Student Advocate

Overview

The Student Advocate is a key collaborator in creating a nurturing, dignified, and empowering educational environment for students while extending meaningful support to their families at Cascade Middle School (Highline School District).

As a Student Advocate at Cascade Middle School, you will champion a family-centered, peer-support model to reduce chronic absenteeism and enhance student engagement and achievement for grades 6-8. Your work will include providing compassionate case management support to students and families, prioritizing accessibility by meeting them at times and locations that suit their needs, including occasional evening or weekend meetings.

This is your opportunity to advocate for students and families, fostering connection, growth, and success within their school community.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Seneca's Unconditional Education Programs embody an integrated, responsive special educational model that promotes equitable opportunities for all students and offers community and school-based services in the Washington area. Our team of passionate staff is always willing to work collaboratively and innovative to do whatever it takes to ensure that the needs of all students are met and to establish best practices for serving youth with disabilities. Our school-based Unconditional Education Services are highly tailored to meet each student's unique needs - their parents and other family members are enlisted as partners in designing and implementing their education and treatment plans. Our goal, under the Unconditional Education model, is to provide our students and their families tools and resources so they may thrive within their community.

ABOUT SENECA

Seneca Family of Agencies has been nominated among the Bay Area’s Top Workplaces for several consecutive years. We’re committed to providing traditionally marginalized communities with a network of excellent mental health, community-based, and educational services. We are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourage people of color to apply. Our programs are deeply engaged in conversations and training on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to bring equity and justice to the youth and families we serve.

Responsibilities

• Work as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team with school leaders, teachers, therapists, and other specialists/educational staff
• Foster strong therapeutic relationships with students that support engagement at school and progress towards individualized goals 
• Coordinate and facilitate bi-weekly Family Team Meetings for all enrolled families on their caseload. This will include developing collaborative relationships with students and families, ensuring Family Teams develop a strength-based and collaborative visions for success, and co-creating an Action Plan for each student enrolled
• Meet with each student on the caseload for weekly check-ins to provide support, encouragement, and accountability
• Work closely with identified families and students between meetings, providing support and accountability in completing identified action steps
• Utilize crisis communication and de-escalation techniques as per Seneca's crisis response training. This may include intervening with the students’ behavioral program through physical management of the student, if applicable. Training in additional crisis intervention modalities may be required
• Contribute to a strong school culture by participating in or leading small group, classroom, or school-wide activities for students that celebrate success and promote joy
• Communicate effectively with families and all others involved in the daily life of the student, including other Seneca programs or outside agencies
• Complete required data collection and service documentation to measure the effectiveness of services.
• Transport clients to and from school as needed.
• Demonstrate flexibility in meeting times and locations. This could include meetings occurring outside of traditional school hours/school days, and also flexibility regarding meeting locations to ensure we’re offering convenient times and locations to students and families 

Qualifications

REQUIRED

• Education/Experience requirements:  
  • Bachelor’s degree OR  
  • Associate degree 1 year of applicable experience OR  
  • High school diploma/GED 2 years of applicable experience
  • Applicable experience is defined as experience working with children who exhibit extremely challenging behaviors or providing support/coaching to parents
• Required prior experience in engaging with students and families, cultivating relationships with struggling students and caregivers within school-based, mental health, or youth development settings
• Flexible schedule required for working from home or traveling to community locations, including meeting students and families at their preferred locations, such as their homes
• At least 21 years of age
• TB test clearance, fingerprinting clearance, and any other state/federal licensing or certification requirements
• Proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination

PREFERRED

• Preferred prior experience building relationships with struggling students and their caregivers in an education, community-based mental health, and/or youth development setting
• Preferred lived experience, either personal or as a caregiver, with relevant systems (e.g., child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, special education, immigration, truancy, etc.)
• Bilingual in Spanish

SKILLS OF AN IDEAL CANDIDATE 

• Excellent organizational, writing, computer and communication skills

Schedule

• School based schedule:
  • Monday to Friday: 7:30 AM- 4:00 PM
  • In person 4 days, Remote 1 day
  • Flexible schedule required for working from home or traveling to community locations, including meeting students and families at their preferred locations, such as their homes
  • Flexible schedule with ability to work some evenings and weekends
  • 5 weeks of paid time off, 11 paid holidays, and 14 paid school break days

Benefits

• Starting at $24.40 - $26.90 per hour
• Actual salary dependent on creditable experience above the minimum qualifications for the role
• Additional compensation provided upon passing bilingual language proficiency exam
• Salary increases each year 
• Comprehensive employee benefits package: 
  • Medical, dental, vision, chiropractic, acupuncture, and fertility coverage
  • Long-term disability, family leave, and life insurance
  • Partially paid premiums for dependants 
  • 403b retirement plan
  • Employer-Paid Assistance Plan
• 5 weeks of paid time off and 11 paid holidays
• Seneca is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness certified employer
• Scholarship opportunities, ongoing training, and professional development opportunities
• Promotional opportunities across the agency in California and Washington

Salary : $24 - $27