Family Connections Consultant

Family Connections Consultant: Family Consultants in the Family Connections Program help foster therapeutic relationships with families that have been identified by the Department of Child Safety (DCS) to require support in the areas of family functioning, social support, and overall child wellbeing.

Family Connections Consultants assist parents in managing stress and improving parenting attitudes/behaviors, while also providing family resources as needed.

• Provides home-based and community-based services in Maricopa & Pinal Counties to families referred by the Department of Child Safety (DCS) to participate in the Family Connections program.
• Observes the children in the home once per week and reports any suspected child abuse or neglect to DCS.
• Provides direct service to program participants, including outreach and engagement, assessment, personalized service planning, tailored interventions based on assessment and the service plan, coordination of care, and collaboration with DCS & other involved services.
• Conducts home visits once or twice per week at times that are convenient for the family, which may include evenings and weekends.
• Promotes positive parenting skills and recommend referrals to other parenting programs that may better meet the needs of the family.
• Communicates regularly with DCS Specialists and outside agencies regarding participants’ needs and progress.
• Guides families in obtaining needed resources (i.e. housing, counseling, Title XIX or XXI services).
• Attends in-depth training provided by DCS to help families identify strengths and areas of need, empower families toward solutions, and alleviate the reasons for DCS involvement.

Ideal candidates will have:

• Familiarity with skill building, psycho-educational work, and motivational-interviewing.
• Working knowledge of the child welfare system.
• Knowledge of techniques and approaches to identify the child’s/family’s/adult’s underlying, unmet needs and can differentiate needs from services.
• Ability to adjust schedule to the needs of the client, which may include working some evenings or weekends.
• Ability to complete all appropriate documentation of any and all communication with and regarding the family in a timely manner.

• Bachelor’s degree in a human services or related field.
• One year of social services work experience required.
• Familiarity with the child welfare system strongly preferred.
• Experience working with children and families strongly preferred.
• Experience performing skill-building and psycho-educational work strongly preferred.
• Reliable transportation required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Level 1 Fingerprint Clearance Card without restriction(s).
• Valid Arizona Driver’s License required.
• Valid Arizona Auto Insurance with appropriate liability limits to meet contractual obligations.
• MVR Report that meets JFCS criteria for driving positions.
• Ability to pass pre-employment and random drug screens.

Some benefits of working with JFCS:

• Bilingual (Spanish-English) Salary Differential
• Numerous professional development and career growth opportunities.
• Generous paid time off / sick time allocations
• Comprehensive Employee Benefits package, including medical, vision, dental, & more.
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees may be eligible for JFCS Fleet Auto Program after 6 months of continuous employment.
• Mileage reimbursement