Family Advocate

Title: Family Advocate

Reports to: PCFE/ERSEA Coordinator

Summary: Provide high-quality health, mental health, nutrition, parent engagement, and social services to CWOO infants, toddlers, and preschool children and their families in alignment with the tribe’s vision for a healthy community grounded in Dakota language and lifeways.  Comply with the Early Head Start & Head Start Performance Standards, the Head Start Act and other applicable regulations.  Working with a total of 30 families, build partnerships to assist them in identifying their own goals, strengths, needed services and support systems and in developing strategies and timetables for achieving their own goals.  Responsible for eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment and attendance. Works collaboratively with classrooms and center staff to Support classroom as needed, including staffing.

Duties:

Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, Attendance (ERSEA)

• Implement, document and report on the recruitment, selection and enrollment of potentially eligible children birth through age 5, pregnant women and their families;

• Receive and process referrals from partner agencies/programs, including eligibility, selection and enrollment; monitor participation of referred children/women; report on these activities; and, Expectant Families Specialist;

• Report and follow-up with any families experiencing participation or attendance problems;

• Distribute newsletters, flyers, and other information to families.

Social Services

• Initiate collaborative partnerships with parents to establish mutual trust and respect with each family;

• In collaboration with other staff, as appropriate, assess each family’s need for social services; develop an individualized plan that responds to the family’s need; deliver and/or coordinate the delivery of needed social services to each family; review and update;
• Collaborate with other staff, as appropriate, to develop individualized Family Partnership Agreements (FPA) that describe the family’s goals, strengths, responsibilities and timetables and strategies for achieving these goals; build upon any pre-existing family plans; review and revisit with families so the FPA remains current and useful; monitor; analyze; aggregate; report;
• Provide comprehensive community resource information to families, individualizing to respond to the family’s needs and concerns to the maximum extent possible;
• Refer families to community agencies/programs; assess accessibility, relevance and usefulness of assistance received;
• Assist with the establishment and maintenance of ongoing collaborative relationships with community organizations responsive to the concerns of the families of children birth through age 5, pregnant women and their families; participate in community awareness events;
• Conduct home visits with families;
• Visit classrooms regularly and attend CWOO Playgroups socializations, in accord with assigned caseload;

• Report on child/family information to program managers; recommend and attend team meetings; follow-up with families as instructed;

• Report suspected child abuse and/or neglect following program procedures.

Parent Engagement

• Implement a comprehensive, individualized and developmental parent engagement and education program responsive to parent needs, concerns and requests, and that supports parents in their role as the primary influence in their children’s lives;
• Collaborate with team to host weekly and monthly Parent and Family Engagement activities, such as Dakota language and culture gatherings and monthly educational trainings;
• Encourage parent volunteerism throughout the program; welcome parents to program sites as visitors, observers and participants;
• Provide parents regular opportunities to work together and with other community members on activities they helped develop and in which they expressed an interest;

• Encourage parents to take an active role in making community services more responsive to their goals and needs;
• Promote full child/family participation in program activities and assist with monitoring and resolution of any problems;

• Assist parents, including pregnant women, with the process of transition into Head Start from home or another setting, within Head Start;

• Prepare and enable parents to become their own and their child’s advocate;

• Creates, directs and distributes materials to help families learn Dakota language both in and outside of center.

Health

• Encourage, monitor and record the timely delivery of medical, dental, mental health and nutrition services to HS children;
• Support the timely delivery of prenatal health and education services to enrolled pregnant women in collaboration with the Expectant Families Specialist;
• Promote child and family wellness and the establishment of a medical and dental “home” for each CWOO infant, toddler and preschool child and each pregnant woman;
• Provide physical/dental/mental health and nutrition education activities that are responsive to the ongoing and expressed needs of parents as individuals and members of a group;
• Collect and enter into program software health indicators such as Medical Assistance, CHIP and other insurance coverage, participation in WIC, incidence of health problems and their treatment; monitor and report;
• Coordinate with the PA Department of Health, Healthy Beginnings Plus and other health services providers to maximize resources; and,
• Review Early Head Start and Head Start child and parent medical and dental information with Health/Safety/Nutrition Coordinator on a regularly scheduled basis;

• Assist with daily nap breaks to maintain the smooth functioning of the center, as well as helping in a classroom when needed, which at times may require schedule changes to meet the needs of the children.

Recordkeeping & Programming

• Collect child and family data and enter in program software; monitor; update; prepare data reports for program use and the annual Program Information Report;
• Maintain accurate, objective, timely and confidential records documenting all family, staff and agency contacts; disseminate appropriately;
• Document recruitment and enrollment activities;

• Attend staff training and meetings as required, and board and parent meetings as requested;

• Other duties as assigned.

 

Education

• Associate’s degree in social services, human services, adult education, family services, early childhood education or other related field, preferred; high school diploma or GED required;
• Minimum of one year’s experience working with adults; and
• Minimum of one year’s experience collecting, organizing, recording and processing information.

Experience: 

At least one year’s experience working with American Indian children and families. Knowledge of the challenges and strengths of low-income families in the Lower Sioux Community. Interest in Dakota language and lifeways revitalization.

Disclaimer
This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with the job.  While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management and Community Tribal Council reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change (e.g. emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs or technical developments).     

 

In accepting employment, I am agreeing to perform the duties and responsibilities listed above.  In addition, I agree to adhere to any policy or procedure changes that may occur during my employment with the Lower Sioux Indian Community.