Portuguese) Therapeutic Visitation Specialist

Family Connections, Inc.•South Orange, NJ

3d•$73,000 - $73,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Provide therapeutic visitation services. This role involves scheduling and conducting visits in safe, home-like locations, ensuring the safety of children while promoting healthy attachment. The specialist will maintain culturally sensitive communication with families, utilize strengths-based strategies, and advocate for families. Responsibilities include completing assessments, documenting contacts, creating visitation plans, and collaborating with various agencies and providers. The role also involves providing therapeutic support and modeling appropriate parenting skills, using clinical interventions, and preparing for and debriefing visits with caregivers. In-home aftercare services and transportation for visits are also part of the role.

Requirements

Master’s degree in social work or related field (e.g. counseling)
Valid professional license: (LPC, LCSW LAC, LSW, CSW)
Driver's license valid in New Jersey with safe driving record
Minimum of one (1) year of work experience with children and families, particularly families 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: English and Spanish or Haitian Creole or Portugese
Excellent time management skills
Organizational skills with the ability to manage numerous visiting families and systems of care simultaneously to promote best practices
Outstanding human relations skills and the ability to function autonomously and in a team environment
Effective oral and written communication skills
Effectively solve problems and communicate information, including the identification and communication of problems and/or issues with appropriate team and management staff
Ability to utilize therapeutic approaches with children and families
Model, coach, support, and mentor parents on use of nurturing and safe parenting
Ability to deliver and score assessment tools
Excellent computer skills with proficiency and working knowledge of database and reporting tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and/or electronic health record systems
Safely operate a motor vehicle abiding by all applicable traffic laws
Ensure safety of all passengers through appropriate safety measures including use of seat belts, car and booster seats and/or child safety locks
Open, warm, empathic, attentive listener, self-aware, ethical, creative, organized, flexible, open to constructive feedback, patient, responsible, able to work independently, mature, self-motivated, dedicated, enthusiastic, willing to take on additional tasks and responsibilities, interested in seeking additional training and skills
Experience/willingness to work with culturally diverse populations
Ability to perform work that requires frequent standing, bending, reaching, squatting, kneeling, moving, and lifting of up to or in excess of 50 pounds
Flexible working schedule with 5 days per week evening availability
Some working time is spent out of the office transporting children and/or parents to and from visits and observing visits in families’ homes or in the community (parks, libraries, restaurants, jails, etc.)
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States and eligible for full‑time employment on a W‑2 basis.

Responsibilities

Schedules and conducts visits in the least-restrictive, most home-like location (the first preference being within the family's home) while ensuring the safety of the children.
Initiates and maintains ongoing communication with families that is culturally sensitive, utilizing family’s preferred language considering a family’s faith and culture.
Ensures the environment for parent-child contact is safe, non-traumatizing, and promotes healthy attachment.
Uses strengths-based, solutions-focused, family centered, trauma informed strategies to elicit family input.
Advocates for parents/families as necessary and supports them in advocating for themselves.
Uses a process to gather information which includes reviewing collateral information and inquiring about family's natural supports.
Completes required assessment tools including but not limited to bio-psychosocial assessments, Rose Wentz Matrix and SVS Caregiver Surveys.
Documents contacts with families in agency's progress notes and DCP&P contact sheets.
Creates a visitation plan with active familial involvement and updates the plan at regular intervals.
Facilitates visit planning meetings and participates in other relevant meetings.
Initiates and maintains ongoing communication with DCP&P, other providers, and supports.
Links the family to community resources, formal and informal supports, and coordinates with DCP&P.
Collaborates with and shares relevant information with DCP&P staff, other providers, and supports.
Provides therapeutic support and modeling around appropriate and nurturing parenting.
Uses clinical interventions and trauma informed approaches to promote behavioral change in caregivers and children through education, modeling, reinforcement, and empowerment.
Interventions may include but are not limited to: Elements of family counseling, play therapy, art therapy, and/or individual therapy; focused on improving parenting skills, attunement, and communication within the family.
Intervening in the event of a safety issue.
Incorporating trauma informed care to all facets of treatment.
Creates an environment that empowers family members, including parents, children, and caregivers to communicate their goals and needs.
Utilizes various interviewing and/or communication techniques in a culturally competent manner.
Recognizes non-verbal communication and maintains good eye contact and posture.
Enhances parental skills by goal setting, modeling, mentoring, reinforcement, feedback and reflection through a trauma-informed perspective.
Prepares for each visit with caregivers reviewing goals and expectations and encouraging them to be the lead in visit planning.
Debriefs with caregivers after each visit to allow for processing and self-reflection and discussion of strengths and challenges.
Provides in-home aftercare services in the event of reunification of families.
Provides transportation for parents and/or children to and from visitation location.
Engages in case presentations and completes timely documentation.
Prepares case presentations and engages in case discussions/consultations.
Maintains electronic health record and completes all internal and external documentation needs in accordance with program guidelines.
Perform other duties as assigned.