Family Partner

Our Open • Somerville, MA

14d

About The Position

When you join The Home for Little Wanderers, you join a team of professionals dedicated to creating better, brighter futures for kids. For over 200 years, The Home for Little Wanderers has helped build stable lives and hopeful tomorrows for vulnerable children and their families. Our 25+ community-based and residential programs serve thousands of at-risk youths from birth to age 26. Many of these children have experienced abuse, neglect, trauma, or a disrupted family life. As the oldest child welfare agency in America, we provide them with safe surroundings, permanent loving relationships, and a secure path toward a better, brighter future.

Requirements

• To be considered, all applicants must have experience as a caregiver/parent of a child or youth with special needs and preferably with significant mental health needs
• Must have experience as a caregiver/parent of a child or youth with special needs and preferably with significant mental health needs
• High school diploma or GED and a minimum of two (2) years’ experience working with children/adolescents/transition age youth or Associate’s degree in human service field and one year experience working with children/adolescents/transition age youth or Bachelor’s degree in a human services field from an accredited university and one (1) year of experience working with children/adolescents/transition age youth
• Required to operate a vehicle
• Required to have a valid driver’s license and a “satisfactory” driving record
• Required to have access to a personal vehicle for use during work hours
• Required to use personal vehicle to transport clients on occasion if/when needed
• Must maintain the minimum amounts of liability insurance as required by The Home and/or other regulatory requirements and vehicle registration must be current
• Computer literate including Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer with the ability to learn new software applications

Nice To Haves

• Preferably knowledgeable about the home community(ies) of the families to be served
• Fluency in a second language such as Spanish, Portugese, or Haitian Creole is preferred but not required

Responsibilities

• Under the direction of Program Director and Senior Family Partner and in collaboration with the Intensive Care Coordinator(s); works to assist in the improvement of the parent(s)/caregiver(s) ability to effectively navigate child-serving systems.
• Works one-on-one with the parent(s)/caregiver(s) to provide, guidance, coaching, education, and support throughout the care planning process
• Participates as a member of the Care Planning Team (CPT) and clearly outlines the goals of the Family Support and Training Services
• Works closely with families in the home and in the community, and any existing/referring behavioral health provider(s), to implement the objectives and goals identified in the Individual Care Plan
• Conducts weekly face-to-face home or community visits and provides regular, on-going telephone support to caregiver/parent.
• Teaches parents/caregiver how to promote linkages with other treatment providers and other community resources and work with the Intensive Care Coordinator
• Educates parents/caregivers about how to effectively navigate the child-serving systems and about the existence of informal/community resources available; and facilitates access to these resources
• Attends staff meetings.
• Presents client/family material; consult with supervisor and team members on challenging and difficult client/family issues.
• Participates in regular individual and group supervision.
• Attends clinical training and safety practice training.
• Completes daily progress notes, documents significant family interactions and collateral work on a timely manner, as per MassHealth requirements
• Participates in program activities, including but not limited to, staff and team meetings, training and development needs of the program, and primary on-call rotation
• Employee is required to complete all The Home’s training requirements in addition to State dedicated training.
• Enters billing according to program requirements and maintains caseload dictated by the program, which is variable.

Benefits

• Generous time off including up to 15 days per year for new full-time employees, plus 11 holidays, and 5 sick days
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance available
• Extensive training to new staff
• Tuition reimbursement of up to $2,400 per fiscal year
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with employer match
• Employer paid Long-term and Short-term Disability Insurance, plus Basic Life and AD&D Insurance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees