Family Reunification Specialist, Bilingual
Summary: The Unaccompanied Children’s Programs are residential programs for children who have entered the U.S. without parents or documentation. More than a dozen languages are spoken onsite. This position will provide a variety of specialized services. The employee in this position at a residential program may be required to remain on Organization premises during break and/or meal periods and may be required to stay on Organization premises until their replacement arrives. Individual accountabilities and work volume will be established through the development of annual Success Objectives, within the framework outlined below.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Collect and assess family background information through interviewing children, families and care providers and reviewing documents from police, Child Protective Services and other agencies.
- Refer family reunification cases to partner agencies, to include participating in researching, assessing and recommending family reunification options for youth.
- Collaborate with the Office of Refugee Resettlement and affiliate organizations and stakeholders engaged in service provision for unaccompanied children.
- Participate in developing best practices for family reunification service provision.
- Participate in staff meetings, staffing and working groups as required to support the goals and the overall development and implementation of the agency’s strategic plan.
- Determine and report when all family reunification options have been explored and a return to country of origin in not a viable option.
- Participate in referring UAC cases to foster care including the initial preparation of referral.
- Manage relationships with multiple parties (i.e., family members, potential sponsors and stakeholders) and maintain appropriate professional decorum and boundaries when dealing with each.
- Provides advanced advocacy, assessment, and case management services to individuals, families and groups and establishes appropriate service/treatment plans, reviews case progress and determines case closure according to program guidelines and standards.
- Supervises program participants individually or in groups.
- Helps program participant to modify attitudes and patterns of behavior by increasing understanding of self, personal problems, and program participant's part in creating them.
- Provides case consultation as appropriate, and develops/implements special projects such as the development of informational materials, providing training for other staff in social work and treatment/service theory, and participating in assigned professional and community activities.
- Transportation of program participants and/or Organizational property may be required.
- Assist in household maintenance responsibilities, as necessary.
- Complete all necessary forms, case records and statistical reports in an accurately and in a timely manner. And submit such documentation to the supervisor/manager within the designated time lines.
- Develops and maintains professional relationships with social service organizations and government agencies to enhance service delivery and to interpret Organizational programs for outside audiences.
- Adheres to professional standards as outlined by governmental bodies, NASW (and/or other appropriate professional associations), private funding sources, Organization plans/policies and program guidelines. Participates in periodic evaluative reviews and/or in-house and external staff training to ensure that he/she understands and continues to adhere to such standards. Initiates requests for assistance from Supervisor to address new issues or complex concepts affecting adherence to professional standards.
- Other duties may be assigned.
Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Education and/or Experience: Bachelors degree in human services, psychology, social work or related field, and one year of related experience.
- Language Skills: Fluency in a second language is required. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to inquiries, etc.
- Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
- Reasoning Ability: Display an ability to manage complicated cases and make difficult decisions in the best interest of a child or youth. Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
- Other: A valid driver’s license may be required.
Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
- The employee is regularly required to sit, stand and walk.
- The employee is regularly required to use hands to key, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
- The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- The noise in the work environment is moderate.
- These residential programs require that employees are available to work any shift, including evenings and weekends, according to programmatic needs, licensing requirements, and/or contract requirements.
- The employee may be required to remain on Organization premises during breaks and/or meal periods and may be required to stay on Organization premises until their replacement arrives.
Heartland Alliance makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September 1987.