Access & Visitation Coordinator

DEFINITION

Under the general supervision of the Access & Visitation Administrator, this position provides hands-on direct assistance and parent education to families and children who are referred for Supervised Visitation services. The incumbent in conjunction with the Administrator develops and implements policies for the program. The Access & Visitation Coordinator is responsible for scheduling, transporting, face to face supervising, and fully supervising visits at established visitation sites, in addition to parental training and education before and after visits.

Families and children being served are involved with local departments of Human Services/Social Services and services may be provided in conjunction with a home-based family preservation program utilizing a strengths-based solution-focus model. The incumbent will act as a Supervised Visitation Advocate and will be responsible for completing family intakes for initial assessment needs. The Access & Visitation Coordinator has access to privileged, confidential and sensitive information. This position requires a confidential relationship to the policymaker.

DUTIES (NOT ALL INCLUSIVE)

• Facilitates visits as outlined by the referral source which may include hands-on assistance and education (several times per week) to family meet goals. Informs parents if they are to provide supplies, snacks or meals.
• Schedules and provides transportation as outlined in the case plans, with availability for flexible scheduling seven (7) days a week.
• Participates in ongoing assessment and evaluation of family goals to provide written and verbal feedback to clients regarding their conduct, interaction and progress within the visits.
• Monitors and provides a safe visitation environment for children; terminates the visit if it is not deemed appropriate or parties involved display improper conduct.
• Clarifies the rules of visitation with all parties involved and notifies the referring agency of violations.
• Connects families to basic needs support to aid in the transition process.
• Collaborates with families in order to complete the Paternity and Child Support Division (PCSD) needs assessments as well as the Family Development Plans (FDP) which establish short- and long-term family goals.
• Attends TDM and VOICES meetings with Department of Human Services staff as needed.
• Performs other related duties as required.

FACTOR 1 — KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION

• Knowledge of federal and local child support laws.
• Skill in performing counseling and crisis intervention.
• Skill in Microsoft Office to include Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
• Ability to develop and maintain a comprehensive public relations process through the assessment needs and referrals.
• Ability to work well in a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to quickly acquire knowledge of automated systems, protocols, instruction and experience.
• Ability to communicate well with others in unwilling or hostile environments.
• Ability to effectively work independently.
• Ability to travel to the courts or clients.
• Ability to speak, read, and write another foreign language.

FACTOR 2 — SUPERVISORY CONTROLS

The incumbent receives general instructions from the Access & Visitation Administrator who reviews the work for conformance to established objectives and goals. He/she is expected to perform independently within the guidelines of the agency in order to accomplish the goals of the programs.

FACTOR 3 — GUIDELINES

Guidelines include manuals on legal procedures as outlined for the USVI, the Virgin Islands Code, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Agency.

FACTOR 4 — COMPLEXITY

The Access & Visitation Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that protocol is established to facilitate visitation privileges. He/she is required to support interaction within the family dynamics. An incumbent must be flexible in scheduling and is required to participate in case conferences as well as court appearances.

FACTOR 5 — SCOPE AND EFFECT

The purpose of this position is to avail families’ visitation privileges in a safe environment to enhance the family unification where it was previously considered broken down or not functioning.

FACTOR 6 — PERSONAL CONTACTS

Contacts are clients/customers, social workers, psychiatrists, attorneys and at times law enforcement officers.

FACTOR 7 — PURPOSE OF CONTACTS

Contacts are made to gather information, conduct investigations, prepare data to process visitations and facilitate visits.

FACTOR 8 — PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Work is basically sedentary with occasional walking, standing, bending and transferring documents.

FACTOR 9 — WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is performed in an office setting, however, some travel may be required; work is also performed in environments deemed “safe” where visits take place.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, Human Services, Legal Studies, Public Administration or a closely related field and six (6) years of experience in advocacy, case management in family, adolescent, or community service environment where public services are administered.
OR
High School Diploma or its equivalent and ten (10) years of human services or legal services case management work experience.

NECESSARY SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS

Possession of a Valid Driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle in the US Virgin Islands.