Bilingual Social Worker

JOB SUMMARY

The Social Worker uses a two-generation or whole-family approach to engage in a process of collaborative, mutually trusting partnership-building with families in order to support responsive and nurturing parent-child relationships; foster strong parenting attachment, safety and well-being; identify family goals, strengths and coordination of services and other supports. The Social Worker is a member of the Early Head Start interdisciplinary team consisting of a Child Family Educator, the Family Involvement Specialist, a Registered Nurse, the Health and Nutrition Coordinator, and the Infant Childhood Mental Health Consultant. Primary responsibilities include: home visitation, intensive case and crisis management, emotional support (individual, family, group) and parenting groups to assigned case load of (30-35) families.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS Responsibilities/Duties 

• Provides home visitation, intensive case and crisis management, emotional support and other social work interventions to assigned case load of (30-35) families.
• Applies relationship-based, trauma-informed, family-centered and infant mental health principles to support the family in reducing stressors and risks that may affect them.
• Engages in mutually respectful, positive, goal-oriented partnerships with families to promote positive child and family outcomes.
• Facilitates the intake process of the assigned family.
• In conjunction with Child and Family Educator, facilitates ongoing screenings and assessments of family’s strengths, risks and needs guided by a bio-psycho-social initial assessment.
• In collaboration with other team members, uses data from screenings and assessments determine appropriate levels of care. 
• Partners with families to develop and monitor family partnership service agreements that supports safety, well-being and self-sufficiency.
• Facilitates Parent Empowerment Workshops, and support groups as assigned.
• Establishes linkages with other service providers within the agency and/or in the community to facilitate families’ referrals and coordination of services.
• Encourages parents to attend parent meetings and program activities and assists with transportation, when necessary.
• Provides guidance and assistance in the planning and facilitation of parent/child group socializations and other programmatic activities
• Supports successful transitions by providing families with the appropriate information, training, and connections 
• Assesses risks to self, child, and family in homes and neighborhoods and takes appropriate precautions and actions. 
• Recognizes environmental and caregiving practices that reduce or increase risks to the health and safety of the infant/young child and parents and take appropriate actions.
• Assists parents in developing safety and/ or crisis plans.
• Tracks information about the family’s progress over time to guide planning, individualization, and communication with families.
• Coordinates and collaborates internally across units and with the Infant Child Mental Health Consultant to support families’ complex needs and ensure integration of services to best meet the individual needs of pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and their families.
• Maintains accurate records and timely documentation of activities with families.
• Participates actively in multidisciplinary team conferences, service area meetings and staff meetings.
• Provides services to families on-site, during home visits, and in various community settings.
• Assists in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of daily program activities.
• Serves as a resource for all staff by promoting integration of all service areas and a positive, collaborative working environment and relationships to understand and support the adoption of best practices for children, families, and staff
• Receives supervision supporting self-reflection, self-assessment, and professional growth
• Participates in all appropriate training, meetings, and peer learning to enhance practice
• Maintains confidentiality of workplace information according to the policies and procedures of HFP and Early Head Start
• Follows policies, guidelines, and expectations related to program requirements and ethical standards in work to support family well-being 
• Identify and use Mandated Reporting regulations and program policies
• Performs other duties as assigned by the supervisor

Education

• Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Social Work or Family Therapy  
• PA State Social Work License or eligibility, when applicable  

Experience: 

Two to three years’ experience with:

• Providing direct service to low-income families with multiple biopsychosocial risks
• Working with pregnant women, infants, and toddlers as well as teens and young adults
• Providing home visits
• Familiarity with community resources and skills to link families and coordinate with appropriate services,
• Working with families affected by homelessness, substance use disorders, interpersonal violence, intergenerational trauma, grief and loss
• Providing trauma-informed and reflective interventions
• Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Excel

Skills/Competencies

• Respects and responds to the cultures, languages, values, and family structures of each family
• Communicates, respectfully, and effectively and demonstrates good verbal and written communication skills. Bilingual skills in English and Spanish are preferred.
• Understands the complexity of family relationships, dynamics, and systems while working in partnership with families 
• Applies the principles of development across the lifespan; values each family member’s unique biology, interests, needs, and potential while nurturing relationships, starting with healthy infant-caregiver attachment. 
• Partners with families to build strong parent-child relationships and supports parents as the first and lifelong educators of their children
• Uses a strength-based, multigenerational family-centered approach when working with families to identify a family’s social supports, goals, strengths, and needs
• Collects information with families and reflects with them to inform goal-setting, planning, and implementation to effect progress and outcomes for families, children, programs, and communities
• Designs goals in partnership with the family and provides opportunities for the family to integrate new learning into their daily routines. 
• Recognizes when immediate assistance or support is needed for a family 
• Addresses challenges and utilizes pro-active, problem-solving techniques to help families find solutions 
• Apply knowledge of early relationships, attachment, brain development, infant mental health, family systems, parenting, and child development to support the family in strengthening healthy family dynamics 
• Recognizes and addresses the stressors that may negatively affect development and family interaction, such as trauma, poverty, homelessness, substance use, mental health issues, incarceration, domestic violence, change in family structure, etc.  Understands supportive strategies for encouraging social-emotional development and addressing challenging behaviors in children and adults, and recognizes the influence of temperament and emotional regulation capacity on behavior.
• Supports parents as decision-makers and help build decision-making and leadership  skills
• Assists families in valuing, building, sustaining and using social connections
• Works with other professionals and agencies to support coordinated, integrated, and comprehensive services for families across the organization, community, and systems
• Builds trusting relationships with other service providers by recognizing the contributions of each service provider, being responsive and using open communication
• Examines one’s thoughts, attitudes, feelings, actions, strengths, and challenges; seeks appropriate support and engages in self-care activities to ensure the ability to effectively support families.
• Maintains professional boundaries by recognizing any tendencies to do things for families which can interfere with each family’s efforts to determine their own goals and develop their own capacities
• Communicates, respectfully, and effectively demonstrating good verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work alone and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Responds to challenges and changes with flexibility, perseverance, cooperation, and collaboration. 
• Mature personality including non-judgmental, resourceful, energetic, dependable, friendly, and confident.

Work Environment:  Standard office setting with extended periods at workstation and periodic use of office equipment in addition to conducting home and community visits.  

Position Type and Work Schedule:  Full time position, typical hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.  Flexible office schedule options available with supervisor approval.   

Travel:  Local travel to families’ homes, multiple sites, community meetings and trainings/conferences, both local and out of town, as per approval from supervisor.  

Physical Demands:  Work is performed within an urban environment. Exposure to illnesses, such as colds, flu, COVID. Physical demands include some physical activity that includes sitting, prolonged standing and/or walking and handling moderate weight objects (up to 30 lbs.). 

Salary and Benefits:  Our employees are our most valuable resource, so we offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package, which can include:  

• Medical with vision benefits
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Life, AD&D and long-term care insurance 
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• • 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a company contribution
• Paid time off including vacation, sick, personal and holiday
• Employee Assistance Program

 Eligibility and participation are handled consistent with the plan documents and HFP policy.