Family Advocate

Job Summary:

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

The Family Advocate works as part of the programs broader teams to expand family engagement strategies that create a sense of belonging and shared community among families, with the goal of enhancing the relationships and support that families provides 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 he/she may perform other tasks based upon program needs:

• Promote family environments that enhance childrens development.
• Support families in order to meet self-Identified goals and needs.
• Engage families to support one another.
• Enhance program collaboration.
• Maintain accurate and timely program documentation and reporting as required.
• Support ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment and Attendance).

Record and document daily attendance of children.

A. PROMOTE FAMILY ENVIRONMENTS THAT ENHANCE CHILDRENS DEVELOPMENT:

Engage families as partners in their childrens healthy development and school readiness.

• Participate in outreach, recruitment, and attendance follow up activities to engage families in the program; and motivate 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, home and group experiences in order to enhance parent/child interactions based on research that indicates school readiness develops through consistent family routines, positive guidance, discipline, and experienced rich home environments and literacy activities.
• Utilize 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 a research based Family Curriculum, Shine On, Families that extends the 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 telephone contact with vulnerable families in caseload as identified through their self-assessment or family interactions/communication; including Home Visits. Assure 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 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.
• Work in conjunction with Family Engagement Service Manager, ERSEA Coordinator, and Health/Nutrition Service Manager to support families to be engaged in all aspects of the program.

Develop and maintain effective communication and collaborative strategies with teaching staff to encourage family engagement in home learning activities, including individualizing activities based upon family interests and childrens developmental status.

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 childrens 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:

• Activities, and campaigns that promote childrens school readiness
• Self-Sufficiency Sector Groups
• Monthly Family Engagement Network Meetings
• Establish and maintain working relationships with community partners to strengthen access to resources and training identified as priority goal areas by families

D. ENHANCE PROGRAM COLLABORATION:

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

• Work side by side with Family Services Engagement Service Manager, Disabilities/Mental Health Service Coordinator, and Health/Nutrition Service Manager to support families to be fully engaged in all aspects of the 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.
• Establish regular coordination and communication with Family Engagement Service Manager, Disabilities/Mental Health Service Coordinator and Health/Nutrition Service Manager 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.
• Inform Health and Nutrition Coordinators, MHD, Early Learning and Family Services 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.
• Work in coordination with Health/Nutrition Service Manage to assure that all children in caseload are current on EPSDT requirements, including receiving timely evaluation and treatment for identified concerns.
• Develop effective communication and collaborative strategies with teaching staff to encourage family engagement in home learning activities, including individualizing activities based upon family interests and childrens developmental status.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with community partners to strengthen access to resources and training identified as priority goal areas by families.
• Work in coordination with Health/Nutrition Service Manager to assure that all children in caseload are up to date on EPSDT requirements, including receiving timely evaluation and treatment for identified concerns.

E. MAINTAIN ACCURATE AND TIMELY PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION AND REPORTING AS REQUIRED:

Effectively manage workload and ensure accurate program documentation and reports are provided.

• Enter documentation as required into SHINE INSIGHT to support positive child and family outcomes.
• Document communication to assist families to identify their strengths, needs, and self-sufficiency goals through completion of Family Success Roadmap, Family Partnership Agreement, and case notes.
• Document, monitor and follow up on referrals for support services as required for reporting requirements.
• Submit reports as needed and requested, such as monthly summary tracking reports, etc.
• Coordinate with Family Engagement Service Manager, ERSEA Coordinator and Program Director to assure all PIR data is current in SHINE INSIGHT.

F. Support ERSEA:

Ensure the eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance processes adheres to HSPS and Family

Guidance Center Head Start IEP/IFSP.

• 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 telephone and walk-in inquiries.
• Assist Family Engagement Service Manager and ERSEA Coordinator with scheduling, planning and coordinating recruitment activities through the year.

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).

• Assist with determination 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 Family Engagement Services Manager and ERSEA Coordinator to enroll children and families based on Selection Criteria Form(s).
• Maintain a current and accurate wait list of eligible children to enroll in the event of attrition.
• Maintain the funded enrollment level, work with Family Engagement Service Manager and ERSEA Coordinator to fill vacancies as they occur, and analyze enrollment data to inform the planning process.
• Remain knowledgeable of ERSEA requirements that are communicated through the Office of Head Start communications such as Information Memorandums, Policy Clarifications and Program Information Documents.
• Builds relationships that enhance communication and collaboration among internal and external stakeholders.

G. RECORD AND DOCUMENT DAILY ATTENDANCE OF CHILDREN:

• Enters attendance into SHINE INSIGHT on a daily basis.
• Provides documentation to the Family Engagement Service Manager, ERSEA Coordinator and Health/Nutrition Service Manager to track centers whose ADA falls below 85%, and maintain Attendance Action Plans in Master Binder.

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; Assisting other Family Advocates, Family Engagement Service Manager, ERSEA Coordinator and Health/Nutrition Service Manager).

Requirements:

• 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. In addition, candidates with a High School Diploma with 3 years experience working in the community with families and a completed Family Development Certificate or Credential.
• Experience, training, and skill assisting the parents of young children to advocate for their families.
• Experience working in low-income diverse communities preferred.
• A passion for achieving positive child and family outcomes through high-quality family engagement.
• Physical exam and background checks are required for this position.
• Must have reliable personal transportation as travel from site to site is required.
• Travel required locally or long-distance up to 10% of the time for work-related meetings and functions.
• Must have a valid drivers license and reliable transportation.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.

Bilingual a plus.

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.

Physical Requirements:

Ability to sit most of the time with some bending and reaching.

Ability to stand, walk, and bend periodically.

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

Ability to work frequently at close visual range (i.e. preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcription, computer terminal, extensive reading).

Ability to receive and respond to oral communication.

Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

Work Environment:

Work is generally performed in an office environment.

Noise level in the work environment is moderate to occasionally loud (examples: business office with computers and printers, classrooms, light to moderate traffic, human voices).

Standard office equipment generally used includes:

Telephone

Personal Computer (monitor, keyboard, and mouse) or Tablet

Printer/Photocopy Machine

Calculator

Fax Machine