Parent Educator jobs in the United States

Description

JOB SUMMARY

SafeCare® is an evidence-based, voluntary, free in-home parent education program that serves caregivers of children 0 to 5 residing within Tulsa County. The philosophy of SafeCare® is to ensure all children have a nurturing, safe, and healthy home environment through training, implementation support, and research. The goal of the Lutzker SafeCare® Program Model is to meet caregivers where they are at to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect through informed positive parenting where Parent Educators support caregivers in their home to: 1) strengthen the caregiver-infant/child relationship, 2) to enhance home safety & health awareness, 3) to increase positive interaction skills in managing challenging child behaviors and 4) increasing awareness of healthy relationships- through education, family intervention planning, parenting skills training, intensive case management and direct support. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide home visitation services, in alignment with the research based SafeCare® curriculum & module standards, to families in Tulsa and surrounding area. Assists parents by teaching child development, positive parenting practices, safety/health awareness, healthy relationships, and parent-child interaction activities.
• SafeCare® Parent Educators engage and build relationships with client families from a trauma-informed, strength-based perspective model by initiating and maintaining regular contact (visiting each family once a week for one hour) and support for families in their homes. Families that complete the SafeCare® program are typically engaged in services for 9-12 months with consistent participation.
• Ability to develop, maintain and model healthy & positive working relationships with clients/families who may have experienced trauma, have their own attachment, relationship, and interpersonal communication challenges; Ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with our community partners and stakeholders. Represent PCCT for community outreach at Emergency Infant Services (EIS) once per month.
• Effectively manage assigned caseload of 12 families (built up within 6 months from hire) and complete required documentation within the agency and Council of Accreditation (COA) standard of 48 hours maximum. 
• Monitor, complete and document required assessments, goal-planning, and parenting education by completing comprehensive psychosocial assessments, Individual Family Support Plans (IFSPs) and SafeCare® program assessments and screenings accurately and within the time frames specified. The Parent Educator will administer additional protocols and screenings as identified by the Program Manager and the outcome evaluators.
• Provide accurate, timely, well-organized documentation and electronic chart management of all services and resources offered, provided, referred to and closed out/discharged from; as well as documentation of progress/ barriers on family goals and progress notes as well as other program-required documentation. 
• Recognizes the need for additional professional intervention &/or other community services; demonstrates ability to make appropriate and effective referrals, to follow-up to ensure that referrals were successful and provide timely documentation of these interactions. 
• Displays ability to work independently- appropriately managing work time; on time attendance to scheduled client visits, supervision sessions, meetings, & trainings; ability to identify priorities; dependable, organized, good initiative and problem-solving skills; knows when to reach out for additional guidance and support. Demonstrates the agency’s values of hope, compassion, respect, adaptability, and a learning / growth mindset.
• Participates in required agency & SafeCare® trainings / observations within established timeframes. SafeCare® staff requirements: complete a seven-hour training for each module; shadowed for 9 months by the coach/supervisor (2 observations and coaching sessions/month) for support in meeting fidelity of modules, processing any challenges, and becoming a certified SafeCare® provider. *After certification staff is shadowed once a month to keep fidelity and process challenges.
• Other duties as assigned by the SafeCare® Program Manager.

Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree: Social Work, Human Relations, Education, Psychology, or related field.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills. Ability to adapt communication style to suit different audiences from a non-judgmental stance. Effective facilitation and teaching skills. Ability to engage in and facilitate direct, healthy, effective, crucial conversations with clients, caregivers and co-workers.
• BILINGUAL Spanish and English Parent Educators: must be able to write / enter all required documentation and lesson plans provided in Spanish to English. 
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent active listening and interpersonal skills as well as a willingness to engage in reflective conversations and perspective taking with a growth and development mindset. 
• Must maintain a good driving record, valid state driver’s license, current car insurance, and reliable transportation for full-time business use in making home visits, attending meetings and community outreach. *Mileage reimbursement is provided for work-related, approved travel. 
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds to carry work related items including but not limited to: locking backpack/bag for work equipment, parent-child activity materials, forms/assessments & basic safety/health items to one’s car and to homes/apartments that may be upstairs or harder to reach.
• Ability to sit on floor for extended periods to perform activities as needed while on home visits. Homes may on occasion have challenges the family is working on such as: lack of cleanliness, uncomfortable odors, concerns with bugs, lack of furniture, etc. 
• Ability to work with all culturally diverse populations, caregivers with potential histories of trauma such as child abuse/neglect, interpersonal violence, mental health, substance abuse; and services may be in geographical areas that may be considered higher risk locations. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in social work, Human Relations, Psychology, or related field.
• Two years’ work experience with at risk families.
• Oklahoma Association of Infant Mental Health (OKAIMH) Endorsement 
• Prior experience working with pregnant and parenting caregivers, infants, children, and their families; prior home visitation experience and good knowledge of community resources.

SCHEDULE:

The typical work schedule for SafeCare® Parent Educators is a full-time, exempt 40-hour work week, Monday – Friday, approximately 8:30 – 5:00. Must be available to adjust / extend services at least one night a week to 6:00pm as appropriate to meet client needs.