Family Stabilization Specialist

Within the Family Stabilization Program, the FSS team addresses needs among specific categories of clients, as defined under the REACH Program by the Colorado Refugee Services Program (CRSP). This includes survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, clients living with severe and persistent mental illness, those experiencing suicide ideation, LGBTQI clients, and cases with child welfare concerns, elder abuse or substance abuse. A team of four FSS staff will work in close coordination with one another and with multidisciplinary teams within the IRC, colleague resettlement agencies, external providers, and the Colorado Refugee Services Program (CRSP) to promote stabilization of clients enrolled in the Family Stabilization Program. FSS staff will receive referrals of clients, conduct assessments and intakes, engage in service planning, initiate supported referrals to connect clients to appropriate services and resources within the community, and follow-up to gauge client progress throughout the service period. FSS staff will also play an important role in conceptualizing and delivering psychoeducation and other low-level, non-clinical preventative interventions, including programming designed for gender-, age-, culture-, and language-specific groups that is offered by the IRC in Denver’s Psychosocial Support Program.

FSS staff supervise interns and volunteers engaged with the program, and participate in relevant committees, teams and work groups within the IRC, the CARES program, and the broader community. They also contribute to the IRC in Denver’s efforts to advance its Strategic Action Plan. These positions operate with limited daily supervision and moderate latitude to use independent judgment. They take initiative in designing strategies and tactics that meet client needs and satisfy program requirements, drawing on clinical frameworks to determine the best path forward in partnership with clients.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serving as an advocate for higher risk and more vulnerable clients;
• Building trust and rapport with clients to help coach them toward short- and long-term goals;
• Incorporating a multigenerational approach that holistically serves entire families;
• Responding to cases referred into the program, using a triage framework to prioritize as needed;
• Conducting intakes and assessments, and developing service plans for FSS cases;
• Assessing and determining appropriate levels of treatment and connecting clients to such treatment, whether provided in-house or through supported referrals to external partners;
• Evaluating client progress using the Colorado Family Support Assessment (CFSA) in accordance with REACH program requirements, in addition to other assessments that may be appropriate;
• Developing safety plans with clients as needed and working through crisis situations, including suicide ideation, to restore and maintain client safety;
• Following up on identified FSS client issues until fully resolved, and coordinating with resettlement staff to address issues that are outside the scope of the FSS role;
• Working collaboratively with resettlement agency staff to promote FSS client success and wellbeing, including engaging in consistent communication, building effective referral processes, establishing shared expectations around FSS services, ensuring accessibility for consultation on FSS cases or potential FSS cases, and participating in case planning efforts;
• Using evidence-based tools to gauge impact, capture outcome data and inform program design;
• Partnering with resettlement agencies and other service providers to deliver training and technical assistance that increases their capacity to effectively serve clients who are higher-risk or working through complex needs related to the FSS categories;
• Seeking out partnerships that increase FSS clients’ access to mainstream community services, and acting as a liaison to build and sustain relationships with providers and resources;
• Working with the Psychosocial Support Program and Survivors of Torture Program to conceptualize and implement preventive and responsive programming based on client-identified needs, trends in FSS cases, and input from community partners;
• Maintaining accurate client case notes and documenting all client services in a timely manner;
• Assessing, evaluating and reporting program performance and escalating issues as needed;
• Performing administrative tasks such as completing required documentation, reports, casefile quality assurance reviews, and similar items;
• Identifying needs for additional training or process improvement and contributing to solutions;
• Assuring compliance with the REACH Program guidelines and all other federal and state guidelines, program requirements and IRC contractual obligations;
• Attending meetings with CRSP and others as requested;
• Performing other duties as assigned.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

• Standard office work environment combined with considerable time in the field and in neighborhoods where refugees live.
• Travel in and around the Denver metro area to facilitate service delivery, build community relationships and represent the IRC with community partners.
• Hours outside of typical office hours required regularly.