THE AGENCY: Bridges Homeward is one of the oldest human services agencies in Greater Boston. Founded in 1873 as the Avon Home, an orphanage for local children, Bridges Homeward has a long and distinguished history of serving children, adolescents, individuals and families in the Cambridge area, Greater Boston and its suburbs. Today, Bridges homeward provides services for foster and group care, adoption, developmental disabilities, and family support, which are all programs that support individuals and strengthen families in more than 100 cities and towns throughout Massachusetts.

PURPOSE & SCOPE: The Home Visitor of Healthy Families-Massachusetts (HFM) is a member of the Bridges Homeward Team who utilizes a strengths-based, skill-building framework of service. HFM includes the whole family in service delivery, engaging fathers, mothers, babies, and extended family members. 'Extended family' is defined by the participant and may include significant support systems such as those individuals the family has identified as their kinship network. Through attuned interactions, HFM staff encourage participants at their own pace to develop the knowledge, skills, and support networks that will enable them to be strong, resilient parents with access to the resources needed to successfully manage their lives and be the best advocates for themselves and their children.

The Healthy Families Program's goals are to:

• Prevent child abuse and neglect by supporting positive, effective parenting skills

• Achieve optimal health, growth, and development in infancy and early childhood
• Promote increased educational attainment, job, and life skills
• Reduce unintended repeat teen pregnancies
• Promote optimal parental health and wellness

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Fathers engagement home visitor is responsible with partnering with community organizations to increase father engagement in the program.

Primarily focus on recruitment of fathers by attending trainings, going out into the community, partnering with different father networks.

Home Visitor will work with fathers, and mothers as needed

The HFM Home Visitor:

• Provides parenting education and support in-home and in group settings
• Helps to Reduce violent, impulsive, and risky behaviors among adolescent parents
• Promotes safe and healthy homes
• Improves family self-sufficiency while helping the most vulnerable families
• Utilizes the Protective Factors Framework to provide in home services in order to support families in increasing resiliencies, resources, knowledge, skills, and support systems
• Organizes and manages a caseload of families and children referred to Healthy Families Massachusetts
• Collaborates with parents, children, community resources, and HFM staff in developing plans, specifying resources and services needed, making referrals, and monitoring service provision
• Maintains regular contact with collaborating partners
• Provides conflict resolution and mediation for families
• Monitors safety of children in the home
• Maintains complete, detailed, and accurate records
• Helps support or present information alone or with other team members at parenting workshops

Duties and responsibilities are carried out in conformance with relevant Competences (attached).

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Highschool Diploma
• Minimum of one year of experience providing case management and/or counseling services to children, adolescents, and families; preference given to those with experience working with pregnant or parenting teens or young adults
• Lived parenting experience preferred
• Bilingual required; we are seeking candidates that speak English and at least one of the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole.

Other requirements:

• Valid driver's license and properly insured vehicle