Careers

OVERVIEW: 

The Family Specialist is responsible for providing guidance, services and support at an advanced level to children and their families/caregivers in a variety of environments. This position works independently in the family’s home and a variety of community and/or treatment settings. This position works directly with children and adults.

DIRECT REPORTS: 

• None

QUALIFICATIONS:

       Required

1. B.A. in Social Work, Psychology, or other related social services field, and/or minimum of 2-5 years’ experience working with special needs youth.  Experience may substitute for a degree. 
2. Must have experience and be familiar with effective interventions in working with youth in the juvenile justice probation system, with youth who are involved with gangs or who are gang- entrenched, and with youth with Substance abuse problems.
3. Availability to participate in 24-hour on-call program rotation.
4. Excellent oral & written communication skills

Preferred

1. MHRS County Certification
2. Wraparound experience
3. Experience with Foster Care and Mental Health are a plus.
4. Experience with Medi-Cal billing policies and procedures, and processing Medi-Cal billing in a timely manner
5. Speak, read, and/or write another language fluently, with a demonstrated ability to work with diverse ethnic populations a plus.
6. Specialized knowledge and/or abilities in positive behavioral management, recreational, art therapy

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE (but not limited to):

       ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE ROLE OF FAMILY SPECIALIST

1. Engagement Phase Core Skills

1. Demonstrates cultural humility while seeking to understand, embrace, and support the family’s unique experiences, history, challenges, and success.
2. Listens without judgment to family story. Demonstrates respect and positive regard for youth and family at all times regardless of family situation or challenges.
3. Builds trust and rapport with youth and families in order to facilitate positive relationships and insure effective direct support.
4. Understands core wraparound values.  Demonstrates the values with their words and actions. Educates the youth and family about how wraparound works.
5. Assists family with developing a unique family vision based on their needs, values, goals, and desired outcome.
6. Builds and maintains effective and positive relationships with families, co-workers community partners, system workers, and referral sources.

1. Planning Phase Core Skills

1. Works within the team process to create, develop, and implement effective strategies that build on strengths and support treatment goals and family vision.
2. Communicates proactively with youth, family, and treatment team to evaluate progress and adjust goals and treatment plans as needed to insure successful outcomes.
3. Identifies youth’s strengths and interests and resources positive community activities that fit youth’s and family needs.
4. Participates with the team in brainstorming for effective interventions and prioritizing family needs.
5. Collaborates with the family and other team members and shares insights for the development of family safety plans.
6. Maintain proactive communication with youth and family and insure that their perspective and voice is the focal point of the planning process.

1. Implementation Phase Core Skills

1. Maintains service quality and the delivery of Wraparound services in a manner that is highly individualized, family-focused, team driven, strength-based and directed by the needs of the child and family.
2. Maintains a positive, strength-based frame of reference in interactions with youth and families, and in discussions about youth and families. 
3. Provides quality, culturally proficient and relevant services to youth and families in all settings. 
4. Practices advanced stewardship by utilizing non-monetary interventions and community resources to assist families with unmet material needs.
5. Demonstrates initiative, knowledge, and expertise in locating and accessing community resources to assist families with meeting their own needs.
6. Attends and participates in Family Support Team meetings as needed.
7. Locates and coordinates community resources to assist youth and families with achieving and maintaining independence.
8. Maintains positive, effective relationships with children and families and uses a strength based approach to assist them in meeting their goals.
9. Provides coaching and psycho-education to caregivers to assist and empower them to reduce unwanted behaviors and increase successes with minimal support.
10. Facilitates and or co-facilitates healthy group dynamics within various settings including family homes, schools, parks and recreation centers, and treatment facilities; and provides open forum for expression of feelings and ideas when appropriate.
11. Utilizes strengths of children, families and natural supports to assist in the implementation and achievement of goals and outcomes.
12. Evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of behavioral interventions and modifies interventions and resources to align with the family’s culture and the individual needs of the child.
13.  Responds with proactive interventions to families in crisis, both during and after business hours as designated in the family’s safety plan.  Understands and takes advantages of therapeutic opportunities in crisis situations.
14. Provides ongoing behavioral interventions, skills training and anger management based upon needs of the youth.

1. Transition Phase Core Skills

1. Assists family in clarifying goals at the beginning of the Wraparound process in order to better identify when transition time is appropriate.
2. Locates resources, services and supports in the community for future use (aftercare).
3. Decreases direct service hours for each family over time as families are transitioned to community-based informal supports that will sustain them after graduation.
4. Provides coaching and psycho-education to caregivers to assist and empower them to reduce unwanted behaviors and increase successes with minimal support.

1. Other Duties as assigned, including, but not limited to:

1. Adheres to county and agency standards for Medi-Cal billing and documentation.
2. Maintains 112 hours per month of direct services to youth and families.
3. Provides mentorship, training, and support for new Unity Care Family Specialist employees in training as assigned.
4. Maintains positive and effective relationships with agency service staff and departments and with community agencies as a member of project work teams, CQI teams, etc., as assigned.
5. Assists in the development and refinement of existing documentation and data collection systems.
6. Participates in agency audit process to insure accurate documentation.
7. Promotes cultural awareness and competence within the Program and the agency.
8. Seeks ongoing development and mastery of a strength-based system philosophy built upon Wraparound values and principles. Understands, demonstrates and promotes Wraparound values and best practices.
9. Completes Medi-Cal documentation and service rendered documentation within 48 hours of service and bills direct service hours (20 hours per week).
10. Participates with Family Specialists, Parent Partners and Facilitators in providing 24-hour on call response to families.
11. Attends proactively participates in weekly team (pod) meetings to promote team engagement and to plan, review, and maintain quality service to families