Visiting Homemaker Family Services
Families come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have the same responsibility – to build a loving environment within which every member is nurtured and can feel safe. From two working parents to an overabundance of children’s activities, today’s families face more demands than ever before and can put stress on a family. VHS has designed the Family Services Program to meet the unique needs of families with children to strengthen the family unit, provide emotional support, enable the family to remain intact in their own home, and provide a positive presence for the children.
The Family Services Program is a collection of services utilizing qualified social workers, case managers, and specially trained Family Skills Mentors to assist the family during stressful times including the absence of a parent due to surgery, illness, injury, and work demands.
The program is designed to protect children by providing a stable and positive presence in the home, improve the capacity of the parent by tending to their physical and emotional needs as well as reduce the number of children placed outside the home due to a family crisis. Family Skills Mentors nurture the children and the family by averting destructive behavior through education, mentoring, role modeling, and encouragement. By redefining the role of a homemaker, VHS is utilizing their experienced Certified Home Health Aides as in-home Family Skills Mentors. Working with Licensed Social Workers and Case Managers, Family Skills Mentors are able to reach out to Hudson County families in need of counseling and other community based social service programs.
Individual and Family Counseling Programs
The Family Service Program provides individual and family counseling, family skills workshops, and other support services to connect families to community resources to stop and prevent child abuse. Sessions are offered in English and Spanish. Most services are offered at VHS offices in Jersey City, but can be arranged to complete the programs in the home.
Educational and skills development Group Workshops help at risk parents become more effective through acquiring skills and knowledge needed to be a positive influence in the lives of their children.
Goals of Workshops:
- Prevent and stop child abuse
- Help strengthen the family unit and provide emotional support
- Avert destructive behavior through education, mentoring, role modeling and encouragement
- Improve the capacity of families to care for their physical and emotional needs
Fatherhood: 24/7 Dad
Developed by the National Fatherhood Initiative, 24/7 Dad workshop was designed to help strengthen the marriage relationship, balance work and family commitments, develop strategies to manage physical and mental health, as well as improve fathering skills.
Social Work Counseling
Social Work Counseling provides guidance to individual, families or groups for the purpose of enhancing, protecting or restoring the capacity for coping with the social environment. Case Managers or Licensed Social Workers give advice, delineate alternatives, helping to articulate goals and providing needed information for the family.
Parenting
Our parenting workshop provides intensive parenting training based on “EPIC - Every Person Influences Children,” a nationally recognized parenting curriculum. EPIC sessions are designed to optimize learning, increase abilities, make good choices, and decrease feelings of isolation. Parents who enter our program tell us that they want more help, especially help for their child. It is for this reason Visiting Homemaker Family Service (VHFS) has the in-home support of a Family Skills Mentor available for families with children.
Read more ...Boys 2 Men
Designed for teenage boys between the ages of 12-17, Wise Guy Responsibility curriculum helps young men navigate the challenges of adolescence. This workshop helps them prepare for independence, learn goal setting, communication and decision making skills. A supportive environment, where they can speak about issues in their life, helps these young men not feel alone and reconnects with the world around them. Boys 2 Men uses a variety of interventions such as discussions, brain storming, role-playing, structured activities and assignments.
Girl Talk
Teenage girls are faced with many obstacles in their lives. Acquiring an identity and developing self-esteem are some of the major challenges they face. Having a place where these girls can confidentially speak about issues in their life will give them a sense of empowerment and the security of knowing they are not alone. This group is for girls between the ages of 12-17 and covers the following topics: Healthy relationships, love is not abuse, self-esteem, body image, future plans, bullying, eating disorders, suicide and teen dating.
Teen Parenting
Similar to our adult parenting workshop, Teen Parenting classes provides intensive parenting training based on “EPIC - Every Person Influences Children,” a nationally recognized parenting curriculum. EPIC sessions are designed to optimize learning, increase abilities, make good choices, and decrease feelings of isolation. Parents who enter our program tell us that they want more help, especially help for their child. It is for this reason Visiting Homemaker Family Service (VHFS) has the in-home support of a Family Skills Mentor available for families with children.
This unique approach, that includes the Family Skills Mentor, gives the participant the additional assistance they need and are asking for. The family Skills Mentor helps parents feel more connected, ready and confident.