HEAD START - RXII - RECRUITER & FAMILY ADVOCATE I, II, Seasonal

SUMMARY OF PRIMARY FUNCTION

The Recruiter & Family Advocate, at the local level, serves as the program recruiter, social services and parent involvement aide, child/family advocate, and primary liaison between families, the community, other service agencies.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identification and Recruitment
• Identifies, recruits, and enrolls eligible children/families in comprehensive child/family programs including Head Start and Early Head Start.
• Proactively establishes contacts and connections with public and private community agencies to facilitate effective program operations and follow-up.
• Enhances family/community awareness of the program through local advertising.
• Contacts local community agencies and secures their permission to recruit children/families on their premises.
• Explains to families the educational, health, nutritional, and social benefits of the program and informs them of their civil rights.
• Requests and records information on all documentation necessary to certify eligibility.
• Provides information to parents about the various program services and their child's program activities.
• Provides appropriate translation/interpretation necessary for effective communication.
• Provides communication and coordination with families, and public/private community agencies to disseminate all program information, which relates to or involves the families.
• Maintains informed of family patterns, needs and issues.
• Identifies and proposes changes in services to meet needs.
• Communicates needs and issues to Family & Community Services Manager.
• Resource Development
• Serves as the primary liaison between families, the community, other service agencies and the local project.
• Acts as a direct communication link between the project and families.
• Acts as a liaison/link between the school/community and the community/migrant/low income population.
• Serves as liaison between Center staff and the family of a child with a suspected/diagnosed disability throughout the process of identification and diagnosis of the disability, local service planning, implementation and follow-up.
• Develops/updates community resource directory to provide for families.
• Family Partnership
• Makes contact with both mothers and fathers, as applicable to develop ongoing relationships.
• In partnership with families, develops and supports plans that describe families strengths, resources, and needed services.
• Culturally and linguistically responsive outreach and recruitment to parents and expectant families.
• Provides intake and orientation materials to families that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
• Connects families with opportunities that support safety, financial literacy, health, and family wellness.
• Links parents to training that contributes to self-sufficiency and to reaching goals around their education and/or career training.
• Talks with families about their vital role in their children's health, development and learning.
• Supports Health Staff in supporting parents in advocating for their child's health.
• Offers learning materials for children and parents that reflect families cultures, encourages family members to visit, observe, and volunteer in the program.
• Provides families with appropriate information on, training and connections to future early care and educational settings and kindergarten to help facilitate the transition process for parents and children.
• Supports parents as they engage in volunteering, collaborating with the community, and other ways of contributing to program activities and the larger community.
• Becomes family's liaison to program and community services as appropriate.
• This could include joint visits with professionals in health, mental health, child development, and child welfare as indicated to address specific issues or family needs.
• Follows up on the effectiveness of family referrals to community resources.
• Ensures that pertinent knowledge about families is appropriately shared with colleagues and professionals in a way that assures confidentiality and increases service coordination.
• Performs effective recordkeeping and internal and external reporting tasks to track individual family progress and program progress.
• Aids in the planning and implementation of local parent training activities.
• Distributes evaluations and feedback suggestion forms during workshops, meetings and other activities for parents and families.
• Uses data results to inform the design of workshops, meetings, and other activities for parents and expectant families.
• Aids in identifying family needs and makes referrals as appropriate to meet needs.
• Provides appropriate translation/interpretation necessary for effective communication.
• Offers parents/guardians the opportunity to engage in collaborative family partnership agreement process.
• Utilizes internal Family and Community Services system, collects, enters, and monitors necessary data in ChildPlus system, ensuring data is current, complete, and accurate.
• Communication and Training
• Aids in the effective meeting of child and family needs by assisting the local management/supervisory, educational, and health staff.
• Aids in the identification of special child and family needs and works with the entire staffing planning educational and support programs that appropriately meet these specific needs.
• Ensures ongoing documentation of contacts with family in online database.
• Aids in scheduling/conducting home visits.
• Aids in providing parents with information regarding the child's health and educational activities, attendance, and progress.
• Creates and works on individualized professional development plans in collaboration with the Family Services Specialist.
• Safety
• Have or obtain within 90 days of hire a First Aid and CPR Certification as well as maintain the certification during employment.