Family Advocate

Family Advocate

YMCA of Frederick County - Frederick, MD 21701

Salary Range $18.00 - $20.00 Hourly Level Experienced Position Type Full Time

This position supports the work of the Y, a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The Family Advocate is responsible for implementing the core family partnership, parent engagement, and community partnership functions for the center based Head Start program of the YMCA of Frederick County. The Family Advocate recruits, and enrolls children for the program and uses a family centered model to support and assist their assigned families and children to meet their school readiness goals, desired child outcomes, and the goals established in the Family Partnership Agreements.

This position may assist with the completion of health requirements, screenings and assessments. This position is part of the broad system of community social services coordinated by Head Start which support the school readiness goals of the program.

The Family Advocate will ultimately be evaluated on a combination of skills, dispositions and behaviors, some of which are related to the specific service area of this position and others that represent general expectations of all program employees. They will use knowledge of the principles of family support and case management to collaborate with related service areas and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.

They will provide opportunities for families to become involved in the program and to interact with one another at a variety of parent activities. Applying a family-centered philosophy in services delivered to children and families, they will assist families with building peer support networks in the community. The Family Advocates will have high expectations for families and works to motivate and inspire them to increase their participation and engagement with their children's education.

Benefits:

We offer an extensive benefits package for our full-time employees which includes:

• Free Household Membership
• Medical Dental & Vision
• Life insurance
• Short and Long Term Disability
• Retirement benefits will vest at 12% after 2 years of employment
• Discount on childcare and other Y programs
• Paid Time Off
• Bereavement leave

Knowledge and

Skills:

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of social work and/or human behavior
• Knowledge of human development and health
• Knowledge of community, social, and health services available in the area
• Knowledge of computer data entry processes
• Knowledge of family-centered, strength based practices
• Knowledge of customs and languages of various cultures helpful
• Ability to communicate ideas and instructions orally and in writing.
• Ability to speak before groups of individuals.
• Some Bilingual fluency helpful (English/Spanish).
• Ability to calculate amounts by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and figuring percentages.
• Ability to understand and implement the Head Start Performance Standards and requirements and policies of YMCA Head Start
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, children, parents, outside agencies and the public
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of instructions
• Ability to summarize conclusions and instructions, then make recommendations and develop implementation strategies.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality at all times, including the ability to recognize situations in which confidentiality is required.
• Ability to project professionalism in conducting daily activities.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to use computer for data entry and retrieval functions
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.)

Essential Functions:

• Coordinates with center staff to integrate family partnership goals with classroom efforts and to ensure integrated child and family curriculum
• Participates in team management functions of planning, implementing and evaluating Family and Community Partnership goals and objectives
• Participates in in-service, workshops, conferences and college courses to enhance skills
• Recruits prospective families and assists with enrollment process
• Conducts home visits to facilitate family plans, assists families in achieving identified goals and follow-up on referrals
• Acts as a case manager and works cooperatively with local agencies to assist families in obtaining appropriate services in the local community
• Conducts and documents follow-up on referrals as assigned
• While respecting family confidentiality, regularly shares information with teachers to ensure coordinated services that meet the needs of individual children and families
• Coordinates with center staff to promote parent involvement in the program as a classroom visitor, volunteer, employee, and/or participant in other family events
• Develops a working knowledge of community resources
• Refers families for emergency or crisis assistance as…