Family Development Specialist; TPSN Northern Region

Position Title: TPSN Family Development Specialist I, II, and III (Covers the Northern Regions:

Dekalb, Kendall, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago County)

Department: TPSN

Reports to: TPSN Family Development Supervisor

Position Objective and Summary:

The Family Development Specialist works with young parents who are in the care and custody of the State of Illinois and their children. The Family Development Specialist promotes the crucial connection between parents and children by building skills, knowledge, support and confidence. The Family Development Specialist promotes healthy parent and child relationships through clinical assessment and support, psychoeducation and linkage with community resources.

The primary responsibilities of this position are providing parenting and clinical support and assessment, completing New Birth Assessments for young parents and communication with and training of Network partners while utilizing UCAN's Clinical Philosophies through Trauma Informed practice and Positive Youth Development.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Builds and Supports Emotional Well-Being and Parenting Skills

• Provides clinical support to young parents to help them increase their functioning in life domains and examines how their trauma histories impact them in their daily life and the parenting of their child(ren).
• Provides individualized psychoeducation and support to young parents regarding parenting, child development, well baby care, and health and safety issues including safe sleep practices.
• Provides individualized psychoeducation to parents about methods of family planning and sexual health.
• Ensures linkage to the community for services that young parents need to be successful through enhancing the Community Map with the service team.
• Assesses young parents for post-partum depression to make recommendations and necessary referrals for services.
• Assists in evaluating the young parent's desire and ability to parent and makes recommendations to the case manager for additional services such as Options Counseling or a more comprehensive parenting assessment, Psychological or Psychiatric evaluation.
• Engages partner/other parent in services and assists with establishing paternity and filing for child support if desired.
• Demonstrates insight regarding client strengths and needs and incorporates this into parenting/therapy services.
• Completes a New Birth Assessment (NBA) and all required assessment tools when assigned.
• Identifies any concrete needs of parent and child.
• Evaluates the current level of parent-child interaction.
• When necessary, provides training directly to clients; i.e. safe sleep training, appropriate caregivers.

Documentation and Reporting

• Communicates with the case manager at least monthly regarding progress and participation.
• Participates in all staffings concerning assigned young parents and provides information and recommendations for additional services and actions.
• Reports client progress in court proceedings (when necessary) through clear written reports submitted as required, and through accurate verbal testimony.
• Makes recommendations to case manager for needed services and supplies.
• Makes frequent reports to supervisor on progress of client services.
• Maintains accurate, complete and timely client records as required by ucan and TPSN policy and procedures.
• Enters updates and maintains accurate data in the Pro File data system, as required, including the documentation all contacts in Pro File within one week of occurrence.
• Reports all critical incidents, incidents of abuse or neglect, and unusual incidents to supervisor, management, or DCFS as required by ucan, TPSN or by mandated reporting law.
• Submits all completed documentation required via the New Birth Assessment within 60 days of the birth of a child.
• Within 14-days of completion of the New Birth Assessment, shares the results and recommendations with the case management team.

Organization and Service Delivery

• Responds in a timely manner to all written correspondence, email and phone call inquiries regarding clients.
• Studies, learns and uses ucan, TPSN and DCFS procedures for providing services to clients.
• Explains TPSN's services to clients and families and assists them in the utilization of all available resources.
• Assists young parents in finding appropriate recreational activities for parent and child.
• Assists young parents in developing or enhancing their Community Map by connecting and building relationships with community resources.
• Transports young parents and child(ren) to medical, childcare and recreational events when appropriate.

Building Relationships and Networks

• Maintains client face-to-face contact through at least once per month home visits.
• Engages resistant and/or mandated clients in services.
• Develops effective helping relationships with young parents and their children.
• Provides outreach to client, family members and other significant people in the client's life to maintain contact, develop resources for the client, and work on…