise family interaction visits when children are placed outside the family home.
• Provide transportation to and from family interaction, community visits, or medical appointments when necessary.
• Provide budgeting assistance to families.
• Assist families in locating housing and filling out housing applications.
• Provide instruction in home maintenance and sanitation.
• Provide education and assistance in meal planning and nutrition.
• Assist families in locating employment and filling out applications.
• Help families locate and access community resources.
• Complete accurate and timely case documentation.
• Testify in Court, as needed.
• Teach parenting classes to families in home and group settings.
• Assist social worker in assessing family strengths and safety.
• Independently perform assessments and provide recommendations to family and team members.
• Participate as a team member to improve office efficiency and cooperation.

Skills

Customer service

Organizational skills

Written communication

Detail oriented

Education

Associate degree in human services

Education/experience equivalence

Job description

The Family Support worker is an essential member of the Child Protective Services (CPS) and Youth Justice (YJ) team, working directly with families, children and adolescents, and social workers to strengthen and support families. Clients may be voluntary or involuntary. This position requires the ability to work individually and with small groups of clients on tasks including but not limited to developmental needs of children and adolescents, parenting skills, behavior management, communication skills, safety services, nutrition, housing, money management, and personal hygiene. This position requires scheduling flexibility to meet the requirements for client interaction and may include early morning or evening work. Work is most often performed in client homes and community locations.

These duties represent the typical duties and responsibilities assigned to this position but may not be inclusive of all tasks performed.

• Provide in-home parenting education to families.
• Work with families on creating behavior management plans for children in their home.
• Arrange and supervise (as necessary) 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.
• Provide budgeting assistance to families.
• Provide help in locating housing and filling out housing applications with families.
• Provide instruction in the area or home maintenance and sanitation to families.
• Provide education and assistance in meal planning and nutrition.
• Provide assistance to families in locating employment and filling out employment applications.
• Help families locate and access community resources.
• Complete accurate and timely case documentation.
• Testify in Court, as needed.
• Teach parenting classes to families both in the home and in group settings.
• Assist social worker in assessing family strengths and family safety.
• In some cases, Independently perform assessments and put recommendations forth to family, social worker, schools, and other associated team members.
• Participate as a team member of the department to improve office efficiency and cooperatively solve problems
• Fulfills the department’s mission and purpose

Supervisory Responsibilities

None.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience

1. Associate degree in human services, education, child development or related field(s) with a minimum of two years' experience working within the field
2. Combination of education and experience providing the equivalent level of knowledge, skills and abilities may be considered.

Competency Requirements

• Integrity/Honesty -Contributes to maintaining the integrity of the organization; displays high standards of ethical conduct and understands the impact of violating these standards on an organization, self, and others; is trustworthy.
• Superior Customer Service and Community Relations- Anticipates and strives to meet the needs of both internal and external stakeholders (employees, contracted staff, residents, families, and other internal and external clientele). Delivers high-quality services; is committed to continuous improvement. Communicates/Interacts with members of the public and other key stakeholders in a way that elicits positive response and participation, which on occasion, may include interaction either one-on-one or with several stakeholders at one time to present information and/or represent the facility’s interests.
• Accountability– Assumes responsibility for successfully accomplishing work objectives and delivering results; setting high standards of performance for self and others
• Written and Verbal Communication Skills - Recognizes or uses correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a brief, clear, and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience.
• Interpersonal Relations-Develops and maintains effective relationships with others; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and in different situations; shows understanding, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness.
• Self-Management -Organizes and plans for task accomplishments in a way that maximizes efficient performance; establishes and adjusts priorities to ensure timely completion of assigned work/fulfill responsibilities.
• Flexibility -Open to change and new information; adapts behavior or work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles; effectively deals with ambiguity.

Minimum Skills Assessment Requirements

Strong customer service background, organizational skills, and oral and written communication skills; must be detail oriented. Skills and abilities may be evaluated through various standardized pre-employment assessment tools.

Certificates/Licenses/Registrations

Requires a valid Wisconsin Driver's license.

Work Environment

Essential functions of this job are typically carried out in work environments with the following characteristics:

• Takes place in standard office setting with a moderate noise level
• Utilizes office equipment such as computers, phones, and photocopiers.
• Position may require occasional travel to other County facilities, training sites, or community locations.
• Duties may require occasional evening or weekend hours to meet business needs.

Physical Requirements

Must be able to perform the physical demands of the position, including frequent sitting, walking, standing, and manual tasks; occasional lifting of up to 20 pounds; and maintaining required vision abilities.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

ADA Statement (Reasonable Accommodations)

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or accommodation during the application process, please contact [e-mail].