Bilingual Therapeutic Visitation Specialist

Family Connections, Inc.•South Orange, NJ

4d•$68,000 - $72,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Provide therapeutic visitation services. This role involves working with families involved in the child welfare system, focusing on ensuring safe and nurturing parent-child interactions. The specialist will utilize a strength-based, trauma-informed approach to support families, facilitate communication, and connect them with community resources. The position requires flexibility in scheduling, including evening availability, and may involve travel to various locations for visits.

Requirements

Master’s degree in social work or related field (e.g., counseling).
Valid professional license: LPC, LCSW, LAC, LSW, or CSW.
Valid driver's license in New Jersey with a safe driving record.
Minimum of one (1) year of work experience with children and families, particularly those involved with the child welfare system and/or affected by trauma.
Experience working with diverse populations.
Knowledge of the child welfare system, community resources, social services, and mental health systems.
Knowledge of appropriate therapeutic interventions in crisis and non-crisis situations.
Knowledge of infant, child, and adolescent stages of growth and development.
Knowledge of trauma and its effect on children and families.
Knowledge of county’s local and highway roads.
Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish or Haitian Creole or Portuguese.
Excellent time management skills.
Organizational skills with the ability to manage numerous visiting families and systems of care simultaneously.
Outstanding human relations skills.
Ability to function autonomously and in a team environment.
Effective oral and written communication skills.
Ability to solve problems and communicate information effectively.
Ability to utilize therapeutic approaches with children and families.
Ability to model, coach, support, and mentor parents on nurturing and safe parenting.
Ability to deliver and score assessment tools.
Excellent computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and/or electronic health record systems.
Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle abiding by all applicable traffic laws.
Ability to ensure the safety of all passengers through appropriate safety measures.
Open, warm, empathic, attentive listener, self-aware, ethical, creative, organized, flexible, patient, responsible, mature, self-motivated, dedicated, enthusiastic.
Willingness to take on additional tasks and responsibilities.
Interested in seeking additional training and skills.
Experience/willingness to work with culturally diverse populations.
Authorized to work in the United States.
Eligible for full-time employment on a W-2 basis.

Nice To Haves

Experience with the child welfare system.
Experience with families affected by trauma.
Experience working with diverse populations.
Experience with infant, child, and adolescent development.
Experience with trauma-informed care.
Knowledge of county local and highway roads.

Responsibilities

Schedule and conduct visits in the least-restrictive, most home-like location, prioritizing the family's home, while ensuring child safety.
Initiate and maintain culturally sensitive communication with families in their preferred language.
Ensure a safe, non-traumatizing environment for parent-child contact that promotes healthy attachment.
Use strengths-based, solutions-focused, family-centered, and trauma-informed strategies to involve families in planning.
Advocate for parents/families and support them in self-advocacy.
Gather information by reviewing collateral information and inquiring about family supports.
Complete required assessment tools, including bio-psychosocial assessments, Rose Wentz Matrix, and SVS Caregiver Surveys.
Document contacts with families in agency progress notes and DCP&P contact sheets.
Create and update visitation plans with active family involvement.
Facilitate visit planning meetings and participate in other relevant meetings.
Communicate with DCP&P, other providers, and supports.
Link families to community resources and coordinate with DCP&P.
Collaborate and share relevant information with DCP&P staff and other providers.
Provide therapeutic support and modeling for appropriate and nurturing parenting.
Use clinical interventions and trauma-informed approaches to promote behavioral change.
Intervene in safety issues.
Incorporate trauma-informed care into all aspects of treatment.
Empower family members to communicate their goals and needs.
Utilize various interviewing and communication techniques in a culturally competent manner.
Recognize non-verbal communication and maintain good eye contact and posture.
Enhance parental skills through goal setting, modeling, mentoring, reinforcement, feedback, and reflection.
Prepare for visits by reviewing goals and expectations with caregivers.
Debrief with caregivers after visits for processing, self-reflection, and discussion of strengths and challenges.
Provide in-home aftercare services upon family reunification.
Provide transportation for parents and/or children to and from visitation locations.
Engage in case presentations and complete timely documentation.
Prepare case presentations and engage in case discussions/consultations.
Maintain electronic health records and complete all internal and external documentation.
Perform other duties as assigned.