The Village Family Services is a community-based nonprofit organization focused on the prevention and treatment of child abuse and family violence. The agency serves children and families of primarily Latino descent living in the greater Los Angeles area that includes North Hollywood, Glendale, Burbank, Van Nuys, and San Fernando. Our holistic approach towards accomplishing our mission is to provide comprehensive bilingual/bicultural mental health services that address and prevent child abuse and neglect. Services are provided through five major areas: Mental Health, Foster Care, Domestic Violence, Parenting Support, and Wraparound Services.

Current position openings are listed below. If you would like to apply for a position, please submit resume and cover letter to Human Resources at hr@thevillagefs.org.



Post Date: March 1, 2010 Type: Full Time
Start Date: ASAP Salary: Excellent Salary and Benefits
Location: United States - California - North Hollywood
Position Summary: The role of the skill builder is to provide interventions that develop coping and problem solving skills, teach social skills and teach transference of those skills into the home, school and community. These interventions are developed within the collaborative planning process and are prescribed by the program.

JOB TITLE: Child Specialist – Child and Family Specialist

  • MA/BA and two years experience with SED children
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Maintain a non-judgmental attitude toward families
  • Maintain required licenses and certifications to perform role

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

  1. Universal Engagement Skills: The competent The Village Family Services employee assigned to provide direct services, supports and interventions to children and families will consistently demonstrate the capacity to:
  • Meet, greet and make clients and families feel welcome
  • Explain and clarify the role and services
  • Assess and respond to stabilization and safety needs
  • Solicit and review family and youth/young adult strengths, needs, and history
  • Build mutual respect, confidence and trust with youth/young adult and parents
  • Reach and follow agreement with family about privacy needs
    • Specific Engagement Skills: The skilled Skill Builder employed through the Mental Health Department will demonstrate the ability to:
  • Initiate, establish and maintain collaborative relationships in community settings
  1. Universal Planning Skills: The competent The Village Family Services
    Employee assigned to provide direct services, supports and interventions to children and families will consistently demonstrate the capacity to:
  • Develop a thorough understanding of youth/young adult and family history including past  interventions
  • Communicate and translate information with staff, parents, and youth/young adult in way everyone can hear.
  • Redirect problem statements that assign blame
  • Communicate information for care planning meeting
  • Gather and share with other departments to promote consistency of planned interventions
  • Reach agreement with others about implementing those interventions in a purposeful, mission-oriented manner
  • Communicate needs of the youth/young adult and family and methods for determining the efficacy of interventions
  1. Universal Implementation Skills:The competent The Village Family Services employee assigned to provide direct services, supports and interventions to children and families will consistently demonstrate the capacity to:
  • Maintain a healing and helpful relationship with the youth/young adult and their family.
  • Utilize parent and family expertise in problem solving around specific needs and patterns of youth/young adult
  • Encourage consumer and family empowerment and ownership concentrating on natural support and independence
  • Listen to the family and child’s perspective, concerns and interests
  • Implement interventions from Plan
  • Modify and adjust individual intervention techniques for each situation while maintaining the original direction of the plan
  • Assess and respond to a crisis in a prompt and effective and collaborative manner
  • Share information with families and colleagues
    • Specific Implementation Skills: The skilled Skill Builder employed through the Mental Health Department will demonstrate the ability to:
  • Locate and engage community resources and people to meet the needs of the young person and their family
  • Seek and implement assistance/advice from supervisors, colleagues and peers when appropriate
  • Create and facilitates opportunities for young  people and families to participate in community, vocational, social, educational activities designed to increase independence
  • Engage and enlist family and community partners in service delivery
  1. Universal Transition Skills: The competent The Village Family Services employee assigned to provide direct services, supports and interventions to children and families will consistently demonstrate the capacity to:
  • Develop and implement a culturally appropriate transition ritual with families
  • Generate and communicate enthusiasm about next steps for the child/young person and family
  • Inspire confidence in youth/young adult and family about their strengths and ability to successfully transition away from formal services
    • Specific Transition Skills: The skilled Skill Builder employed through the Mental Health Department will demonstrate the ability to:
  • Communicate regularly to youth, young adult and families about transition process
  • Observe, analyze and coach young people and families on behaviors as part of regular transition
  • Develop methods for young people and families to say goodbye to service providers with a culturally and socially appropriate ending ritual
  • Engage young people and families in identifying strengths and concerns about transition
  • Summarize interventions delivered and highlight those that are successful
  • Facilitate young people and family’s identification of resources for continued success

TEAM:

  • Exercise tact and sensitivity in performance of job duties
  • Proactively works to ensure that all information is appropriately communicated to other both orally and through maintenance of agency logs and records
  • Treat all staff with respect, including arriving punctually for all shifts and schedules meetings; exhibit flexibility in scheduling; follow through on gossip or denigrate communicate both honestly and positively; does not gossip or denigrate
  • Develop relationships of trust and respect with all staff members with whom he/she interacts
  • Work cooperatively with all staff, including those not involved in program delivery
  • Provide and accept communication and feedback to strengthen overall programs and activities
  • Seek assistance and advice when appropriate
  • Complete all required reports and documentation in a timely manner; ensure integrity of documentation
  • Actively seek to solve problems

COMMITMENT TO MISSION, VALUE, AND PHILOSOPHY:

  • Understand and demonstrate commitment to agency mission, value, and philosophy in performing skills specific to role
  • Assume responsibility for meeting and maintaining all licensing or agency requirements for personal health, training or other certifications
  • Know and consistently implement agency safety and health procedures
  • Know and follow agency polices and procedures in carrying out all job duties
  • Represent the Agency professionally and appropriately with all constituencies and in the community
  • Perform all other duties as assigned