Family Advocate- Lynden

About the role

Position is responsible to ensure families meet eligibility criteria to receive social and health related program services. Within an assigned caseload, interview clients individually, in family, or in other small groups to determine child and family needs to support and mobilize inner capacities and obtain community resources to improve social, health and mental health functioning, as required by Head Start and/or ECEAP Performance Standards.

Inspire Development Centers provides Early Childhood Education (ECE) and social services to more than 4000 children, in center based and home based setting, at more than 25 Child Development Centers (CDC) throughout the State of Washington. Inspire provides services under various federal and state funded programs with differing regulations and stipulations, which must be coordinated and adhered to, including, but not limited to: Regional Head Start (RHS), Migrant Seasonal Head Start (MSHS), Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) and Early Head Start (EHS).

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain an ongoing recruitment process that will ensure enrollment of eligible children under the different funding sources’ criteria, including children with disabilities and severe disabilities.
• Responsible for eligibility verification of children and families, maintaining waiting list up to date, selecting and enrolling children based on established criteria.
• Responsible to input all family and child data into database systems.
• Responsible to review daily attendance and enter attendance results into database systems.
• Perform a strengths and needs assessment and develop progress goals with all participating families in order to systematically provide assistance to members in their efforts to help themselves.
• Make ongoing entries in child/parent files regarding progress activities, services, and/or concerns.
• Conduct home visits as stated on Service Plan.
• Develop local community partnerships to maintain resources for families.
• Contact program participants to provide information about the center and other available services, such as employment, education, welfare, health, legal services, housing, and trainings.
• Maintain a continuous line of communication between center, School Districts personnel, and participants.
• Prepare and present training for parents and staff on relevant component areas.
• Participate in center level meetings such as staffing, core team, staff, and transitioning meetings.
• Organize local trainings from local interests in skill building trainings.
• Ensure all processes for Mental Health and Disabilities are followed and implemented.
• Complete enrollment health packets and basic non-invasive health screenings for children enrolled at the center.
• Perform immunization reviews and follow up on Well Child and Dental exams.
• Make health, dental and nutrition referrals as needed, and schedule corresponding staffing as needed.
• Dispense medications as authorized and treat minor injuries and illness.

Qualifications

• Associate’s or higher degree with the equivalent of 30 quarter credits in adult education, human development, human services, family support, social work, early childhood education, child development, psychology or another field directly related to job responsibilities.
• English/Spanish bi-lingual, speaking/reading/writing fluency.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of child development theories and practices.
• Experience working in a federally funded and regulated environment.
• Experience in policy and procedure processes.
• Experience in facilitating groups.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Experience in family concerns and risk management.
• Understanding of the interrelationships between services and systems.
• Ability to learn new tasks quickly and efficiently.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Ability to gather and analyze data for reports.
• Strong customer service focus.
• Ability to work with culturally diverse population.
• Proficiency with personal computer, including Microsoft Office.
• Accurate data management, documentation and recordkeeping skills.

Skills

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, balance, stoop, catch, move to music, and run, occurrence is frequent.
• Ability to communicate in person, or via telephone or video conference, occurrence is frequent.
• Ability to lift and/ or move up to forty (40) pounds, occurrence is occasional.
• Ability to restrain child, occurrence is occasional.
• Ability to push/pull, kneel, bend, taste or smell, occurrence is occasional.
• Ability to travel, locally and statewide, occurrence is frequent.
• Ability to travel out of state, occurrence is occasional.
• Ability to write and keyboard, occurrence is frequent.
• Ability to read, occurrence is frequent.
• Ability to use hands to finger, handle, feel or move objects, tools or controls, reach with hands and arms, occurrence is frequent.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus, occurrence is frequent.

Benefits

A summary of benefits associated with this position can be found at https://inspirecenters.org/careers/.

Pay and Schedule

Not specified.