Strengthening Families Specialist

Requisition # : req
16032

Location: St. Louis, MO

Hours: Full-time (40 hrs/week)

At Bethany Christian Services, we believe families provide the strongest foundation for care and connection. We focus on strengthening and empowering families, always advocating for family-centered solutions to keep children safe. Our work began in 1944 with the care of a single child. Today, inspired by our faith, our aim is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus in our services for children, youth, and families.

Working at Bethany means joining a team of nearly 2,000 dedicated professionals with diverse skills, serving communities across the country. Together, we’re united in our mission and these shared values: we’re motivated by our faith, we support one another, we champion justice, we pursue excellence, and we’re in it for the long haul.

As a Strengthening Families Specialist, you will provide life skills services and interventions in a home setting using a strength-based approach that helps to prevent child abuse and neglect. This position is expected to function effectively with moderate supervision while following the guidelines given on procedures, along with agency, federal, and state regulatory requirements.

• Provide home visitation services and interventions to pregnant and newly parenting women and their partners using a strengths-based approach that helps to stabilize families in crisis;
• Provide coaching and support in conflict resolution, career planning, self-sufficiency, education, health maintenance, environmental health, role modeling, child development and goal setting for clients referred by community resources;
• Provide life skills education to clients whose goals may include improving home safety, child behavior management, identifying appropriate childcare, housekeeping, money management, budgeting for food, addressing barriers to transportation, assisting clients in utilization of community resource and overall self-improvement and family function;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• BSW or BA/BS in a human service-related field;
• Two years prior experience in child welfare and/or life skills. Infant mental health endorsement preferred;
• Prior field experience in working with culturally diverse children and families in a home setting;
• Demonstration of strong engagement skills and ability to establish trusting relationships;
• Provide acceptance of individual differences and offer humility working with culturally diverse families through understanding of the strength-based approach and interventions;
• Demonstrate excellent assessment and crisis intervention skills;
• Demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills;
• Demonstrate knowledge of infant and child development;
• Demonstrate willingness to engage in building reflective capacity (e.g., capacity for introspection, awareness of self in relation to others, recognizing value of supervision);
• Have a valid driver’s license with adequate insurance coverage and a reliable automobile. Computer skills sufficient to perform the essential functions;
• Subscription to and integration of the agency Statement of Faith, Mission Statement, and Commitment to Unity.

• Flexibility with working hours and schedule
• Low-cost health benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
• Matching 403B retirement contribution
• Generous time off (11 paid holidays, separate sick and paid absence banks, PTO Your Way)
• Comprehensive employee assistance program