The Home for Little Wanderers·Chelsea, Massachusetts
The Family Partner assists caregivers in improving their ability to navigate child-serving systems by providing one-on-one guidance, coaching, education, and support throughout the care planning process. This role involves working closely with families in the home and community to implement care plan objectives, conducting regular visits, and facilitating access to community resources.
To be considered, all applicants must have experience as a caregiver/parent of a child or youth with special needs and preferably with significant mental health needs
When you join The Home for Little Wanderers, you join a team of professionals dedicated to creating better, brighter futures for kids.
For over 200 years, The Home for Little Wanderers has helped build stable lives and hopeful tomorrows for vulnerable children and their families. Our 25+ community-based and residential programs serve thousands of at-risk youths from birth to age 26. Many of these children have experienced abuse, neglect, trauma, or a disrupted family life. As the oldest child welfare agency in America, we provide them with safe surroundings, permanent loving relationships, and a secure path toward a better, brighter future.
To learn more about the incredible impact our employees have on the lives of children and families, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXedSArtYbg
About the Program
At The Home, we believe strong families are the backbone of strong communities. Our Community Service Agencies (CSAs) provide individualized, family-driven coordination of care to meet the complex needs of children and families who are involved in child and family-serving systems and may be experiencing emotional, behavioral, safety or mental health difficulties.
Each of our CSAs now offer a Family-Based Intensive Treatment (FIT) service which provides short-term, flexible, hands-on support at home, helping families navigate tough times, strengthen connections and keep kids in their communities. The FIT service is designed for MassHealth youth under 21 with serious emotional challenges. It is delivered by a specialized team of clinicians, paraprofessionals, family partners and includes access to prescribers and behavioral therapists.
Candidates who are fluent in more than one language preferred, but not required.
Under the direction of Program Director and Senior Family Partner and in collaboration with the Intensive Care Coordinator(s); works to assist in the improvement of the parent(s)/caregiver(s) ability to effectively navigate child-serving systems.
Must have experience as a caregiver/parent of a child or youth with special needs and preferably with significant mental health needs
Works one-on-one with the parent(s)/caregiver(s) to provide, guidance, coaching, education, and support throughout the care planning process
Participates as a member of the Care Planning Team (CPT) and clearly outlines the goals of the Family Support and Training Services
Works closely with families in the home and in the community, and any existing/referring behavioral health provider(s), to implement the objectives and goals identified in the Individual Care Plan
Conducts weekly face-to-face home or community visits and provides regular, on-going telephone support to caregiver/parent.
Teaches parents/caregiver how to promote linkages with other treatment providers and other community resources and work with the Intensive Care Coordinator
Educates parents/caregivers about how to effectively navigate the child-serving systems and about the existence of informal/community resources available; and facilitates access to these resources
Attends staff meetings. Presents client/family material; consult with supervisor and team members on challenging and difficult client/family issues. Participates in regular individual and group supervision. Attends clinical training and safety practice training.
Completes daily progress notes, documents significant family interactions and collateral work on a timely manner, as per MassHealth requirements
Participates in program activities, including but not limited to, staff and team meetings, training and development needs of the program, and primary on-call rotation
Employee is required to complete all The Home’s training requirements in addition to State dedicated training.
Enters billing according to program requirements and maintains caseload dictated by the program, which is variable.
We are committed to excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion, while simultaneously creating a culture that supports those values. We believe the differences we bring enhance our ability to provide exceptional service and care to diverse children, families, and communities. Moreover, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging align with our values and our mission to help vulnerable children and their families build permanent, positive change.
The pay range listed represents the company’s good faith estimate of the salary or wage range for this position at the time of posting, as required under applicable law. Actual compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including a candidate’s relevant experience, education, skills, and internal equity relative to other employees in similar roles. Candidates with less directly related experience may be placed toward the lower end of the range, while those with extensive or specialized experience may be placed toward the higher end. Market conditions and budget considerations may also influence final pay decisions.
Applicants must have experience as a caregiver or parent of a child or youth with special needs, preferably with significant mental health needs. Minimum education requirements include a High School Diploma/GED with two years of relevant experience, or an Associate's degree with one year of experience, or a Bachelor's degree in a human services field with one year of experience.
Market context
In Massachusetts, behavioral health employers often look for licensed or license-eligible clinicians with experience supporting at-risk youth and families, so demand tends to stay steady for candidates who can work across settings and age groups. These roles can be competitive because employers usually want a master’s degree, a clear licensure path, and practical experience; review the summarized requirements and benefits here, which are AI-summarized from the original job description to save research time, then confirm your licensure status and tailor your application to youth and family work.