• Full-time
• Pay: $ 20-22/hour depending on experience
• Location: West Sacramento based with remote work from home option some days of the week. Travel within Yolo County required.      
• Competitive Benefits package including medical/dental/vision coverage

SUMMARY:

The Family Support Specialist (FSS) provides voluntary parent support services to families in Yolo County who are facing challenges or who are overburdened through the Healthy Families Yolo County (HFYC) program.  Families are enrolled during pregnancy or when their babies are newborns. Services can be continued until the child turns 3 years old. Family Support Specialists educate parents on child development, promote positive infant-parent relationships, support parents in setting and reaching their goals, and connect families with community resources to reduce parental stressors and ensure basic needs are met. Services include using the curriculum Partners for a Healthy Baby, administering assessments such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, depression screening, and Domestic Violence screening.

Healthy Families Yolo County:
Healthy Families Yolo County seeks to improve the health of children living in Yolo County by improving the infant-parent relationship and reducing parental stressors.  This is accomplished by enhancing skills and promoting healthy child development and bonding in a safe home environment where basic needs are met.  All expecting parents and parents of newborns have common questions about their child’s development. A newborn can bring joy and happiness, but also stress and overwhelm. HFYC provides support to families in the following areas:

• Self-care during pregnancy
• Soothing a crying baby
• Ensuring child’s adequate nutrition
• Ensuring medical care for child
• Promoting healthy development and bonding
• Creating a safe home environment
   

RESPONSIBILITIES:                                                                                 

• Visit regularly with all assigned families, virtually and in person at their home or another safe location
• Establish a trusting relationship with families to enhance family functioning through nurturing relationships
• Help families identify their strengths and develop parenting skills
• Facilitate setting family goals and support progress towards those goals
• Assist families in accessing health care services
• Share information on resources and connect families to community services
• Attend weekly individual reflective supervision sessions
• Attend required team meetings and staff meetings
• Conduct assessments and use appropriate curriculum and protocols
• Complete home visit records and data entry into program specific database daily
• Ensure that family files are maintained and up to date
• Maintain confidentiality of records as specified in confidentiality agreement
• Perform related duties as required

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must have valid driver’s license and use of own car is required. Mileage reimbursed.
• Minimum of 2 reference checks and a criminal background check
• Candidates will be required to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon commencing employment. Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis for exemptions to this requirement in accordance with applicable law. Applicants should be aware that for external-facing roles, particularly those involving close contact with vulnerable individuals, accommodations that involve remaining unvaccinated against COVID-19 may not be deemed reasonable. YCCA will engage in the interactive process on an individualized basis considering each particular role.
• Ability to comfortably utilize translation apps or language lines to provide intensive services to families in a language other than English preferred.
• Ability to speak and translate Dari and Farsi to provide services to Afghan refugee families preferred.
• Able to sit and/or stand for long periods of time and able to lift 20 lbs. 
• Must be available for occasional evening & weekend work to accommodate families’ availability and YCCA community-based events.
• Effective written and oral communication skills. 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft applications, telework platforms, and data entry preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize assignments. 
• Maturity, ability to use good judgment, and handling confidential information and sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy.
• Must be able to work with culturally diverse populations and have the ability to relate to people with respect for their individuality.
• Experience working successfully with young children and their families.
• Non-judgmental and accepting, willing to relate to families from a strength-based model.
• Able to handle a variety of situations that may be encountered when working with families facing stressors.

EDUCATIONAL AND WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Completion of an Associate Degree is required with greater weight given to people with a Bachelor Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Human Development, or related field of study.
• At least two years’ experience in social services or home visiting. Experience may be substituted for education.

TO APPLY:

Please submit an email with resume, a completed YCCA job application, a list of current references and a cover letter, as separate attachments to: YCCAjobs@gmail.com. Write “Family Support Specialist (FSS)” in the subject line of your email. Your resume, application, references and cover letter must all be received, as attachments, in order to be considered. YCCA job application can be downloaded here: https://www.yolokids.org/career-opportunities