DOM Family Advocate

Description

Job Summary:

The Family Advocate is responsible for engaging all families to partner with us to promote children's healthy development and school readiness. The Family Advocate uses knowledge of the principles of family engagement to support families in their roles as their child's primary educator, encourage parent/child interactions that promote children's school readiness and healthy development and enhance family well-being. In this role, the Family Advocate will provide more intensive and targeted support to vulnerable families and families of children with chronic health conditions and special needs in order to assure that our engagement strategies meet their specialized needs.

The Family Advocate will work as part of the programs broader team to expand family engagement strategies that will create a sense of belonging and shared community among families, with the goal of enhancing the relationships and support that families provide to one another in their shared aspirations for their children and themselves. The position may involve reassignment of caseload and/or locations as deemed necessary for program operations.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

The Family Advocates responsibilities primarily fall within the following core functions, although s/he may perform other tasks based upon program needs:

1. Promote Family Environments that Enhance Children's Development
2. Support Families to Meet Self-Identified Goals and Needs
3. Engage Families To Support One Another
4. Enhance Program Collaboration
5. Maintain Accurate and Timely Record Keeping and Reporting
6. Recruitment
7. Eligibility, Selection, and Enrollment
8. Attendance
9. Service Coordination

A. PROMOTE FAMILY ENVIRONMENTS THAT ENHANCE CHILDRENS DEVELOPMENT

Engage families as partners in their children's healthy development and school readiness.

• Participate in outreach, recruitment, and attendance follow up activities to engage families in our program; and to motivate their active participation
• Engage families in the Family Partnership Process in order to build relationships and shared accountability for promoting childrens development
• Individualize family engagement and relationship-building to be appropriate to families cultural context, as well as respectful of family circumstances.
• Engage families in individualized, in home and group experiences to enhance parent/child interactions that research shows foster school readiness through consistent family routines, positive guidance and discipline, experience rich home environments and literacy activities
• Utilize in-classroom time and home visits to build a deeper understanding of the relationship between childrens development and their home environments; as well as to model and coach families in positive parent/child interactions
• Implement the AVANCE Parent-Child Education Curriculum that extends our classroom curriculum into the family's home, modeling high quality adult- child interactions teachers use in their classrooms for families around the four Family Life Practices. Focus on Coordination and collaboration with education

B. SUPPORT FAMILIES TO MEET SELF-IDENTIFIED GOALS AND NEEDS

Engage in a process of collaborative partnership building with families of children receiving (Early)/Head Start

services.

• Utilize family self-assessment information to assist families with self-identified goals to enhance self-sufficiency in areas such as education, employment, housing, and access to community resources
• Provide more intensive weekly face to face or phone contact with vulnerable families on caseload as identified through their self-assessment or family interactions/communication- including home visits. Assure that families receive immediate support during times of crisis, and assist with referrals to community-based resources to meet counseling, treatment, entitlement or other needs
• Identify and access services and resources responsive to family interests and goals and follow-up with parents to ensure that services met their expectations and needs.
• Analyze self-sufficiency data and utilize data/results to plan and coordinate a variety of parent cohort groups that allow families to support one another to achieve self-sufficiency goals.
• Coordinate or refer families to opportunities for continuing education, employment training, and other employment services through formal or informal networking in the community.

C. ENGAGE FAMILIES TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER

Foster a sense of community and sense of belonging among families in order to strengthen social capital

• Conduct group and center-based workshops and activities designed to build social capital and create a welcoming program community committed to family engagement in children's learning and development
• Cultivate family leadership and support their advocacy efforts through participation in program governance bodies such as Policy Council, as well as neighborhood and community based advisory groups
• Work in conjunction with Center staff and families to plan and conduct a wide variety of family engagement activities that provide opportunities for families to support one another, including, but not be limited to the following:

• Conduct, activities, and campaigns that promote children's school readiness
• Self-Sufficiency Sector Groups
• Monthly Family Engagement Network Meetings

D. ENHANCE PROGRAM COLLABORATION

Build relationships that will enhance communication and collaboration among internal and external stakeholders

• Work side by side with health, early learning and disabilities and other members of the family engagement team to support families to be fully engaged in all aspects of our program
• Establish regular coordination and communication with Health, Nutrition and Disabilities team members in order to provide more intensive support to families of children with chronic health conditions and special needs, including targeted goal setting, and assistance with building family advocacy skills to navigate community systems of care for their children
• Work in coordination with Health and Nutrition team members to assure that all children on caseload are up to date on EPSDT requirements, including receiving timely evaluation and treatment for identified concerns
• Develop effective communication and collaborative strategies with teaching teams to encourage family engagement in home learning activities, including individualizing activities based upon family interests and children's developmental status
• Establish and maintain working relationships with community partners to strengthen access to resources and training identified as priority goal areas by families

E. MAINTAIN ACCURATE AND TIMELY RECORDKEEPING AND REPORTING

Effectively manage workload and ensure accurate record-keeping and documentation

• Maintain accurate electronic and hard copy records and case notes to support positive child and family outcomes.
• Document efforts to assist families to identify their strengths, needs, and self-sufficiency goals through completion of Family Success Roadmap, Family Partnership Agreement, and case notes.
• Record, monitor and follow up on referrals for support services for reporting requirements.
• Submit reports as needed and requested, such as monthly summary tracking reports, etc.

F. RECRUITMENT

• Assure timely follow up on program inquiries and maintain updated tracking system of potential enrollees
• Follow up and maintain an updated tracking system for program phone and walk-in inquiries
• Assist family service leadership with scheduling, planning and coordinating recruitment activities through the year

G. ELIGIBILITY, SELECTION AND ENROLLMENT

• Ensure the eligibility, selection, and enrollment processes adhere to HSPS and AVANCEs ISP/PP
• Review all applications received and work directly with families to ensure that all necessary enrollment/intake forms are completed and obtained in a timely manner for all children/families assigned to their Center(s).
• Determine the eligibility of children/families, ensuring that all family documentation is accurate and complete
• Determine family eligibility for extended day services and assist families with completing child care subsidy applications
• Work with the Parent, Family and Community Engagement Coordinator/ERSEA Assistant to enroll children and families based on selection criteria.
• Maintain an up to date and accurate wait list of eligible children to enroll in the event of attrition.
• Maintain the funded enrollment level, work with Parent, Family and Community Engagement Coordinator/ERSEA Lead to fill vacancies as they occur, and analyze enrollment data to inform the planning process.
• Keep up to date and knowledgeable of ERSEA requirements that are communicated through the Office of Head Start communications such as Information Memorandums, Policy Clarifications and Program Information documents.

H. ATTENDANCE

• As schedule permits, provide clerical support in attendance entry and follow up
• Assist Parent, Family and Community Engagement Coordinator and/or ERSEA Assistant to track Centers whose ADA falls below 85%, and to maintain Attendance Action Plans in Master Binder System

I. SERVICE COORDINATION

• Inform Health Coordinators, MHD, Early Learning and Parent, Family and Community Engagement Coordinators regarding children with allergies, chronic health conditions, or special needs to assure that medical documentation is received and case conferences occur prior to entry.
• Build relationships that will enhance communication and collaboration among internal and external stakeholders
• Work side by side with health, early learning and disabilities and other members of the family engagement team to support families to be fully engaged in all aspects of our program
• Establish regular coordination and communication with Health, Nutrition and Disabilities team members in order to provide more intensive support to families of children with chronic health conditions and special needs, including targeted goal setting, and assistance with building family advocacy skills to navigate community systems of care for their children
• Work in coordination with Health and Nutrition team members to assure that all children on caseload are up to date on EPSDT requirements, including receiving timely evaluation and treatment for identified concerns
• Develop effective communication and collaborative strategies with teaching teams to encourage family engagement in home learning activities, including individualizing activities based upon family interests and children's developmental status
• Establish and maintain working relationships with community partners to strengthen access to resources and training identified as priority goal areas by families
• Coordinate with Director of Analyst to assure that all PIR data is up to date in data system

Non-Essential Duties:

• Performs any and all other duties as assigned.( Please note; Family Advocates that have been assigned smaller caseloads may have additional responsibilities that will include, but not limited to, ERSEA and Health )

Qualifications

Job Specifications:

Requirements:

1. Associates or Bachelors Degree in Social Work, Human Services, Family Services, Counseling or a related field preferred, OR AA or BA in another field with a commitment to complete Family Services/Certificate/Credential within 18 months of hire. We will also consider candidates with a High School Diploma with 3 years experience working in the community with families and a completed Family Development Certificate or Credential
2. Experience, training, and skill assisting the parents of young children to advocate for their families
3. Experience working in low-income diverse communities preferred
4. Bilingual
5. A passion for achieving positive child and family outcomes through high-quality family engagement
6. Physical exam and background checks are required for this position.
7. Must have reliable personal transportation as travel from site to site is required.
8. Travel required locally or long-distance up to 10% of the time for work-related meetings and functions.
9. Must have a valid drivers license and reliable transportation.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated computer literacy skills, using MS Office applications and other basic data systems including internet navigation.
• Must be honest, dependable and able to meet deadlines.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently.

• Ability to engage in repetitive movement of wrists, hands, and fingers typing and/or writing.