Child First Care Coordinator

MID-FAIRFIELD CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER INC•Norwalk, CT

6d•$22 - $25•Onsite

About The Position

The Child First Care Coordinator partners with a licensed Mental Health and Developmental Clinician to engage families referred to the Child First home-based intervention. Together, the Care Coordinator and Clinician support family stabilization, with the Clinician providing psychotherapeutic caregiver-child intervention and the Care Coordinator leading connections to community-based services and supports. The Care Coordinator maintains Child First’s reflective, relationship-based approach, helps caregivers strengthen executive functioning skills, and engages young children in interactive play at home. The role aims to reduce stress in the home and promote healthy development for infants and young children. The Care Coordinator contributes community resource expertise, participates in collaborative family assessment and care planning, addresses barriers to services, and helps families in urgent situations. The position also involves close teamwork with the Clinician, reflective supervision, training, assessment tracking, documentation, and other clinical and administrative activities. The position reports to the supervisor named in the letter of appointment and is accountable to that supervisor for professional activities at Mid Fairfield Community Care Center.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in child development, psychology, nursing, human services, or a related field.
At least three years of experience working with culturally diverse families and children under six years old.
Openness to learning, capacity for self-reflection, and willingness to participate in reflective clinical supervision.
Knowledge of early childhood development, parent education, parent-child relationships, and individual, family, and community risk factors.
Experience working in home- and community-based settings with vulnerable populations from diverse cultures and ethnicities.
Strong commitment to the vision, mission, and goals of Child First.
Highly organized, self-motivated, reliable, and flexible; willingness to work nontraditional hours, including at least two evenings.
Ability to work as part of a team and communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
Computer proficiency, including experience with Word and Excel.
Reliable vehicle and appropriate insurance for home visits.
Ability to follow program and agency protocols and make independent decisions in families’ best interests.
Strong service-needs assessment skills with an acute population.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary team environment.
Ability to maintain healthy boundaries between personal and professional responsibilities in a high-stress job.
Ability to manage conflict appropriately and advocate for victims of violence.
Availability to accommodate families’ schedules, including two evenings per week until 7:00 PM.
Knowledge of person-centered care and appropriate guidance and facilitation skills for families in the context of their culture, health status, and health needs.
Basic group skills and negotiation skills.
Ability to delegate tasks and responsibilities.
Excellent time-management skills.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of and experience with community-based services and supports in the service area.
Ability to speak a second language, such as Spanish, Portuguese, or Creole.

Responsibilities

Provide expertise on community resources to the Child First team and families, including identifying and collaborating with community-based providers and supports.
Participate with the family and Clinician in collaborative family assessments using interviews, observations, interactions, and standardized measures to identify strengths, needs, and challenges.
Promote family stabilization by identifying needed and desired services, incorporating them into the Child and Family Plan of Care, and addressing barriers to services.
Assist families during urgent needs to help avert crises, such as eviction.
Support caregiver executive functioning skills in consultation with the Clinician and Clinical Director.
Maintain a reflective approach to understanding caregivers’ motivation, needs, and potential barriers to services and supports.
Collaborate closely with the Child First Clinician to meet families’ needs.
Use videotaping to enhance therapeutic work with families and reflective clinical supervision.
Provide the identified child and/or other children in the family with interactive, growth-promoting play experiences.
Participate in weekly individual, team, and group reflective clinical supervision with the Clinical Director.
Participate in all aspects of the Child First Learning Collaborative, including in-person training, distance learning, and specialty training.
Track completion of assessments and enter information into the appropriate database.
Maintain documentation for clinical accountability and reimbursement.
Participate in other appropriate clinical and administrative activities.
Follow program and agency protocols while making independent decisions in families’ best interests in office and field settings.
Assess service needs and communicate with families, providers, schools, and community partners.
Maintain professional boundaries, manage conflict appropriately, and advocate for victims of violence.
Manage time and accommodate families’ scheduling needs, including two evenings per week until 7:00 PM.
Build collaborative working relationships with team partners, program staff, and the supervisor.