Job Details

School Based Family Specialist (SBFS)

The OKDHS School-Based Family Services Program is integrated inside the school system to provide families with access to essential resources such as social safety nets, job readiness assistance, programs for improving family bonds, and many other community resources. The SBFS serves as one of the primary contacts between OKDHS, Guthrie Public Schools, students, and families in need. The SBFS coordinates services to ensure that children and youth attend school and have the opportunity to succeed academically.

The SBFS is the link between OKDHS, the school, the families who have children at the school. The SBFS will attend the school districts in-services as well as attend any OKDHS training that is required.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelors Required

Experience: Coordinating program implementation. Technology and telecommunications. Experience in working closely with children and families.

Knowledge: A solid ability to get along with patrons, staff, and administration. Strong presentation/speaking ability. The ability to identify and assess the needs of students referred and connect them to school and community.

Skills: Effective communication and organizational skills, flexibility, and ability to maintain confidentiality. Able to work independently to complete assigned projects. Must possess management, instructional, and data collection skillsstrong emphasis on working with the public and colleagues. Availability of transportation is a must.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The SBFS will:

• Be able to identify and assess the needs of students referred and connect them to school, community or interagency services as needed.
• Assist school personnel in how to identify allegations of abuse or neglect through consultation and training. The SBFS will act as a liaison, in conjunction with the OKDHS Field Representative to CWS and the school if requested.
• Be required to make home visits and sometimes transport children as needed under the schools' guidelines. The SBFS may go to the homes of those children identified by the school and SBFS for various needs.
• Possess the ability to creatively problem solve for solutions in stressful situations and provide social work support for children, families, and school personnel.
• Assist students and families in securing resources for identified needs, such as transportation, housing, personal care, and other needs, which are required to ensure child safety and family protective factors.
• Attend all mandatory training by the school district and training provided by OKDHS.
• Promote positive community relations through effective communication and involvement of community members.
• Maintain confidentiality. The SBFS must understand the Confidentiality Law as it relates to children's issues, OKDHS, and the confidential restraints that exist at the school district.
• Follow up and ongoing support for families to ensure needs continue to be met, satisfaction with services, and identify any new or existing barriers to success.
• Create records by documenting students' situations and activities on our software platform SAMS, which will be used to evaluate outcomes of the program. These referrals and contacts are to be entered timely as a quarterly report will be reviewed.
• Collect, prepare, and report data required for program evaluations/required reporting and quarterly invoicing.

The SBFS may:

• Assist in developing community resources to meet the needs of families and children within Guthrie Public Schools. The SBFS will be able to convene community support groups to help fill gaps in community resources needed to help the children and their families within the school system.
• Participate in school events such as enrollment, open houses, or community resource events to assist and ensure students and families have current and available information regarding services provided.
• Act as liaison to OKDHS when able, which could include gathering information and providing and/or facilitating school in-service presentations and training on OK.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Federal and State Programs Grants Director and OKDHS Program Field Representative, which could include attending IEP meetings, assisting with McKinney Vento/Homeless Liaison, and spearheading attendance incentive programs.
• Be asked to provide some social-emotional support to students.
• Oversee backpack program, food pantry, clothing closets, etc. May help coordinate the mobile summer feeding program and backpack deliveries.
• Work with staff to access district resources that benefit students and their families. The SBFS may be asked to help develop specialized programs (such as tutoring services, truancy, specific counseling services for at-risk children, or after-school activities).
• Participate in Community Partnerships meetings, MDT Teams, School At-Risk/Crisis Teams, CARE TEAM meetings, etc.
• Help mediate disagreements between the school and the family and develop and coordinate prevention and intervention activities within the school. Additionally, the SBSF may inform students and families about bullying awareness, crisis intervention, school safety, and personal hygiene, etc.
• Be required to assist with referrals to outside therapeutic counseling agencies for students and families.
• Serve as a connection to OKDHS and act as a liaison to assist the school in providing community resources by assisting with job readiness/career development and strengthening families.