FAMILY SERVICES, INC

Job Description

Title: Orange County Family Educator

Status: Full-Time, Non-Exempt; $21.15 Hourly/$38,500 Annually

Supervisor: Program Coordinator

Function

Family Educators provide weekly home visits and facilitate two or three parenting groups per year. Family Educators also provide case management and supportive counseling to families referred by the Department of Social Services and/or may be involved with preventive agencies.

Family Educators enthusiastically support, practice, and communicate the agency’s mission and statement of values. 

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 Agency Values

Integrity - Being honest and trustworthy

Compassion – Extending empathy and understanding to others

Hope - Believing in the strength of the human spirit and heart, to emerge and thrive in the face of challenge

Diversity – Promoting a vison 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 – Striving for excellence in every aspect of our work

Requirements

• This position requires knowledge about, understanding of, and an ability to work with children and families, with expertise in early childhood development.
• Possession of a reliable vehicle and valid NYS driver’s license is a must.

• BA/BS in social work or related field is required.
• Candidates who are bilingual in English and Spanish are preferred
• Working knowledge of community resources in Orange County (training provided). 
• Candidate must have the ability to work flexible hours.

• Must be able to work indoors and outdoors and travel to different areas of Orange County. 

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 to start, 13 paid holidays per year, 12 sick days per year and 4 personal days per year).
• 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).
• Access to Family Services’ Compassionate Leave Program where employees can donate/receive unused time off.

Job Responsibilities

• Teaching, advising, coaching and supporting families in mastering parenting skills through home visits and/or group facilitation.
• Maintaining a flexible schedule so that home visits can occur in early morning or evening hours if needed based on client needs.
• Provide transportation to parents and children for visits and services in personal vehicle, as needed.
• Maintaining accurate visit records, documentation, and report on a timely basis. 
• 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.
• Possess strong teaching/coaching skills; meet the needs of family members with effective solutions. Possess compassion and empathy.
• 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 ‘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. 
• Complete client-facing and administrative duties as assigned by supervisor based on program need.

Competencies

• Computer literacy 

• Strategic thinking
• Organizational skills 
• Client focus 
• Time management 
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred 

• Communication and public speaking skills
• Attention to detail

Work Environment

As a Family Educator, most of the time will be spent conducting home visits, 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 supervisors and/or co-workers based on the situation. Training on program curriculum is provided.

#INDCP

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.