Therapeutic Support Worker at Ascentria Care Alliance in Worcester, MA

Ascentria Care Alliance employees and volunteers take pride in the impact they have on the people they serve. It’s more than just a job, it’s an opportunity our employees have to care for and share in the lives of people who greatly need and appreciate their presence. Ascentria Care Alliance focuses on every child, elder, disabled person, refugee, endangered teen or teenage mom in order to build stronger communities one person at a time. This is an excellent opportunity to enhance the operations of a $75m non-profit social services organization with programs throughout New England.

Summary:

The Therapeutic Support Worker works with families affected by abuse and neglect. Therapeutic support workers assist families by supervising family visits and providing supportive counseling, health and safety education, basic parenting education and assisting with resource/coordination of services. This is a flexible hourly position, with most visits taking place during afterschool/evening hours and some weekends.

Essential Responsibilities:

· Develops and implements treatment plans;

· Provides needed supports required for treatment goal attainment

· Helps families increase their skills to effectively parent their children during supervised visitation;

· Develops and maintains positive relationships with children, families and community providers.

· Promotes program through community networking and positive representation to internal and external committees, government entities, etc.

· Attendance and participation in TFC team and/or committee meetings is required.

· Provides assistance to families in using community resources to meet social, medical, educational, vocational and financial needs.

· Facilitates and coordinates family visitations; transports children and/or their families.

· Requires working a flexible schedule including evening and weekends

· Develops and maintains documentation, including visit notes, contact logs and monthly reports;

· Serves as advocate for TFC families and children at various community levels, as appropriate to the objectives of the program.

· Responsible for completing all mandatory training on a timely basis

· Open, honest and supportive communication with teammates and supervisors

· Active support and follow through on team goals and participation in team building

· Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein to help meet the goals of the program or the agency.

· Job must be conducted at all times in a way that respects the rights, privacy and the dignity of the children and families we serve and adheres to all contractual regulations.

Non-Essential Responsibilities:

· n/a

Qualifications (In all cases indicate whether qualification is required or preferred):

· High School Diploma with 4 years experience working with families required, Associate’s Degree in Human Services or related field with 2 years experience working with families preferred.

· Must be at least 22 years of age;

· Demonstrated ability to serve and care for people in need.

· Ability to understand and follow policies and procedures

· Understanding and support of the Ascentria Care Alliance mission and vision statement

· Understanding of and ability to work positively with children and parents with mental health challenges and/or intellectual disabilities

· Understanding of and ability to set professional boundaries

· Reliable attendance for scheduled hours and the willingness to be flexible in covering additional hours

· Ability to effectively manage client behavior, foster independence, and maintain perspective and a sense of humor

· Ability to handle people and situations with compassion, diplomacy, and tact

· Ability to set priorities and to be clear and directive when needed

· Ability to provide documentation such as valid driver's license, evidence of automobile insurance and a clear criminal record and central registry check as required to work in community services

· Ability to work cooperatively in a team environment and to problem solve unexpected/unpredictable circumstances calmly

· Good oral and written communications skills

· Able to sit, stand, climb stairs, and move about the sites

· Able to drive a car or van

Trainings Required:

Complete a minimum of 20 hours per year of in-service training, as follows:

At least 8 of the 20 hours shall be family systems training; and 12 hours of the overall training hours may be provided in supervision and staff meetings that relate to general therapeutic topics such as:

· Substance use disorders:

· Child abuse and neglect;

· Labor and sex trafficking;

· Sexual abuse;

· Domestic and family violence;

· Behavioral health needs of children and families;

· Safety planning for family members;

· Crisis intervention techniques;

· Early childhood screening and child development;

· Trauma informed practice, including screening and evidence-based practices;

· Treatment of any co-occurring disorders;

· Restorative practices and delinquency prevention;

· Behavioral management techniques; and

· Infant safe sleeping practices.

Physical/Mental Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; sit and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.

· Required to sit for long periods of time.

· Infrequent light physical effort required

· Requires driving own vehicle to various sites

Mental Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to problem solve, make decisions, interpret data and organize.

· Ability to do detailed work with high degree of concentration

· Ability to work under stress or in a fast-paced environment.