Parent Advocate - EFFC

The New York Foundling; New York (NY); On-site; USD 49,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The New York Foundling is seeking a Parent Advocate to support families involved with foster care and help families reunify. The role emphasizes building connections, collaboration with case planners, and guiding parents through complex processes.

Responsibilities include preparing parents for meetings, advocating for housing and public assistance, and maintaining ongoing support. The candidate should bring warmth, resilience, and strong communication skills to help families thrive.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Experience as a parent impacted by the child welfare system is valued.
• Natural collaborator with warmth and enthusiasm.
• Able to engage and positively impact individuals.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships and support parents navigating foster care.
• Prepare parents and participate in Case Planning Meetings and Family Team Conferences.
• Educate birth parents on experiences and available services.
• Provide advocacy, support and referrals for housing, public assistance and court preparation.
• Maintain frequent contact with birth parents for ongoing support.
• Meet families during Family Time to encourage visits and problem-solve obstacles.
• Support and monitor family/sibling time visits.
• Facilitate a Parent Support Circle for birth parents.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Experience in child welfare as a parent

Job description

Overview

At The New York Foundling, we trust in the power and potential of people, and we deliberately invest in proven practices. From bold beginnings in 1869, our New York-based nonprofit has supported hundreds of thousands of our neighbors on their own paths to stability, strength, and independence. We help children and families navigate through and beyond foster care. We help families struggling with conflict and poverty grow strong. We help individuals with developmental disabilities live their best lives, and we help our neighbors access quality health and mental health services—core to building lifelong resilience and wellbeing. Together, our interrelated programs provide a whole-person, whole-family, and whole-life approach that unlocks solutions for a lifetime.

Responsibilities

The Parent Advocate will support parents with children in foster care to understand and navigate the foster care system, make decisions for their families, remain hopeful, and address family challenges so that they can accomplish their goal of reunification. The focus of this job is building connections with parents and working collaboratively with case planners.

• Build relationships and support parents in coping with the trauma of foster care involvement, making decisions for their families, communicating effectively with those involved in their case, and maintaining relationships with their children during foster care placement.
• Prepare parents and participate in Case Planning Meetings, Family Team Conferences including but not limited to Transitional, 20 Day, Six-Month Service Plan Review, Placement Change Conferences, Trial Discharge and Final Discharge conferences.
• Collaborate with foster care unit supervisor and work alongside case planners. Educate birth parents on the birth parent/client experience including what requirements of them are and the services they can receive
• Provide advocacy, support and referral services for Birth Parents in areas such as housing, public assistance and court preparation
• Maintain frequent contacts Birth Parents to provide ongoing support
• Participate in Birth Parent Orientation with Case planners
• Meet with families during Family Time (Family Visiting) as a support to encourage visits and to help parent’s problem solve obstacles to healthy effective time with their children.
• Support and Monitor family/sibling family time visits.
• Facilitate a Parent Support Circle for birth parents in order to address common needs

The New York Foundling is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse employee population, the Foundling will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

Qualifications

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent
• Previous life experience being impacted by the child welfare system as a parent including having had a child placed in foster care or having had a court-ordered supervision case. Other prior child welfare involvement such as having personally experienced child welfare investigations may also qualify. Previous child welfare cases must be closed for at least one year.
• A natural collaborator.
• Warm, enthusiastic, able to engage and positively impact individuals.
• Someone who has a sincere appreciation for people and how they are each uniquely motivated.

Education Required

High School / G.E.D.

Salary Range

$48,695.31 (+ Education Additive 3,800) + (Bilingual Additive $3,500)