Family Support Services Specialist
Seattle, WA
US Programs – US Education /
Regular, Full-time /
On-site
ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that is fighting for change that lasts, right here in the U.S. and across the globe. We bring sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. The organization is approximately 75 years old and has worked in over 100 countries around the world since its founding.
In the United States, we come alongside local churches, community organizations and hundreds of individual volunteers to support newly arriving refugee and other immigrant families. Today, we are proud to partner with over 6,000 local churches, and 95,000 volunteers globally to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.
POSITION SUMMARY:
Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten? Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor?
If you answered ‘yes’, to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you.
World Relief Western Washington (WRWW) seeks a Family Support Services Specialist to help expand our Family Support Services (FSS) program to the local immigrant, refugee and asylee community. FSS provides individualized support to children and families in accessing and navigating various early childhood and learning systems as well as school systems and other supports for students. FSS also provides pro-active support with accessing various community resources and opportunities such as childcare subsidy, student enrichment, behavioral health supports, and student scholarships.
Role & Responsibilities
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Outreach, Enrollment and Intake: Build and maintain the FSS program caseload by following up on referrals from within WRWW, community partners, and direct family requests. Follow all due intake and enrollment process. Conduct community outreach efforts as needed.
- Family Engagement: Partner with families in a culturally responsive and healing centered framework- assessing their requirements, setting goals based on strengths and barriers, facilitating community and resource connections, and offering them relevant supports. Ensure sustained engagement through active follow-up and relationship-building with families. As needed, provide home-visits and accompany families to help with navigating systems.
- Resources and Systems Navigation: For families with children under 5 years of age, assist and support with applying for WCCC subsidies, childcare, and early childhood systems such as ECEAP/Head Start, Preschool and home-visitation programs, and Kindergarten. Provide follow-through until enrollment and any additional support needs are met for the family. For families with school age children, assist and support with school navigation including any school registrations, IEP or 504 plans, and other academic or English language learning needs for the students. Research and facilitate connection of families with enrichment opportunities and tutoring supports. Provide support with accessing resources for behavioral and mental health needs of students.
- Community and School partnerships: Build partnerships and collaborate with various schools, school districts, ECEAP centers, and other community partners to help families navigate systems more easily and access available resources. Continue to build the resources list and establish connections with local organizations & partners to continue expanding the availability of quality services for refugee and immigrant families and children.
- Family Engagement events: Support with coordinating and organizing family engagement events, programs, and trainings/workshops. Coordinate and support with initiatives to provide family resources and meet felt needs (e.g., backpack drives).
- Assessments: Administer ASQs and PICCOLOs screenings, and any other internally developed assessments or surveys, and provide any follow-up services with regards to child development, disability services, and family well-being.
- Documentation: Use internal tools and database to collect, track and update participant information, documents, case notes, feedback, and other program details. Work closely with the Coordinators and Program Manager to ensure all early childhood programs data are recorded in a timely manner.
- Kinders Camp: Support with Kinders Camp and other summer programs, including outreach, enrollment, classroom support, and parent communication, as needed.
- Teamwork: Assist the rest of the Children and Family programs team with work planning, services, and support with other planned program activities as needed. Contribute to overall programming with insights and expertise in order to strengthen the programming to best serve our families and children in the community.
- Other related duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- Strong knowledge and experience supporting caregivers in accessing and navigating early childhood/learning and school systems
- Strong collaboration skills to partner with caregivers, team members and community partners.
- Creative, resourceful, and self-motivated
- Strong organization and time management skills
- Cross cultural sensitivity and humility- demonstrate active listening and engaging with culturally diverse families and supporting them with goal setting and navigating language and cultural barriers in a respectful and productive manner.
- Pro-active in building partnerships, researching resources and facilitating opportunities for children and families
- Accountable and thorough with excellent follow-through on each task
- Experience with planning/coordinating programs and events for families and children is preferred
- Experience with kindergarten readiness and social and emotional development and support is preferred
- Proficiency in Microsoft applications (Word, Excel); and ability to learn other internal applications
- Ability to work in office setting, participant homes, and/or partner sites
Requirements
- Mature and personal Christian faith
- Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief
- Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities
- Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Reliefs Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Evangelicals For the Health of The Nation document
- Bachelors in Education or Social work or equivalent combination of education and experience required
- At least 1-2 years of social work or casework experience working with families in accessing community resources and navigating systems related to children/students
- Skilled at active listening, providing trauma-informed care, and engaging families and children in a culturally responsive manner.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English- additional proficiency in a common refugee/
- Must be able to establish strong relationships cross culturally
- Ability to communicate effectively, professionally, collaboratively, and positively with caregivers, students, volunteers, and other staff
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Ability and willingness to travel to participant homes, partner and program sites
- Valid Driver's license and ability to pass a driving record check
- Current (or ability to quickly secure) CPR/First Aid Certification required
$27.75 - $28.60 an hour
World Relief offers a competitive benefits package (25 hours + per week):
- Medical, Dental, Vision
- Offer 16 company Paid Holidays + 4 additional Personal days per year!
- Paid Sick and Vacation Time
- Paid Parental Leave (12 weeks for qualified employees)
- FSAs: Medical & Dependent Care, & Commuter Funding
- Supplemental Life Insurance (employee, spouse, and children)
- Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity, and Accident insurance policies
- Legal Shield Insurance
World Relief pays 100% for eligible employees:
- Group Term Life (employee, spouse, and children)
- Long Term & Short-term Disability
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D)
- Long Distance Travel Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
World Relief - Retirement:
- 401K & Roth
- WR matches up to 4%, then an additional quarter percent up to 10%
- Eligibility: Full Time (40 hours per week) is eligible after 3 months of employment. Part time is eligible after 1000 hours in a year.
World Relief Discounts (Immediately Eligible):
- Verizon
- Pet Insurance through Nationwide
- Home and Auto insurance through Liberty Mutual
- Working Advantage Discount Program
- Active & Fit Gym Membership
World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Gold-level Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation for exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations and execution, and whole person health.
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 required to have ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations
· The ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of 10-15 pounds.
· Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read application information.
· The employee frequently is required to sit, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
· General office setting. World Relief also offers hybrid and remote schedules for limited positions.
· Great lengths of time working on computer, reading from computer screen, entering information, standing at copier or fax machine, and some time on the phone or in virtual meetings may be required.
· Year-end archiving activities involve repeated lifting and bending.
· Physical, emotional and intellectual demands
· Equipment used: Employee computer (desktop or laptop), printer, and copier.
· All of the above duties and responsibilities are essential job functions subject to reasonable accommodation. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements. Individuals may be required to perform any other job-related instructions as requested by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation. This position description is not all-inclusive and is always under review.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V.
For World Relief staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Legal Background in the United States
World Relief is both an equal opportunity employer and a faith-based religious organization. World Relief strictly prohibits and does not tolerate unlawful discrimination against employees on the basis of person’s race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law, which does not conflict with the protections afforded World Relief as a faith-based employer.
In addition, physical or mental limitations will not be a factor in the application of World Relief's employment policies or employee practices, except for those situations in which occupational requirement make consideration of such factors necessary.
Pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 702 (42 U.S.C. 2000e 1(a) World Relief has the right to, and does, hire only candidates who agree with World Relief’s Statement of Faith.
