Family Advocate

Family Advocate

The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) is a non-profit organization established in 1976 to serve immigrants, refugees, and the broader community in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to welcome, serve and empower refugees, immigrants and people across cultures and generations to reach their full potential. Find out more o.org.

Position Summary:

The Family Advocate (FA) provides parent education and developmental screenings to families with children birth to 5 years old. A Family Advocate (FA) will come to the family's home to provide home visits twice a month. During a home visit, the FA will share child development information and activities for promoting positive parent-child interaction using Parent as Teachers (PAT) curriculum. The Family Advocate develops and delivers community-aware approach parenting education activities to meet the different needs of enrolled families through community-aware approach in-person home visits and/or virtual visits, applies developmental screenings to children, connects families with services and resources in the community, according to their needs and goals.

The Family Advocate works in a multi-background environment to provide services that meet IRCO's goals and objectives.

Essential Functions:

• Outreach and enroll families within Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington counties into PCI Program
• Establish and maintain trusting relationships with families through regular home visits
• Prepare and provide community aware approach home visits, Share parenting and child development information during one-on-one home visit
• Prepare and bring age-appropriate activities during home visits
• Provide parenting education, guidance, and support to promote positive parent-child interaction, using PAT curriculum and other approved curriculum and wraparound training and resources to support families
• Partner with parents to promote kindergarten readiness
• Teach parents life skills that promotes problem-solving, self-sufficiency, self-regulation, and advocate for the family
• Guide and support parents to create their Family Goal Plan once a year
• Engage families to actively participate in the program and conduct 2 home visits per month, per family
• Plan and organize monthly group meeting or field trip
• Complete developmental screenings Ages and Stages Questionnaires, third edition (ASQ-3) and Ages & Stages Questionnaires - Social-Emotional second edition (ASQ SE) and coordinate referrals for early intervention as necessary
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of home visits, screens, assessments and referrals
• Provide monthly reports to supervisor at the end of each month
• Participate in Early Learning Service/IRCO all staff meetings, monthly team meeting, one-on-one reflective supervision, training, committees, and volunteer activities to support IRCO's goals and objectives

Secondary Functions:

• Provide referrals to community services and resources such health and dental clinics, family planning, low-income housing, nutrition services, rental and energy assistance, head start and childcare as needed
• Provide interpretation services to parents and assist them with better access to mainstream service providers such as hospitals, clinics, WIC and social service programs
• Translate training materials and brochures/flyers as necessary
• Follow-up on referral made such as counseling, housing, etc. and support as needed for clients and their families

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

Minimum Job Specific

Qualifications:

• Education:
  
  High School Diploma/GED required, associate degree in social work or Early Childhood Education preferred
• Experiences in early childhood services, parenting education and assessment, infant and child development, nutrition, preventive health care and/or home visiting services.
• Professional level experience providing outreach, information, referrals, and follow-up to clients
• Experience working with young children and their families.
• Must be familiar with service providers involved with parenting education, social services, health care, emergency services, and childcare.
• Must be able to work in a multi-lingual work environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of child development
• Ability to build trust with families
• Strong computer skills including proficiency in the Microsoft outlook, words and apricot database
• Strong communication skills in a multilingual organization
• Strong ability to work with multi-lingual staff in a team setting
• Ability and willingness to learn new skills
• Ability to use initiative and judgment in completing tasks and responsibilities
• Ability to courteously meet and deal effectively with other employees, agency representatives, the public, families and others
• Ability to function in a positive manner in a demanding work environment, to demonstrate a high degree of flexibility, to respond to priorities and schedules that change frequently, and to meet commitments

Physical, Mental, & Environmental Requirements:

• Hybrid setting job
• Positions require some analysis of…