Family Engagement Liaison

Family Engagement Liaison

The Family Engagement Liaison at Overbrook School for the Blind exudes a passion for the school, its students, its employees, and its mission. This position will report directly to the Superintendent.

The Mission of Overbrook School for the Blind (OSB) is to develop and deliver education that enhances the options available for persons with visual impairments, including those with additional challenges so that they have the greatest opportunity to experience active and fulfilling lives.

Organizational

Description:

Overbrook School for the Blind serves students who are blind or visually impaired with or without additional disabilities (such as intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, sensory issues, and including those who require specialized medical care) receive a customized, individualized education based on state educational standards. OSB is more than a school, it is a community where students, families, and staff support one another and come together to build a bright future.

Job Functions:

The Family Engagement Liaison serves as a partner between families, school staff, and community agencies to support students who are blind, visually impaired, or have additional disabilities. This role ensures families have the knowledge, resources, and support needed to understand their child's learning needs, access specialized services, and engage fully in the school community. Liaison promotes accessibility, trust, and consistent communication while fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all families.

The liaison assists parents with understanding the school's systems so they can become better advocates for their children's education. The role expands opportunities for continued learning, voluntary classroom service and school participation.

Responsibilities include:

• Conduct comprehensive social work assessments and identify student and family needs.
• Prepares monthly family engagement action plans to reach and engage all families in the school community and maintain records on program activities
• Orient new families to school programs, including blindness-specific instruction, related services, health support, and assistive technology.
• Works in tandem with the OSB Social Worker to coordinate individualized support to families adjusting to a new diagnosis or significant change in vision.
• Ensure families receive timely updates regarding student progress, health information, therapy schedules, and school events.
• Work with interpreters, translators, and accessibility staff to meet the needs of multilingual families and families requiring alternative formats.
• Serve as a liaison between families and Health Services, ensuring clear communication regarding medication, health plans, medical appointments, screenings, and emergency procedures.
• Collaborate closely with OT, PT, and SLP, behavior teams to help families understand therapy goals, progress, home carryover activities, and scheduling.
• Collaborates with Superintendent, Educational Supervisors, and the Communication and Development Departments on projects aiding students and families.
• Help families access community support when needed, including medical specialists, vision rehabilitation services, early intervention, mental health providers, transportation assistance, and social service agencies.
• Helps to coordinate and execute events on campus for recruitment of new students

Expected Skill Set:

• Demonstrated knowledge of:
• Communication skills and techniques.
• The economic and social problems experienced by urban families.
• The functions and resources of community organizations and social service agencies providing services to families and students served by OSB.
• Office principles, practices and procedures.
• Personal computer applications that are used to create reports and documents.
• Demonstrated ability to:
• Work effectively with parents/guardians to address their specific concerns.
• Work flexible hours including evenings and weekends, as initiative's outreach events dictate.
• Employ tact, diplomacy and sound judgment in dealing with sensitive issues.
• Promote and encourage parental participation in a variety of school-wide initiatives.
• Understand and respect the use appropriate technology and a variety of software applications in order to create reports, maintain records and provide data, as needed.
• Host and plan parent meetings and attend community meetings off school site and in the local community and or neighborhoods.
• Communicate effectively, both…