Family Advocate

Job Overview

This position is responsible for the oversight of Case Management services for Early Head Start and or Head Start children and families through referral, advocacy, and brokering in AVANCE’s Early Head Start or Head Start program to ensure compliance with the underlying principles and goals of Performance Standards, program goals and objectives, and the needs of the community.

Job Responsibilities

• Promotes and models the organization’s Core Values.
• Follows program confidentiality policies concerning information about children, families, and other staff members.
• Adheres to Head Starts requirements pertaining to families, directly assess strengths and needs of the family, and completes individual partnership agreements and family service plans.
• Monitors family files to ensure follow-up of family referrals and coordinates, resources, for staff to access with outside community agencies and individuals.
• Serves as an advocate or broker to link the family resources and services needed.
• Complies with all social work data requirements and schedules for assessments and service plans and maintains up to date contact documentation.
• Prepares need assessments and participates in staffing’s to formulate a set plan of action to support staff efforts to meet participant’s needs.
• Implements the Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework 
• Provides peer mentoring to other advocates on family engagement strategies.
• Collaborates with ERSEA to participate in outreach, recruitment, and attendance to include attendance tracking and follow ups to engage families and support their active participation in the program. Completes applications and enrollments for interested families and ensures that all family documentation is accurate and complete.
• Collaborates with health to ensure children are up to date on EPSDT requirements, receive health follow ups on medical conditions and identifies medical and dental homes.
• Develops relationships with parents to create welcoming program environments that incorporate the unique cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds of families in the program and community.
• Collaborates with AVANCE Caminos al Futuro Program to refer families for continuing education, employment training and other employment opportunities in the community.
• Cultivates parent leadership through participation in program governance opportunities such as Policy Council, Parent Committees and Advisory Committees.
• Collaborates with team to Provide crisis intervention as warranted. Integrates parent and family engagement strategies into all systems and program services to support family well-being and promote children’s learning and development.
• Maintain continuous contact with families in crisis to ensure appropriate resources are received, assists with referrals to community resources which meet their needs, and follows up with families to ensure services met their expectations and needs.
• Collaborates with teachers, home educators, and family support staff to share information with each other and other content areas as appropriate to ensure coordinated family engagement strategies with children and families in the classroom, home, and community.
• Collaborates with health, nutrition, disabilities, and mental health to support families to be fully engaged in all aspects of the program.
• Establishes regular communication with Health, Nutrition and Disabilities Coordinators/Managers to provide personalized support to families of children with chronic health conditions and special needs to include goal setting and building of family advocacy skills to provide a full scope of services.
• Maintains accurate electronic and hard copy records and case notes to support positive outcomes. Documents all efforts made to assist families with strengths, needs, partnerships, referrals, and services obtained.
• Submits tracking reports as needed and ensures all PIR data is up to date in data system per caseload.
• Participated in assigned meetings, events and trainings as required.
• Conduct Home Visits for attendance and as needed.
• Collaborates with education staff for annual Home Visits
• Conducts sensory screens in collaboration with health staff
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education

Required:  

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a concentration in Social Work or related field. 

Preferred: 

• Master’s degree in Social Work with certification.

Work Experience

Required: 

• One (1) years’ experience with high-risk families and familiarity with case management system.

Additional Skills Required

• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills.
• Computer literate with current Office Software.
• Ability to speak Spanish fluently is helpful, but not required.
• Excellent organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks with attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners, and donors.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals, meet deadlines and ability to handle multiple tasks with interruptions in a fast-paced environment.
• Highly resourceful team player, with the ability to be extremely effective independently, as well.
• Strong analytical, presentation, verbal and written communication, problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Emotional maturity.
• Must have dependable transportation daily, valid driver’s license, a clean driving record (subject to annual MVR check and policy), current auto liability insurance and insurable by AVANCE, San Antonio, Inc. 

Disclaimer(s)

This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. Nothing in this job description forms or is intended to form a contract of employment. Neither shall the content in this job description be interpreted to conflict with or to eliminate or modify in any way, the “at will” employment status of AVANCE San Antonio employees. Employment remains on an “at-will” basis.

Travel

Travel required locally or long-distance up to 50% of the time for work-related meetings and functions.

Equipment  

Computer, computer software programs and peripherals, resource materials and equipment, copier, fax, and other equipment applicable to the position.  

Working Conditions

Mental and Physical Demands

General office and sedentary. Regularly required to sit; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Use of personal computing equipment.  

Maintain emotional control under stress; work with interruptions and deadlines; walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing; occasional: lifting/carrying, pulling/pushing 10-30 pounds. Work evenings and weekends as needed.

Environmental Factors

Occasional exposure to biological hazards (communicable diseases, bacteria, insects, mold, fungi, etc.). Occasional exposure to weather related conditions when working in outside environment/neighborhoods and events. 

ADA/ADAAA Statement

AVANCE is committed to equal opportunity in employment for persons with disabilities and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended, and any other applicable state and federal laws. Accordingly, AVANCE does not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities regarding application, hiring, advancement, discharge, compensation, training or other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. Moreover, it is AVANCE’s policy to provide reasonable accommodations in employment to qualified individuals with disabilities so that they can perform the essential functions of the job, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of AVANCE’s business or would change the essential functions of the position. Retaliation against an individual with a disability for utilizing this policy or seeking a reasonable accommodation is prohibited. Individuals with any questions or requests for accommodation should contact the Human Resources Department. 

EEO/AAP Statement

AVANCE values diversity and is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law. It is also our goal to employ and advance in employment women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, and to treat qualified individuals without discrimination on the basis of their physical or mental disability or veteran status.