LEAD FAMILY SUPPORT SPECIALIST - ULSTER

About the role

Under the direct supervision of the Program Manager or Family Support Specialist Supervisor, the Senior (Lead) Family Support Specialist is responsible for all Family Support Specialist duties and provides additional leadership through training, mentoring, and special projects as assigned.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain trusting relationships with at-risk families through regular home visits, including evenings or early mornings as needed to accommodate family schedules
• Provide transportation to visits and trainings with mileage reimbursement per staff automobile policy; maintain full access to a vehicle during work hours
• Develop and implement case plans with families and supervisors, including goal setting and activity planning
• Assist parents with scheduling and attending appointments for medical care, social services, and other agencies
• Act as a liaison between families and community agencies; ensure all family members have a primary care provider
• Familiarize self with and access available community resources tailored to client needs
• Utilize prenatal and child development curricula in practice
• Meet weekly with supervisor to review cases and evaluate client status; attend staff meetings and relevant trainings
• Conduct street and community outreach for program promotion and case finding, including weekend events
• Provide orientation, training, and support to other Family Support Specialists
• Identify training and professional development needs, particularly for clinical and assessment techniques
• Assist with program quality assurance activities per the Quality Assurance Plan
• Apply knowledge of interventions in domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health, family systems, and child abuse and neglect reporting laws
• Collaborate internally and externally to implement effective outreach strategies and ensure participants receive appropriate services
• Attend HFNY and other relevant meetings as requested
• Initiate supportive dialogue with professional counterparts and promote community and family engagement and retention
• Provide office coverage when supervisors are unavailable; respond to crises, ensure comprehensive follow-up, and confirm staff check-ins
• Model teamwork, support supervisory decisions, and implement policy

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Bachelor’s degree in human services or a related field preferred; or Master’s degree in human services or a related field
• Three years of relevant experience required
• Valid driver’s license required
• Infant Mental Health Endorsement preferred
• Bi-lingual (Spanish/English) preferred

Skills

• Ability to be non-judgmental, compassionate, empathetic, and insightful; strong relationship-building skills
• Excellent problem-solving and listening skills; ability to identify family strengths and foster self-sufficiency
• Respect and sensitivity for diverse cultural, racial, sexual, and ethnic identities
• Leadership experience; ability to work effectively as part of a team and support supervisory decisions
• Experience working cooperatively within health and human service communities
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage workload independently
• Ability to design and deliver in-services and presentations for program outreach
• Ability to generate, interpret, and analyze data from multiple sources
• Knowledge of infant and child development, parent-child attachment, and family systems
• Experience with family-centered, strengths-based service provision and early childhood prevention services
• Experience supporting culturally diverse communities and families
• Experience with home visiting and early childhood prevention services

Education

• Required: High school diploma or equivalent
• Preferred: Master’s Degree in Human Services or related field OR Bachelor’s degree in human services or related field with 3 years of relevant experience OR less than a Bachelor’s degree with commensurate HFA experience

Work Experience

• Required: 3 years of relevant experience

Licensure/Certification

• Required: Valid Driver’s License
• Preferred: Infant Mental Health Endorsement

Linguistic Skills

• Required: Bi-lingual (Spanish/English) preferred

Physical/Environmental Conditions

The role regularly requires standing, walking, sitting, and using hands to handle objects; frequently requires climbing or balancing and talking or hearing; occasionally requires stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.