Bilingual Family Educator

Family Services Inc. • Middletown, NY

6d • $25 - $25 • Hybrid

About The Position

Family Educators provide weekly home visits and facilitate two or three parenting groups per year. Family Educators also provide case management and supportive counseling to families referred by the Department of Social Services and/or may be involved with preventive agencies. The primary focus of this role involves conducting home visits, advocating for families, and empowering them to attain self-sufficiency. During these visits, you will encounter diverse home conditions, encompassing overcrowded living spaces and substandard housing. As a skilled professional, you will navigate through challenges such as mental health concerns and substance use issues within the families you serve. Poverty often looms as a backdrop, impacting the families' well-being due to limited resources and socioeconomic barriers. Regular supervision will be provided to ensure you receive the necessary support and guidance to address complex family dynamics and challenging situations. Training on the program curriculum will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively engage with families, guiding them on their journey towards stability and improved outcomes.

Requirements

• Knowledge about, understanding of, and an ability to work with children and families, with expertise in early childhood development.
• Possession of a reliable vehicle and valid NYS driver’s license is a must.
• BA/BS in social work or related field is required.
• Candidates who are bilingual in English and Spanish is required.
• Working knowledge of community resources in Orange County (training provided).
• Candidate must have the ability to work flexible hours.
• Must be able to work indoors and outdoors and travel to different areas of Orange County.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Computer literacy
• Strategic thinking
• Organizational skills
• Client focus
• Time management
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) required
• Strong interpersonal skills, communication and public speaking skills
• Attention to detail
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without work sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in child welfare or a related field is strongly preferred.
• The ideal candidate will be able to adapt to an manage frequently changing client needs including client home conditions, mental health needs, substance abuse and potential client trauma history.

Responsibilities

• Teaching, advising, coaching and supporting families in mastering parenting skills through home visits and/or group facilitation.
• Maintaining a flexible schedule so that home visits can occur in early morning or evening hours if needed based on client needs.
• Maintaining accurate visit records, documentation, and report on a timely basis.
• Collaborating with DSS preventive and CPS workers, and other service providers to ensure family cooperation with mandated services and child service needs.
• Ability to work with people from many different racial, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Provide transportation and childcare to parents and children for visits and services in personal vehicle, as needed.
• Possess strong teaching/coaching skills; meet the needs of family members with effective solutions. Possess compassion and empathy.
• Modeling nurturing attitudes and behaviors in all contacts with program participants and teammates while acting in congruence with Nurturing Program philosophy, methods and Standards of Practice.
• Provide excellent and thorough customer service to all family members.
• Possess ‘out of the box’ thinking and resourcefulness.
• Possess strong teaching/coaching skills; meet the needs of family members with effective solutions.
• Ability to work effectively when under extreme pressure.
• Ability to work independently; but relay issues to manager appropriately.
• Attend supervision meetings, staff meetings, and trainings as required.
• Complete client-facing and administrative duties as assigned by supervisor based on program needs.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match up to 5%.
• Generous paid vacation, holiday, sick and personal time package (2 weeks’ vacation in first year, 13 paid holidays per year, 12 sick days per year and 4 personal days per year).
• Access to Family Services’ Compassionate Leave Program where employees can donate/receive unused time off.
• Group term life and long-term disability insurance.
• Supplemental life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment coverage (AD&D).
• Supplemental insurance through Aflac.
• Employee assistance program (EAP).
• Pet insurance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level