Child and Family Specialist

Wraparound Approach Services Program Philosophies

1. Participate in the Wraparound Approach Services Program collaborating with the County to enhance the capacity of the health and human services system to improve the lives of children and families by providing responsive, efficient and high quality public services that promote the self-sufficiency, well-being and prosperity of individuals, families and communities.
2. Participate in the Wraparound Approach Services Program that is Family-centered, strengths-based, needs-driven, planning process that supports Family voice, choice, and ownership of strategies to return or maintain children in their Community with normalized and inclusive community options, activities and opportunities which requires perseverance to create and provide a highly individualized planning process to help children and families achieve their desired outcomes.
3. Participates in the a shared model of practice, Core Practice Model, to better integrate services and supports for children, youth, families and communities, for the purpose of providing responsive, efficient high quality services that promote safety, permanency, well-being and self-sufficiency and are grounded in the crucial elements of community partnership, teamwork, cultural competence, respect, accountability, continuous quality improvement and best practice.
4. Participate in the facilitation of the Wraparound Process, which includes a Child and Family Team (CFT) for each child and family. The CFTs develop, implement, monitor and revise, as needed, uniquely tailored Child and Family Plans of Care that include the strengths, underlying needs and related strategies, services and supports to provide whatever it takes to address the needs and underlying needs that need to be clearly documented in the Child and Family Team minutes of the child and Family in order to maintain the child in a safe, nurturing, permanent, community based setting.
5. Promote the Long Term View of the child and Family which are stated, shared, and understood, safety, well-being, and permanency outcomes and functional life goals for the child and family that specify required protective capacities, desired behavior changes, sustainable supports and other accomplishments necessary for the child and family to achieve and sustain adequate daily functioning and greater self-sufficiency necessary for safe case closure.
6. Participates in the Community Based Service delivery approach within the Family's Community that emphasizes strengthening the Family's ability to access traditional, non-traditional and informal services that support the Family in meeting needs.
7. Participates in Intensive Care Coordination (ICC) with other Wraparound team members as it facilitates assessment, care planning and coordination of services to ensure that the team secures and coordinates all necessary services and supports.
8. Participates in Intensive Home-Based Mental Health Services (IHBS) with other Wraparound team members as it facilitates individualized, strength-based interventions designed to ameliorate mental health conditions that interfere with a child's functioning aimed at helping the child build skills necessary for successful functioning in the home and improve the Family's ability to help the child/youth successfully function in the home and community in all Life Domains: the areas of safety, family, legal, money matters, emotional/behavioral, school/educational, house/living environment, work/vocational, and cultural/spiritual.
9. Adapt an Engagement and Strengths Process that creates a trustful working relationship with the Child and Family by assisting them in increasing their participation, validating their unique cultural perspective and hearing their voice and choice.
10. Promote and support the use of a non-blaming, Family-centered approach that acknowledges the Family's strengths, and focuses on ensuring that the Child and Family are active participants in identifying the Child's needs and in finding solutions to their issues and concerns, and avoids the use of technical psychological and diagnostic language.
11. Promote Family Protective Capacity using strengths or resources that reduce or prevent threats of serious harm arising or having an unsafe impact on a child.
12. Promote Self-Sufficiency: The Family's ability to secure the services and supports it needs to keep the child in the Community and thriving without formal assistance.
13. Promote Protective Factor Framework The foundation of the Strengthening Families Approach: parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence of children. To increase the likelihood that child abuse and neglect diminishes and are "promotive" factors that build family strengths and a family environment that promotes optimal child and youth development.
14. At all times ensure a safe environment, which provides for the well-being of each child and leads to permanence

Specific Duties

1. Work with the Wraparound Facilitator and Parent Partner and participate in the Child and Family Team to provide direct services to the Child and Family as identified in the Plan of Care.
2. Work directly with the child(ren) and Family in their respective environment including home/out-of-home placements and their respective communities to help them achieve a permanency.
3. Maintains a close and supportive relationship with the child and family, program staff, community supports and any others who may be involved with the child and family.
4. Participate in Child Family Teem Meetings.
5. Participate in the development of the Plan of Care.
6. Participate in the review and evaluation of the effectiveness of the interventions in the Plan of Care.
7. Participate in the revision of the Plan of Care, if necessary, due to changes within the Family and changes needed in the supports and services provided.
8. Seeks out or creates needed services and supports in the community.
9. Participate in the tracking of outcomes for the child(ren) and Family.
10. Participate in the preparation for transition by organizing after-care supports to ensure long-term stability.
11. Responds and intervenes as necessary and appropriate, and as outlined in the Crisis Response Plan
12. Sets consistent behavioral expectations to clients and caregivers, sets examples of appropriate behavior, and maintains discipline consistently and professionally
13. Provides planned intensive individual support, for emotionally disturbed, at risk, vulnerable children and their families addressing target behaviors or symptoms that are jeopardizing to a child's current living situation.

a. Assist the children engage in, remain engaged in, appropriate activities.

b. Assist the child in minimizing impulsive behavior.

1. Assist the child in increasing social and community competencies by building or reinforcing those daily living skills that will assist the child in living successfully in the home and in the community.
2. Provide immediate behavioral reinforcements, time structured activities, prevent target behaviors, and provides appropriate time-out strategies.

e. Provide cognitive behavioral approaches to behavior change.

f. Collaborate with and provide support for the family/caregiver's efforts and implementation of Behavioral Management Plan.

g. Facilitate de-escalation and crisis intervention and management.

h. Facilitate the child and his/her treatment team in the development and implementation of Behavioral Management Plan.

i. Facilitate the child and his/her treatment team in the development and implementation of Crisis Prevention and Management Plans

j. Complete and submit, in a timely manner, all required documentation of services.

k. Model and teach the strength based, family focused philosophy of service.

l. Coordinate and maintain regular communication and collaboration with the TBS planning team/ ITFC planning team for each child, i.e., families, children, case managers, therapists, placing workers, etc.

m. Assist the children in developing effective social interaction and problem solving skills.

14. . Perform other duties as assigned in support of the Wraparound process.

General Responsibilities

1. Must maintain flexibility with respect to time (evenings and week-ends) and location, when scheduling meetings to accommodate Family participation and effective planning. CFTs are to be held at a place and time that is convenient for the Family. Ideally, all CFTs will be held in the family's home.
2. Must maintain a 24-hour on-call availability unless otherwise specified.
3. Must be able to work with diverse populations and be comfortable working in a variety of environments, including family homes, schools, places of business, and in the community.
4. Must have good written and verbal communication skills.
5. Must be able to complete all paperwork as required and within scheduled time frames.
6. Utilizes Microsoft products - Outlook, Excell & Word and Electronic Case Management Program
7. Provide orientation and continuing education training for staff to equip them to meet the needs of children and families.
8. Provide ongoing Agency Orientation/Annual Training as assigned.
9. Provide other Agency Training as assigned.
10. Travel to in-home settings & transporting of clients using personal vehicle.

Training

1. Participates in all required trainings:

2. Attend and actively participate in 36 hours of Wraparound Approach training prior to working with Wraparound Children and Families.

1. Attend and actively participate in 12 hours of individualized training, including coaching for strength-needs practice, shadowing established Wraparound teams, and one-on-one mentoring of experienced staff members within 90 days of joining the Wraparound team.
2. Attend and actively participate in 16 hours per year of on-going Wraparound or related subject training that is specifically tied to the 10 principles of Wraparound or is relevant to the Wraparound target population.
3. Attend and actively participate in COUNTY provided training.
4. Must participate in the use of Evidence Based Practice Treatment Models.

Continuous Quality Improvement

1. Participates on the Wraparound Approach Quality Assurance Committee.
2. Makes recommendations for operating and capital budgets and insures budget expenditures are within Agency guidelines.
3. Initiates and participates in planning for the refinement and development of services.
4. Participate in the peer record review process to identify presence or absence of required documents and the clarity and continuity of such documents, to include:

a. Assessments;

b. Service Plans;

c. Appropriate Consents;

d. Progress Notes;

e. Evidence of Quarterly Case Supervision;

f. Relevant Signatures;

g. Service Outcomes; and

h. Aftercare Plans.

5. Identify, analyze and address problems, issues and opportunities to continuously improve services.

Working Relationships

1. In every aspect of the work done on behalf of Ettie Lee, demonstrate sensitivity to cultural and socioeconomic differences

2. Works cooperatively, effectively and harmoniously with other personnel and/or service providers or professionals to promote agency goals and missions.

3. Reinforce a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person.

4. Demonstrates consistency in child care management.

5. Establish a respectful relationship with persons served to help them gain skills & confidence.

6. Performs special assignments and tasks as required or assigned.

Supervision and Duties:

1. Receives supervision from Wraparound Supervisor.

2. Collaborates with other Agency staff.

3. Consults with providers of services in the community.

Qualifications:

1. Associates of Arts in Human Services, Social Work or Psychology plus

1. One year experience working with high risk youth.

2. High School Diploma (or GED) plus

a. Three years experience working with high risk youth.

3. Must possess valid California driver's license and have a driving record acceptable to the Agency's insurance carrier.

4. To reduce racial disproportionality and decrease disparity, cultural, racial and linguistically similar staff to client ratios are preferred for each team.

Demonstrates The Ability To:

1. Empower others to solve their own problems.

2. Support the overall goals and objectives of the organization and play an active part in attaining them.

3. Maintain a helping role and intervene appropriately to meet service goals.

4. Set appropriate limits.

5. Facilitate a harmonious working relationship with other agency staff.

6. Maintain a high standard of professional conduct.

7. Consistently display a conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change.

Continues Developing Professionally:

1. Participates in professional seminars, conferences and other meetings for Continuing Education units, to maintain MFCC/LCSW LICENSURE and to increase professional knowledge.

2. Uses agency training system as well as professional workshops and conferences as a resource for improving job knowledge and job performance and for resolving job-related issues.

3. Uses Supervisor consistently and effectively as resource for increasing and improving job

knowledge, job performance and for resolving job-related stress.

4. Stays abreast of laws and regulations regarding all aspects of this position.

Typical Physical Demands of Position:

1. Requires frequent sitting, standing, bending, or stooping for prolonged periods.

2. Requires vision correctable to within the normal range to operate a vehicle.

3. Requires hearing within normal range for telephone use.

4. Requires full range of body motion including handling and lifting.

5. Requires ability to physically restrain resident.
6. Requires working under stressful conditions or working irregular hours