Title: Family Educator (Family Visitation)

Status: Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Supervisor: Program Coordinator, Director for Family Support Services

Salary: $19.23 - $21.15 per hour

Function:

Family Educators provide weekly supervised family visitation to children and non-custodial parents and facilitate parenting education to the families we serve. Family Educators also provide case management and supportive counseling to families referred by the Department of Social Services and/or involved with preventive agencies.

Requirements:

• This position requires knowledge about, understanding of, and an ability to work with children and families, with expertise in early childhood development.
• BA/BS in social work or related field is required.
• Possession of a reliable vehicle and valid NYS driver’s license is a must.
• Ability to transport clients in personal vehicle.
• Maintain required car insurance with $100k/$300k liability coverage. 
• Candidate must have the ability to work irregular hours.
• Fluency in Spanish and English is preferred.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match up to 5%.
• Generous paid vacation, holiday, sick and personal time package (2 weeks’ vacation in first year, 13 paid holidays per year, 12 sick days per year and 4 personal days per year).
• Access to Family Services’ Compassionate Leave Program where employees can donate/receive unused time off.
• Group term life and long-term disability insurance.
• Supplemental life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment coverage (AD&D),
• Supplemental insurance through Aflac.
• Employee assistance program (EAP).
• Pet insurance.

Our Mission:

Family Services brings people together to find the support they need, improving their lives and communities, and building a stronger safer Hudson Valley.

Our Values:

Compassion – Extending empathy and understanding to others.

Integrity – Being honest and dependable.

Hope – Believing in the strength of the human spirit and heart, to emerge and thrive when faced with a challenge.

Diversity – Promoting a vision of community comprised of wide-ranging assets.

Respect – Treating all individuals with dignity and without judgement.

Community – Recognizing and reinforcing the importance of our world as being comprised of people of differing strengths and perspectives.

Justice – Promoting social and economic equity and fairness.

Quality – Aspiring for excellence in every aspect of our work.

Job Responsibilities:

• Teaching, advising, coaching, and supporting families in mastering parenting skills through supervised family visitation using the Nurturing Program curriculum.
• Maintaining a flexible schedule so that visits can occur in early morning or evening hours if needed.
• Maintaining accurate visit records, documentation, and reports.
• Collaborating with DSS preventive and CPS workers, and other service providers to ensure family cooperation with mandated services and child service needs.
• Ability to work with people from many different racial, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Provide transportation to parents and children for visits and services in personal vehicle, as needed.
• Possess strong teaching/coaching skills; meet the needs of family members with effective solutions. Possess compassion and empathy. Ability to work irregular hours on short notice.
• Modeling nurturing attitudes and behaviors in all contacts with program participants and teammates while acting in congruence with Nurturing Program philosophy, methods and Standards of Practice.
• Provide excellent and thorough customer service to all family members.
• Possess strong teaching/coaching skills; meet the needs of family members with effective solutions.
• Possess ‘out of the box’ thinking and resourcefulness.
• Ability to work effectively when under extreme pressure.
• Ability to work independently; but relate issues to manager appropriately.
• Attend supervision meetings, staff meetings, and trainings as required.

Competencies:

• Computer literacy
• Strategic thinking
• Organizational skills
• Client focus
• Time management
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred
• Communication and public speaking skills

Other Requirements:

• Ability to work effectively when under extreme pressure.
• Ability to complete visit records on a timely basis.
• Working knowledge of community resources in Ulster County (training provided).
• Must be able to work indoors and outdoors and travel in different areas of Ulster County.
• Ability to manage frequently changing schedules based on client needs.

#INDCP

Work Environment – As a Family Educator, majority of time will be spent conducting supervised visits at the program location, advocating for families, and helping families become self-sufficient. Family Educators are required to have supervision on a weekly basis and be able to take direction from either supervisor and/or co-workers based on the situation. Training on the program curriculum is provided. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and our goal is to be a diverse workforce representative of the community we serve. Family Services follows federal, state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment. We do not discriminate against employees or applicants in violation of those laws.