Family Support Specialist

Primary Responsibilities

• Cook up, develop, and implement support systems to meet students’ social, emotional, behavioral, medical, financial, and life skills or other needs in line with the School’s vision and mission.
• Utilize counseling strategies or ensure that on-site providers use counseling strategies to help students prepare emotionally and socially for maximum instructional time.
• Build and maintain positive, cooperative, and effective relationships with staff, students, families, community, and colleagues, and conduct skill-building seminars.
• Secure Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with local colleges and universities to establish ALS schools as clinical internship sites for students in social work, mental health, school counseling, and other related programs.
• Support the student orientation process.
• Effectively document all services provided to students and families as per ALS policies and procedures and any other regulatory reporting requirements.
• Conduct home visits to facilitate home-school connections.
• Coordinate home, school, and community resources in addressing crisis situations.
• Lead all tasks and initiatives defined by the School’s Mental Health Plan, including required outcome reporting.
• Stay updated and informed about current trends, research, and community agency providers and inform teachers, staff, and administrators of such information.
• Perform all other duties as deemed necessary, which align with Company’s policies and procedures to ensure student educational and behavioral goals and objectives are achieved.

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of Counseling and/or social work theory and practice.
• Knowledge of School, local, state, and federal policies and laws relevant to student services, including Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), child abuse, and bullying/harassment.
• Knowledge of Community social and family resources, trends, and opportunities.
• Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary.
• Record-keeping techniques.
• Oral and written communication skills.
• Telephone techniques and etiquette.

Job Requirements and Prerequisites

• A Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in social work, credentials required to serve as official clinical field supervisor for clinical interns in Social Work and Mental Health as defined by local and state postsecondary institutions.
• A License in social work or mental health counseling preferred.
• Minimum of three (3) years experience working with over age and/or at-risk youth is preferred.
• Experience in education, social services, and community services that will utilize all skills necessary to assist students to become high school graduates and to acquire 21st Century skills to become productive and participating members of their communities is required.
• A valid driver’s license required.
• Effective oral and written communication skills required.
• Computer literacy required.
• Bilingual preferred.