Specialized Doula

Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage ongoing caseload of up to 10 mothers at a time and serve up to 24 mothers in a year.
• Use strength-based approach to schedule and provide home visits to pregnant mothers as identified by Cook County Jail System.
• Serve as a doula for partner agency as needed.
• Plan and complete prenatal and postnatal home visits with home visiting staff of Marillac St. Vincent and partner agency.
• Develop strong knowledge base of working with families who have experienced incarceration, trauma, domestic violence, poverty, mental illness, and other adverse experiences and apply it to the work.
• Utilize the Community Based FANA, Parents as Teachers and other research-based and evidence-based curriculum in home visiting and prenatal group services.
• Make referrals for prenatal and postnatal medical care and attend medical appointments with mothers.
• Make other referrals as needed.
• Involves extended family in the birth process.
• Provide education and assist in the development and implementation of birth plan.
• Nurture the mother through the birth using many different techniques non-medical support.
• Provide education of birthing process, comfort measures, and coaching for fathers.
• Promote bonding and attachment right from the start through parent-child interactions.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with hospitals and staff on the maternity floor.
• Be on call 24 hours for births. Be available as back up Doula.
• Maintain open communication with Program Director.
• Plan, prepare and facilitate weekly prenatal groups.
• Partner with mothers to encourage goal-oriented outcomes for themselves and their child.
• Participate in monthly clinical consultation, doula consultation, and team meetings.
• Attend required professional development and training including, but not limited to, on-going Doula trainings and in-services at the Ounce of Prevention, Health Connect One Doula workshops, other trainings to enhance professional growth.
• Complete doula certification through DONA International.
• Maintain timely, accurate, and complete documentation. Utilize OunceNet system.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships with community partners/agencies and entities that provide services and support to the program participants.
• Other duties assigned by the Program Supervisor.

Qualifications

• B.A. in psychology, sociology, social work, or related field.
• Good communication skills, ability to work as part of a team.
• Relates well to others, comfortable doing home visits, respectful of family norms and values, able to attend trainings and translate it into hands-on knowledge, comfortable in dealing with families, professionals and the community.
• Ability to nurture parents.
• Comfortable in being a friend, mentor, role model and teacher to assist in the development of emotional relationship skills.
• Good computer skills to maintain required documentation.
• Ability to represent Marillac & Project Hope to external agencies.
• Language Ability to read, write and speak English proficiently. Bilingual skill is a plus.