Family Child Specialist

Description:

University Settlement is one of New York City's most dynamic social justice institutions, with an impressive legacy as the first settlement house in the nation. For 130 years, University Settlement has been an anchor in the low-income and immigrant communities where we work, offering pioneering programs in early childhood care and education, youth development, eviction prevention, literacy, theater and visual arts, senior services, and mental health. Each year, we engage over 40,000 New Yorkers through our network of 30 sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Our mission is to empower residents by building on their strengths through comprehensive, quality services that meet the current needs of the community; innovation that anticipates future needs; and advocacy to improve the community as a whole.

Early Head Start offers comprehensive child development services, family support services and advocacy to low income pregnant women and families with children under three years of age. The program provides developmentally appropriate care and home visits to families in the East New York, Brooklyn.

Responsibilities:

• Manage a caseload of families and conduct home visits
• Participate in parent/specialist conferences and activities
• Take some program-wide responsibilities that may include annual events, parent/child groups, etc.
• Develop consistent, stable and supportive relationships with families and children
• Be part of a team in assessing family needs and child developmental status
• Be part of a team in developing an individualized family/child plan addressing family and child needs
• Provide appropriate services to families/children based on the individualized family plan
• Work closely with families on specific issues and difficulties those individual families are experiencing
• Provide families with appropriate referrals and follow-up with families and service providers on referrals
• Provide workshops to families and staff
• Assist in the recruitment of families
• Assist in developing the Policy Council and other parent support groups
• Maintain proper documentation on families and children
• Other duties as requested by supervisor to fulfill job responsibilities

Qualifications: