Equal Opportunity Employer
The mission of the Health Federation of Philadelphia is to promote health equity for marginalized communities by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, and comprehensive health and human services. Health equity is at the heart of all our work. We believe in and are firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status. This commitment applies to all aspects of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promotion.
JOB SUMMARY
The Social Worker uses a two-generation or whole-family approach to engage in a process of collaborative, mutually trusting partnership-building with families in order to support responsive and nurturing parent-child relationships; foster strong parenting attachment, safety and well-being; identify family goals, strengths and coordination of services and other supports. The Social Worker is a member of the Early Head Start interdisciplinary team consisting of a Child Family Educator, the Family Involvement Specialist, a Registered Nurse, the Health and Nutrition Coordinator, and the Infant Childhood Mental Health Consultant. Primary responsibilities include: home visitation, intensive case and crisis management, emotional support (individual, family, group) and parenting groups to assigned case load of (up to 40) families.
JOB SPECIFICATIONS Responsibilities/Duties
- Provides home visitation, intensive case and crisis management, emotional support and other social work interventions to assigned case load of (up to 40) families.
- Applies relationship-based, trauma-informed, family-centered and infant mental health principles to support the family in reducing stressors and risks that may affect them.
- Engages in mutually respectful, positive, goal-oriented partnerships with families to promote positive child and family outcomes.
- Facilitates the intake process of the assigned family.
- In conjunction with Child and Family Educator, facilitates ongoing screenings and assessments of family’s strengths, risks and needs guided by a bio-psycho-social initial assessment.
- In collaboration with other team members, uses data from screenings and assessments determine appropriate levels of care.
- Partners with families to develop and monitor family partnership service agreements that supports safety, well-being and self-sufficiency.
- Facilitates Parents Empowering Parents Workshops, and support other groups as assigned.
- Establishes linkages with other service providers within the agency and/or in the community to facilitate families’ referrals and coordination of services.
- Encourage parents to attend parent meetings and program activities, and assists with transportation, when necessary.
- Provides guidance and assistance in the planning and facilitation of parent/child group socializations and other parent/child programmatic activities
- Supports successful transitions by providing families with the appropriate information, training, and connections.
- Assesses risks to self, child, and family in homes and neighborhoods and takes appropriate precautions and actions.
- Recognizes environmental and caregiving practices that reduce or increase risks to the health and safety of the infant/young child and parents and take appropriate actions.
- Assists parents in developing safety and/ or crisis plans.
- Tracks information about the family’s progress over time to guide planning, individualization, and communication with families.
- Coordinates and collaborates internally across units and with the Infant Child Mental Health Consultant to support families’ complex needs and ensure integration of services to best meet the individual needs of pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and their families.
- Maintains accurate records and timely documentation of activities with families.
- Participates actively in multidisciplinary team conferences, service area meetings and staff meetings.
- Provides services to families on-site, during home visits, and in various community settings.
- Assists in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of daily program activities.
- Serves as a resource for all staff by promoting integration of all service areas and a positive, collaborative working environment and relationships to understand and support the adoption of best practices for children, families, and staff
- Receives supervision supporting self-reflection, self-assessment, and professional growth
- Participates in all appropriate training, meetings, and peer learning to enhance practice
- Maintains confidentiality of workplace information according to the policies and procedures of HFP and Early Head Start
- Follows policies, guidelines, and expectations related to program requirements and ethical standards in work to support family well-being
- Identify and use Mandated Reporting regulations and program policies
- Performs other duties as assigned by the supervisor
