The mission of Healthy Start is to improve maternal and child health and to reduce poor birth outcomes and infant mortality in Allegheny County.

Hello Baby is a voluntary program for parents of new babies in Allegheny County. The program is designed to strengthen families, improve children’s outcomes, and maximize child and family well-being, safety and security. As part of the Hello Baby tiered support strategy, the Hello Baby Priority program focuses on engagement and support for families with highest need.

Overview:

This is a community-based home visiting social work position contributing to the successful delivery of services and supports for families of newborns in Allegheny County who have complex needs. As a member of the Hello Baby team at Healthy Start, the Social Worker will exhibit expertise in high quality service offerings and will focus on connecting families to services and ongoing follow up with providers through care management (screening, assessment, goal planning, referral and follow up) to enrolled families using the Camden Coalition COACH model. COACH is a five-part framework that trains staff to be empowerment coaches in order to problem-solve with families to determine how to support them in reaching their goals. The COACH model focuses on Empowerment Theory, Unconditional Positive Regard and Transtheoretical Theory (Stages of Change). The successful Social Worker is passionate, knowledgeable of family systems, aware of community resources, is empathetic, is flexible and thinks outside the box, has excellent written and verbal communication skills and embodies the project’s core principles of community engagement, authentic healing relationships, family and child well-being, equity and respect. The Social Worker works in community with the Family Engagement Specialist and is a member of the Hello Baby multidisciplinary team. Social work experience is required; home visiting experience is highly preferred.

The Social Worker is primarily responsible for the following:

• Learning, embracing and promoting the COACH model.
• Employing a strengths-based, “whatever it takes” attitude to serving a population with complex needs; and exploring and embracing the assets of the communities served.
• Co-managing with the Family Engagement Specialist a caseload of around 25 families, focusing on maintaining engagement through a do whatever it takes approach.
• Ensuring that families have access to necessary services (e.g., housing, home visiting, drug and alcohol, mental health).
• Coordinating communication between providers.
• Conducting weekly “rounds” to check with providers about each of the families enrolled in the program, to identify cases of miscommunication, gaps in care, or situations in which too many staff are involved and overwhelming the family.
• Maintaining relationships among the Hello Baby team (Healthy Start and DHS), family support centers and other providers and community resources that contribute to the success of enrolled families.
• Documenting participant service delivery-based to established guidelines and protocols.
• Participating in individual and team case review, reflective supervision, and prescribed trainings and meetings.
• Operates a variety of office equipment, i.e., copier machine, facsimile, etc.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned by immediate supervisor.

Qualifications of Position:

The Social Worker will have at least 3-5 years of progressively responsible social work experience. Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree preferred. Significant experience/training in lieu of degree may be considered.

Additional Requirements:

• Act 33/34 and FBI Clearances are required.
• Must possess a valid unrestricted Pennsylvania Driver’s License, have reliable transportation and able to conduct home visits as needed.
• Must possess current and valid unrestricted automobile insurance and be listed as an insured driver.
• Fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Supervisory Relationship:

This position works under the direction of the Hello Baby Team Supervisor.

Compensation:

The starting salary range for this position is $42,000-$47,000 annually, commensurate with skills and experience.

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Application Instructions:

Send resume and cover letter to HR@hsipgh.org