Family Navigator - Bilingual

Tulsa Health Department; Tulsa (OK); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Tulsa Health Department is seeking a Family Navigator to support the Birth through Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST). The role involves connecting families to prenatal, postpartum, home visitation and early childhood programs, with a focus on engaging pregnant women enrolled in SoonerCare and linking them to relevant services.

Responsibilities include building trust with diverse families, coordinating referrals, maintaining case documentation, and working with community partners to optimize

Qualifications

• Experience with low-income families and home visitation preferred.
• Ability to engage culturally diverse families with young children.
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of community resources and early childhood programs.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish/Burmese is required.

Responsibilities

• Create trusting relationships with expectant mothers, parents and caregivers.
• Triage referrals to home visitation programs and social/health services.
• Promote connections to maternal and early childhood programs (e.g., home visitation).
• Educate families about prenatal, postpartum supports and child development.
• Maintain documentation and reports per program requirements.
• Coordinate referrals and partnerships with BEST and community agencies.

Skills

Community resources

Cultural humility

Interpersonal communication

Report writing

General IT skills

Bilingual (English/Spanish/Burmese)

Education

High school diploma

Associates degree preferred

Tools

None

Job description

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The Birth through Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST) represents an exciting opportunity for Tulsa. BEST is a comprehensive, continuous and integrated approach that focuses on families to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. This strategy knits together programs and services to create a seamless continuum of support. Programs, services, community agencies and philanthropies are partnering with Tulsa’s families to build a cycle of opportunity.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Family Navigator plays a key role in advancing the goals of BEST and realizing the potential of the strategy for children and families. Family Navigator provide personalized, ongoing support to connect families to desired programs and services and share information about how families can support their young child’s brain development. Together with other BEST implementing partners, the Family Navigator will impact thousands of children across the county and country, as other communities draw from and replicate the model.

In the initial stage of navigation, the Family Navigator manages a monthly caseload and is primarily responsible for contacting pregnant women recently enrolled in SoonerCare to promote awareness of and enrollment in, prenatal and postpartum home visitation services and early childhood programs and services. The Family Navigator engages expectant mothers, parents and caregivers, develop trusting relationships, and ensure that parents and children are connected to relevant and appropriate resources. As BEST grows, Family Navigators will have the opportunity to support parents and caregivers at later phases along the birth through age eight continuum.

Bilingual (English/Spanish/Burmese) required.

The following functions represent the majority of the duties performed by the position. The description is not meant to be all-inclusive or prevent other duties from being assigned when necessary:

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. Create a trusting, comfortable, and inclusive environment that fosters partnership and continual engagement with expectant mothers, parents and other caregivers from all backgrounds through ongoing contact.
2. Triage community referrals and Medicaid/Medicare recipients by connecting to appropriate home visitation program, social worker, case manager, and/or other social and health related community agencies, based on client needs and program eligibility criteria.
3. Promote and ensure smooth connections, based on the desires and needs of expectant mothers, parents and caregivers, to home visitation and other programs that serve maternal and early childhood populations (including but not limited to Children First, Positive Parenting, Parents as Teachers, Safe Care, Learning at Home, Healthy Start, Sooner Start).
4. Educate expectant mothers, parents, and caregivers about prenatal and postpartum supports, early childhood brain development, as well as strategies, programs and services to support a young child’s development.
5. Refer low-income expectant mothers, parents and caregivers, and children in Tulsa County to medical, education, and social service providers.
6. Support management of community partner relationships by coordinating referrals to outreach programs and identifying new opportunities to partner.
7. Attend regular peer group meetings for networking and information sharing for optimal care management and navigation.
8. Keep current with community resources, relevant training related to early childhood development, protective factors, collective impact, cultural awareness, health related social needs, etc.
9. Serve as a liaison to a variety of community agencies and networks.
10. Assist and collaborate with the Community Connector, and other pertinent staff, in regard to home visitation and referral linkage.
11. Coordinates and collaborates, with BEST, in the development, implementation, and execution of special initiatives aimed at improving program outcomes.
12. Maintain complete and accurate documentation of all activities and reports through computerized entry in accordance with program standard, guidelines, and THD requirements.
13. Attend required training in support of duties and responsibilities of this position.
14. Other duties as assigned including those required to fulfill activities in support of public health emergency operations.

Education:

High school diploma required. Associates Degree preferred.

Experience:

Previous experience with low-income families, home visitation programs, engaging culturally diverse families with young children in health and social services, and/or working with early childhood programs, is preferred.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Knowledge of community/county best practices related to Early Childhood and home visitation.
• Knowledge of community resources and services.
• Ability to practice cultural humility.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills in order to communicate effectively with peers and to maintain productive working relationships with agency partners.
• Ability to prepare reports and communicate program goals and activities effectively both orally and in writing.
• Skill in operating a personal computer and smart phone applications.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish/Burmese)

Licenses/Certification:

• Valid Oklahoma driver’s license.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL WORKING RELATIONS:

• Regular internal contact with various staff to coordinate meetings and facilitate referrals for the target population.
• External contact with outside agencies to exchange information in order to build awareness about home visitation and other early childhood programs and services, coordinate referrals, recruit new referral sources, and link clients to appropriate services.

PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Communication: Frequent phone communication with Tulsa residents. Must be able to exchange accurate information over the phone, email, use an enterprise SMS text messaging platform, and face to face.
• Operate: Constant operation of computer, phones and other office productivity machinery.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY/ACCOUNTABILITY:

Direct Supervision:None

Indirect Supervision: None

Budget/Money/Material:Responsible for assigned equipment

Reports to: Navigation Manager

Location: Legacy Plaza

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Must be able to work and record in an area of moderately high noise level, visual distraction and limited privacy.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must maintain THD record confidentiality according to HIPAA regulations.
• Must possess ability and willingness to perform job-related travel (e.g., home visits, community events, training, meetings).

FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt