LINKS Associate - Hollandale

Linking Individuals, Neighborhoods, and Kids to Services (LINKS) Associate

The LINKS associate will guide families and individuals through the Promise Community pipeline. The position will identify and enroll families, placing them in programs that meet their needs. The LINKS assoicate will work with the schools to support students’ Individual Learning Paths (ILP) and engage all participants or their families in the development of customized goals, developing long-term plans that identify specific steps necessary to achieve each student’s objectives.

A key component of this position will be to assist in fostering and maintaining positive working relationships with parents, early education partners, School District, DHA partners, health care organizations, and community, state and federal agencies. This person will also advise the leadership on the progress and status of this project. The LINKS associate is expected to have an understanding and respect for the culture of residents of Indianola and experience working in a school setting.

MINIMUM REQUIRMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in education, social work, public administration, health care administration or a related field with two or more years of experience, preferably in a school setting.
• conflict resolution skills/crisis management background working with families with social/emotional challenges preferred along with

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Meet with students, parents and interventionist teams to provide assistance with ILP surrounding, but not limited to, academics (behaviors: identifying feelings, peer socialization, bullying, anger management, conflict resolution skills, self esteem, decision making, truancy, substance abuse, stress and grief).
• Work with school and/or childcare and head start staff to assess high risk situations and make immediate recommendations and referrals in efforts to ensure child safety and/or reduce/eliminate risk factors.
• Work with students and their families to develop strategies (including referrals to outside agencies) for addressing the emotional and basic needs of the students and their families.
• Serve as liaison and advocate between student, home, school and community resources, such as family service agencies, mental health clinics, courts, protective services, doctors and clergy members.
• Conduct home, agency and community-based visits.
• Work closely with key school staff including, but not limited to, Sunflower County Consolidated School District Director of IPC Programs, principals, special education department, counselors, PBIS specialist and Intervention Specialists.
• Provide feedback to parents, teachers and administrators on how to best support students.
• Work closely with project managers, research assistant/community liaison, evaluator and ETO Administrator on assessments and data collection.
• Assist project members with troubleshooting, data gathering and implementation issues.
• Other duties as Assigned.

Team Member Competencies

• Resourcefulness: Using drive, decision making, perseverance, resilience, and energy to accomplish a goal; figuring out how to get over, around, or through barriers to success.
• Individual Accountability: Effectively managing one’s time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
• Focus on Results: Accomplishing tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks; being watchful over a period of time.
• Builds Trust: Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization.
• Applied Learning: Assimilating and applying new job-related information in a timely manner.
• Basic Communication: Clearly conveying information and ideas both orally and written.
• Basic Technology Usage: Shows efficient and correct use of technology and systems related to position function.

This position is located in HOLLANDALE