The Supervised Parenting Program provides non-custodial parents and their children with the opportunity to spend time together in the presence of a neutral third party. Visits are observed and objective notes are recorded by monitors regarding the family’s interaction. Program goals are to eliminate child abuse and neglect by parents; to improve parenting skills; to ensure safety for adult and child victims of domestic violence; and to reunify children with their parents when possible. 

Qualifications: 

• Enrolled and participating in a degree-seeking program in a related field (i.e. Human Service, Social Work, Psychology, Family Social Science, Criminal Justice, etc.). 
• Mature judgment and ability to cope with problems in real time.
• Ability to de-escalate potential crisis situations in an effective, trauma-informed manner. 
• Adequate sensory alertness to monitor and to protect safety and well-being of the children. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and attention to detail. 
• Ability to listen and provide unbiased empathy for the feelings, experiences, and values of parents and children, with a sensitivity to and interest in supporting the unique struggles of our families.   
• The ability to work with clients who are victims of violence.   
• Knowledge of child development and effective parenting styles & skills. 
• Fluent in Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Arabic and others preferred.   

Preferred Experience: 

• Training in de-escalation 
• Fluent in a second language 
• Experience working with children and families 
• Experience working with court systems (Criminal, juvenile, and family), domestic violence, mental health and substance abuse highly desired 
• Excellent professional writing skills 
• Willingness to work at both our Minneapolis & Saint Paul locations 
• Preference for students in BSW or Pre-Social Work programs 

Commitment: 

This position requires a commitment of a minimum of 180 hours to be completed throughout the internship, along with showing up to all agreed upon shifts. 

The FamilyWise First Step Early Childhood Education Center serves diverse families with children ages 6 weeks to 6 years.  The Child Development Center provides a structured setting for the children of parents participating in our programs, children of our staff and to members in the nearby community.  The goal of our program is to eliminate child abuse and neglect by parents and to assist children in reaching age-appropriate developmental levels. 

Qualifications: 

• Enrolled and participating in a degree-seeking program in a related field (i.e. Child Development, Education, Human Service, Social Work, Psychology, Family Social Science, etc.). 
• Mature judgment and ability to cope with problems that arise, as well as the ability to respond to potential crisis situations in a responsible way. 
• Adequate sensory alertness to monitor and to protect safety and well-being of the children. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to listen and provide empathy for the feelings and values of parents and children, with a sensitivity to and interest in supporting the unique struggles of at-risk families. 
• Knowledge of child development/age appropriate developmental levels (cognitive, emotional, physical).  Knowledge of effective parenting styles and skills preferred. 

Commitment:

This position requires a minimum of a summer/semester and the hours needed to complete the internship are flexible. 

Do you have any interests or skills that you think would be beneficial to FamilyWise that are not depicted in the opportunities above? Reach out to the Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] with your resume and pitch your idea. We are happy to listen and utilize your skills to better our organization. 

This program has 1 Foundational opening 

Our Bright Beginnings Young Parent Program includes one-on-one support from FamilyWise staff, young parent education groups hosted at partner locations, and mentoring for pregnant and parenting youth and young adults. Through these services, young people are matched with caring, supportive adults that help youth build stability and resiliency as parents and in their lives more broadly. 

Responsibilities May Include: 

1. Observe, evaluate, provide psychoeducation, and model healthy parenting skills with parents and children.
2. Proactively intervene when behaviors jeopardize emotional or physical safety for any family member. Provide education and support to improve parent-child interactions and maintain family safety.
3. Use de-escalation strategies when participants become agitated due to trauma, mental health substance use and involvement in the child welfare and family court systems.
4. Conduct home visits to provide resources, parent education to parents, collaborate with other service providers.
5. Observe and report any concerns or changes in parent or child mood, behavior or health to appropriate supervisor/program manager.
6. Attend and participate in weekly clinical supervision with Clinical Supervisor and/or Task Supervisor
7. Attend and participate in agency functions, meetings and/or cohorts.
8. Conduct duties in an unbiased manner in accordance with the agency’s mission statement and guiding principles by which all participants, volunteers, interns and staff are treated equally regardless of actual or perceived: race, gender, religion, age, physical or mental abilities and/or sexual orientation.

Qualifications: 

1. Enrolled and participating in a graduate degree-seeking program in a social service or related field.
2. Graduate level intern is required to have reliable transportation.
3. Possess the ability to cope with problems that arise, and to respond to potential crises in a professionally appropriate and responsible manner.
4. Adequate sensory alertness to monitor and to protect safety and well-being of participants and their children.
5. Ability to listen and provide empathy for the feelings and values of a variety of parents and children;
6. A sensitivity to, and interest in, supporting the unique struggles of our diverse families.
7. The ability to work with clients who have trauma histories.
8. Knowledge of counseling techniques, effective parenting styles & skills, child development, and relevant health topics.

This program has 2 Foundational openings 

FamilyWise in-home and virtual parent education services offer coaching and case management to strengthen parenting skills and improve parent-child relationships.   

What this program works to do:
• Strengthen parent-child relationships
• Improve parenting skills
• Decrease children’s problematic behaviors 
• Reduce risk for child abuse
• Build co-parenting skills
• Teach self-care for parents
• Offer parenting tips for teens and adolescent 

These interns will also have the opportunity to experience the Parent Support Outreach Program: Case/resource navigation and database training. 

Responsibilities May Include: 

1. Observe, evaluate, provide psychoeducation, and model healthy parenting skills with parents and children.
2. Proactively intervene when behaviors jeopardize emotional or physical safety for any family member. Provide education and support to improve parent-child interactions and maintain family safety.
3. Use de-escalation strategies when participants become agitated due to trauma, mental health substance use and involvement in the child welfare and family court systems.
4. Conduct home visits to provide resources, parent education to parents, collaborate with other service providers.
5. Observe and report any concerns or changes in parent or child mood, behavior or health to appropriate supervisor/program manager.
6. Attend and participate in weekly clinical supervision with Clinical Supervisor and/or Task Supervisor
7. Attend and participate in agency functions, meetings and/or cohorts.
8. Conduct duties in an unbiased manner in accordance with the agency’s mission statement and guiding principles by which all participants, volunteers, interns and staff are treated equally regardless of actual or perceived: race, gender, religion, age, physical or mental abilities and/or sexual orientation.

Qualifications: 

1. Enrolled and participating in a graduate degree-seeking program in a social service or related field.
2. Graduate level intern is required to have reliable transportation.
3. Possess the ability to cope with problems that arise, and to respond to potential crises in a professionally appropriate and responsible manner.
4. Adequate sensory alertness to monitor and to protect safety and well-being of participants and their children.
5. Ability to listen and provide empathy for the feelings and values of a variety of parents and children;
6. A sensitivity to, and interest in, supporting the unique struggles of our diverse families.
7. The ability to work with clients who have trauma histories.
8. Knowledge of counseling techniques, effective parenting styles & skills, child development, and relevant health topics.

This program has 2 Foundational openings 

The Supervised Parenting Program provides non-custodial parents and their children with the opportunity to spend time together in the presence of a neutral third party, both at FamilyWise locations and in the community. Visits are observed and objective notes are recorded by monitors regarding the family’s interaction. Program goals are to eliminate child abuse and neglect by parents; to improve parenting skills; to ensure safety for adult and child victims of domestic violence; and to reunify children with their parents when possible. Graduate Interns will assist with program development along with training and supporting new staff and undergrad interns. Interns will have the opportunity to work in the community in the home and public community settings. 

Qualifications: 

• Enrolled and participating in an MSW program 
• Mature judgment and ability to cope with problems in real time. 
• Ability to de-escalate potential crisis situations in an effective, trauma-informed manner. 
• Adequate sensory alertness to monitor and to protect safety and well-being of the children. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and attention to detail. 
• Ability to listen and provide unbiased empathy for the feelings, experiences, and values of parents and children, with a sensitivity to and interest in supporting the unique struggles of our families.   
• The ability to work with clients who are victims of violence.   
• Knowledge of child development and effective parenting styles & skills. 
• Execute leadership in professional settings 
• Fluent in Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Arabic and others preferred.   

Preferences: 

• Training in de-escalation 
• Fluent in a second language 
• Experience working with children and families 
• Experience working with court systems (Criminal, juvenile, and family), domestic violence, mental health and substance abuse highly desired 
• Excellent professional writing skills 
• Willingness to work at both our Minneapolis & Saint Paul locations