Family Advocate

Job Summary

This part-time position is responsible for promoting a healthy relationship between Head Start families and their community by implementing a strengths-based approach to family services. The Family Advocate will encourage family involvement in the Head Start program and act as a liaison between the classroom and the home, fostering the belief that parents are the child's first and most important teacher.

Essential Functions, Duties, and Responsibilities

• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal and state regulations, Head Start Performance Standards, agency and Child Development Division Head Start/Early Head Start Policies and Procedures, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Head Start Work Plan.
• Establishes partnerships with parents that are respectful, culturally sensitive, and nonjudgmental.
• Involves parents in identifying and addressing their family's goals, strengths, and needs.
• Provides a minimum of two home visits, with monthly contacts, to each family throughout the school year and provides additional home visits as observations, concerns, and important information about children and families during Monthly Staffing with Teachers and Teacher Aides.
• Participates in Family Checks twice a year with Teachers, Teacher Aides, and Family/Health to ensure mandatory health screenings and immunizations are completed, documented, tracked, and submitted to Central Office.
• Provides support to families when health referrals are made, providing continual follow-up and documentation until services have been received.
• Develops new and strengthens existing partnerships with local, regional, and state providers.
• Develops and maintains on-site community resource files.
• Documents all services provided for families.

Other Responsibilities

• Participates in Family Partnership meetings when necessary.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to read, comprehend, and follow established policies and procedures.
• Ability to manage work time well, prioritize, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to establish good rapport with people of diverse cultures and belief systems.
• Ability to respond quickly to children's needs and emergencies.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Must demonstrate sound judgment, professional boundaries, ethics, and ability to maintain confidentiality.

Work Environment/Job Conditions

This position will work in a general office environment and families' homes. The Family Advocate must be capable of reading, understanding, and following written procedures and policies related to job responsibilities. They must develop and maintain constructive and cooperative working relationships with others. They must use computers and computer programs effectively to enter data, create spreadsheets, and process information, and to develop documents, and program and training specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work.

The Family Advocate must be willing and able to flex their schedule for evening and weekend work to accommodate parent schedules for home visits, Parent Committee meetings, and Parent Experiences. They must communicate with others outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, and other external sources in person, in writing, or by telephone or email in keeping with current policies and procedures.

The Family Advocate must have the ability to operate the following equipment: desktop computer, telephone, copier, PC printer, and fax machine. The agency is a mandated tobacco, drug, and alcohol-free workplace.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly to grasp, type, see, talk, hear, and lift and carry 40 pounds of weight by utilizing proper lifting techniques and working in a safe manner.

This position will also be performing physical activities such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, bending, and handling materials.

Occasionally performs sedentary activities that require sitting for long periods and repetitive use of hands, wrists, and arms for handling, positioning, moving materials, and manipulating things.

The Family Advocate must be in good general health and free from serious physical, mental health, and/or substance abuse problems.

Employment Requirements and Required Education

• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Must pass state and federal background checks, including fingerprints.
• High School diploma or GED and experience raising/working with young children and/or parents.
• Must have, or have the ability and willingness to earn, at a minimum, a credential or certification in social work, human services, family services, counseling, or a related field within 18 months of hire.
• Responsible work ethic with reliable attendance.
• Must pursue an ongoing professional development plan including formal training certification or college degree as recommended by the program.
• Must attend 15 hours of professional development training annually.
• Proven ability and willingness to be self-directed in problem-solving and decision-making and perform basic assignments with little or no direct supervision while also working effectively as a team member.
• Demonstrated intermediate level of computer skills necessary in order to use and create documents and reports, spreadsheets, workshop materials, and slide presentations, and to enter data into intricate database programs and proficient use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Outlook.
• Must keep all matters concerning participants in strictest confidence as required by HIPAA privacy and the 42 CFR, Part II confidentiality regulations.
• Must provide a TB screening and basic physical exam within thirty (30) days of hire with follow-up every three (3) years at employee's expense.
• Must complete and maintain CPR and First Aid Training certification and Alaska Food Worker's Card within thirty (30) days of hire with follow-up every three (3) years at employer's expense.
• Must be able to demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills including expertise in cross-cultural communication.
• Must be able to provide own transportation to meet work schedule requirements.

Preferred Education and Experience

• AA or BA degree in social work, human services, family services, counseling, or a related field.
• Two to three years of experience working in Social Services, Family Services, or Mental Health fields.
• Demonstrated skills in crisis intervention, counseling, and providing self-help skills training to adults.
• Familiarity/experience with Head Start philosophy.

Benefits

As a part-time, regular employee, you will be eligible for 20 days of accrued Paid Time Off, Up to 9 Paid Holidays, Employee Assistance Program, and Monthly Wellness Reimbursement.

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