Family and Community Engagement Advocate

Lutheran Services Florida, Inc.; Largo (FL); On-site; USD 34,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Lutheran Services Florida, Inc. seeks a Family and Community Engagement Advocate in Largo, FL to support families through a family-centered case management approach.

You will help with enrollment, screenings, and linking families to local services while promoting health, safety, and literacy activities. The role emphasizes coordinating with center staff, engaging parents, and participating in community partnerships and staff meetings to ensure comprehensive services for children aged birth to

Qualifications

• Family-centered case management model experience is preferred.
• Ability to coordinate with teachers and program staff.
• Familiarity with health screenings and community referrals.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate family partnership goals with classroom efforts and curriculum.
• Assist with recruitment, enrollment, and attendance tracking.
• Support health, safety, and family literacy activities for parents.
• Document referrals and follow up with families and agencies.

Skills

Community outreach

Family engagement

Case management

Team collaboration

Education

High School diploma

Job description

Family and Community Engagement Advocate

Job Category: Community/Social Services

Requisition Number: FAMIL007961

• Full-Time

Locations

Showing 1 location

Largo, FL 33771, USA

Description

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) envisions a world where children are safe, families are strong, and communities are vibrant.

LSF is seeking a talented Family & Community Engagement Advocate who wants to make an impact in the lives of others.

Purpose and Impact:

The Family and Community Engagement Advocate supports and assists families as they identify and meet their own goals through a family-centered case management model for developing and carrying out the program family partnership agreements., including responsibility for child files, enrollment/applications, etc. Assists with the completion of the child health requirements and other required screenings and assessments. Participates in the HS/EHS Quality Assurance efforts.

Essential Functions:

• Coordinates with center staff to integrate family partnership goals with classroom efforts and to ensure integrated child and family curriculum.
• Participates in team management functions of planning, implementing and evaluating family and community engagement goals and objectives.
• Participates in in-service, workshops, conferences and college courses to enhance skills.
• Works cooperatively with local agencies to assist families to linkup with services in the local community.
• Assists with the completion of the child health screening, other required screenings and assessments and is familiar with referral requirements.
• Conducts and documents follow-up on all referrals.
• While respecting family confidentiality, regularly shares information with teachers to ensure coordinated services that meet the needs of individual children and families.
• Provides health, safety and family literacy activities to parents, as appropriate.
• Develops a working knowledge of community resources, and visits, at least annually, with major agencies for service delivery updates and community resource guide updates.
• Attends parent/teacher conferences as requested.
• Attends multi-team development and staff meetings as requested.
• Ensures an appropriate written transition plan is prepared for all children, six months prior to their third birthday.
• Attends all required staff and parent meetings and activities.
• Maintains strict confidentiality at all times with respect to Head Start/Early Head Start children, families and staff in accordance with established policies and procedures, including the ability to recognize situations in which confidentiality is required.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, Attendance (ERSEA)

• Implement, document and report on the recruitment, selection and enrollment of potentially eligible children birth through age 5, pregnant women and their families in collaboration with Health and Family Community Engagement Manager.
• Recruits prospective families and complete the enrollment process.
• Maintain funded enrollment and fill Head Start/Early Head Start vacancies within 30 days.
• Accurately verify and determine eligibility for Head Start/Early Head Start enrollment.
• Monitor attendance and maintain an average daily attendance above 85%.
• Follow up with any families experiencing participation or attendance problems.
• Documents all efforts to assist families, tracks family partnership efforts and outcomes, records, monitors and follows up on referrals, and submits reports as required. Attends all workshops and meetings as deemed necessary by the supervisor

Parent Engagement

• Coordinate and implement monthly parent committee meeting at your assigned center site(s). Maintain accurate records and documentation (e.g. meeting minutes, agenda, training, sign-in sheet, and PC members’ eligibility paperwork).
• Ensure the elected Policy Council representative and/or alternate for assign center site(s) are in attendance for the Program’s Policy Council monthly meeting
• Coordinate monthly parent engagement activities through the A Man Everybody Needs (AMEN) and Ladies of Victory and Empowerment (LOVE) support groups.
• Implement a comprehensive, individualized and developmental parent engagement and education program responsive to parent needs, concerns and requests that supports parents in their role as the primary influence in their children’s lives.
• Ensure comprehensive, timely two-way communication between parents, Head Start staff, and as appropriate, community individuals and organizations.
• Encourage parent volunteerism throughout the program.
• Provide parents regular opportunities to work together and with other community members on activities they helped develop and in which they expressed an interest.
• Encourage parents to take an active role in making community services more responsive to their goals and needs.
• Promote full child/family participation in program activities and assist with monitoring and resolution of any problems.
• Assist parents, including pregnant women, with the transition process into Head Start from Early Head Start or other settings, and from Head Start to kindergarten.

Health

• Assists with the completion of the child health screening, other required screenings and assessments and is familiar with referral requirements.
• Promote child and family wellness and the establishment of a medical and dental “home” for each HS infant, toddler and preschool child and each pregnant woman.
• Provide physical/dental/mental health and nutrition education activities that are responsive to the ongoing and expressed needs of parents as individuals and in the parent committee meetings.
• Provides health, safety and family literacy activities to parents, as appropriate.
• Assist and support families with engaging and completing the appropriate disability paperwork for their child requiring services.

Other Functions:

Note: The duties above are illustrative and not exhaustive. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Depending on assigned area of responsibility, incumbents in the position may perform some or all of the activities described above.

Physical Requirements:

• Mobility: Must be able to sit, stand, and walk for extended periods of time throughout the workday, including moving between classrooms, offices, and community locations.
• Lifting: Ability to lift and carry up to 45 pounds occasionally (e.g., files, educational materials, outreach supplies).
• Dexterity: Must be able to operate a computer, telephone, and other standard office equipment.
• Vision and Hearing: Adequate vision and hearing (with or without corrective devices) to observe and interact with children and families, and to perform data entry and read documents.
• Communication: Must be able to communicate clearly and effectively in person, over the phone, and in writing.
• Transportation: Must have reliable transportation and be able to travel locally for home visits, community events, and trainings.

Reasonable accommodation may be made for otherwise qualified persons with disabilities.

Education:

High School diploma