The Family Support Specialist is a member of Bridges Homeward's Family Support and Stabilization team serving families, children and youth referred by the Department of Children and Families, or other community providers. This position is part time, 15-20 hours per week, fee for service

The Specialist:

• Provides a range of interventions aimed at empowering families and supporting family capacity to safely care for children in order to prevent out-of-home placement of children and youth, or to support return of children and youth to their families;
• Provides in-home crisis response aimed at stabilizing the family;
• Mediates and supports families in resolving conflicts;
• Supports and educates parents to enhance their capacity to care for their children.
• Collaborates effectively with DCF, teammates and other collaterals in strengthening support systems by utilizing permanency interventions and making appropriate referrals.

The Agency: Founded in 1873, Bridges Homeward (formally CFCS) has evolved over time into a group of dynamic, highly dedicated, mission driven professionals meeting the current needs of the Greater Boston community. Bridges Homeward is committed to strengthening and advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion, for our staff and those we serve. We are seeking staff that align with our commitment, as individuals and as a community, to continually seek to advance racial equity initiatives to address long-standing systemic racial biases and discrimination in our society. Our goal for every person we work with is for them to find permanency; a healthy, nurturing relationship with an adult that they can count on for the rest of their life. Sometimes, permanency in our work means making sure a child can remain with their biological family; sometimes it means ensuring someone with a developmental disability can live with family instead of having to move to an institutional setting; sometimes it means finding a child in foster care a forever family and for other youth it means having a safe, secure parenting relationship with a supportive adult. Join our supportive team environment today!

REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, education or a related field;
• Minimum of one-years' 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;
• Experience in child welfare services preferred;
• Bi-lingual required. We are seeking candidates that speak English and Spanish

Other requirements:

• Valid driver's license and properly insured vehicle