Family Support and Engagement Specialist - Now Hiring

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) envisions a world where children are safe, families are strong, and communities are vibrant.

LSF is seeking a talented Family Supoprt and Engagement Specialist who wants to make an impact in the lives of others.

This postion serves Layette, Suwannee, and Hamilton Counties and requries extensive travel through each county.

Purpose and Impact:

Family Support and Engagement Specialists coordinate all services and interventions for children and their families referred to designated regional programs. This position will facilitate service delivery focused on supporting the parent(s) as well as the child by cultivating the growth of nurturing, responsive parent-child relationships and promoting healthy childhood growth and development within a caring community.

Essential Functions:

• Provides intensive home visitation services for children and their families eligible to receive program services.
• Coach participants to recognize and respond to their babies’ needs at every developmental stage.
• Educate parents on the importance of immunizations and well-child checks.
• Connect parents and children to medical providers.
• Model, observe, and assess positive parent-child interaction that promotes bonding and healthy brain development.
• Screen for parental depression and child developmental delays.
• Assess parenting self-confidence and competencies.
• Teach parents positive discipline techniques, how to cope with the day-to-day stress of parenting in healthy ways and how to problem solve when crises arise.
• Empower parents to set goals that lead to family well-being and self-sufficiency.
• Help parents recognize and address potential safety hazards in and around their homes.
• Provide information on prevention topics including safe sleep practices, water safety, and ways to cope with crying to prevent common preventable causes of child injury and death.
• Accepts all cases assigned by unit supervisor and meet with children and their families in their primary residence within two working days of case assignment.
• Facilitates and conducts approved screening instruments. Conducts initial screening assessment within five working days of assignment.
• Connect parents to community resources that address their unique needs and strengthen their family.
• Assist parents in building resiliency and protective factors including social connections, knowledge of child development, healthy intimate partner relationships, and concrete supports.
• Accurately documents all case activities within 48 hours. Maintains the electronic case file in chronological order, by subject, in accordance with the standardized case file format guidelines.
• Submits timely referrals to services as identified throughout the assessment process. Develops and maintains knowledge of community resources, program eligibility requirements, key contact persons, emergency procedures, and waiting lists of available resources.
• Arranges for, attends, and participates in individual case staffings as necessary. Completes all required staffing documentation.
• Attend all appointments, staff meetings, trainings, seminars, workshops, etc., as necessary, and as required by the supervisor.
• Organize, prioritize, and complete all work assignments by the established deadlines.

All duties are performed in accordance with the following standards:

• Courtesy: Treat customers, the public and staff with courtesy, respect and dignity and presents a positive public image.
• Communication Skills: Keep supervisor fully informed of activities, pertinent issues, upcoming events and potential problems. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills in daily work.
• Teamwork: Support the unit, department and/or organization and work with others in an effort to accomplish the goals of the unit, department and/or organization.
• Safety: Employee makes a reasonable effort to adhere to established safety procedures and practices in the work area.
• Training: Attend and successfully complete all mandated training courses to obtain and maintain program-specific requirements and LSF training requirements.
• Confidentiality: Adhere to all confidentiality rules.

Other Functions:

• Perform other related duties and special assignments as required.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, stoop, kneel, and reach as needed to perform job duties.
• Ability to use hands and fingers for computer work, documentation, and routine office tasks.
• Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and electronically.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment, including computers, phones, and printers.
• Ability to safely travel within the community to homes, schools, offices, and other service locations.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 20 pounds.
• Ability to appropriately interact with children and families in a variety of settings.
• Ability to respond appropriately in stressful or emotionally challenging situations.
• Work is performed in office, home, school, and community-based environments.
• Regular local travel is required.
• Position may involve exposure to varying weather conditions during travel and community visits.
• Work environment may include moderate noise levels and frequent interaction with children, families, and community partners.
• May occasionally encounter emotionally challenging or high-stress situations requiring professionalism and sound judgment.
• Valid driver’s license and appropriate auto liability insurance ($10,000/$20,000) required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Education/Experience:

• Must have at a minimum, a high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED) and at least one year of experience working with or providing services to children or families.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Knowledge of infant and child development
• Ability to establish trusting relationships
• Acceptance of individual differences
• Willingness to engage in building reflective capacity (e.g., has capacity for introspection, communicates awareness of self in relation to others, recognizes value of supervision, etc.)
• Infant mental health endorsement preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with and ability to use Microsoft Office programs Word and Excel.
• Ability to type 45 words per minute.
• Ability to drive both locally and throughout the state in connection with the duties of this position.
• Ability to fully understand case ownership responsibility as the integrator of all services and supports identified for each child and their families, including therapy, other mental health services, health and dentistry, developmental services, educational and other supports.

Other:

• Must demonstrate sensitivity to our service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics and needs.
• Must demonstrate experience and humility to work with culturally diverse families

Principal Accountabilities:

• Reports directly to and follows directives of Program Supervisor.
• Works cooperatively with other Family Support and Engagement Specialists, the leadership team, LSF colleagues and with agency support staff.
• Effectively manages time to ensure that all home visits are completed as required, and all case documentation is entered timely.
• Follows Florida Statutes, Administrative Code, program specific and LSF written policies and procedures.

Why work for LSF?

LSF offers 60 programs across the state of Florida serving a wide range of populations in need. Mission Driven staff members become part of the LSF community while transforming the lives of those in need. Our staff additionally find growth opportunities as they explore areas of interest within the organization.

Amazing benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental and Vision
• Telehealth (24/7 online access to Doctors)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employer paid life insurance (1X salary)
• 13 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday
• Generous PTO policy (starting at 16 working days a year)
  • Note: Head Start employees paid time off and holiday schedule may differ
• 403(b) Retirement plan with 3% discretionary employer match OR 3% student loan repayment reimbursement
• Tuition reimbursement

LSF is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Lutheran Services Florida is mandated to perform background screenings for employment in accordance with the Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse as outlined in Section 435.12, Florida Statutes. Additionally, pursuant to House Bill 531 (2025), Lutheran Services Florida must ensure that all job vacancy postings and advertisements include a clear and conspicuous link to the AHCA Clearinghouse website and its requirements.  For more information on background screening requirements please visit:

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the notice from the Department of Labor.