Bilingual Family and Community Advocate

Hoyleton Youth and Family Services•Fairview Heights, IL

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Bilingual Family and Community Advocate is responsible for providing a variety of outreach, advocacy and support services to Spanish speaking individuals and families throughout Metro-East and Southern Illinois. Services include interpretation and translation, information and referral, advocacy, arranging for health care, access to public benefits, and coordination of educational workshops. The Advocate works collaboratively with internal and external partners to support Spanish-speaking families. This position delivers services that align with agency mission and service delivery model. The Bilingual Family and Community Advocate is a part of the Puentes de Esperanza team.

Requirements

Fluency in English and Spanish
Strong organizational and time management skills.
Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.
Ability to engage youth, parents, and community members on sensitive topics.
Understanding of community needs and the ability to analyze local data.
Critical thinking within a face-paced environment
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
Must meet DCFS/CANTS Clearance Requirements.
Must be at least 21 years of age.
Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license and maintain proof of automobile insurance.
High school diploma or GED required
Must be bilingual (Spanish and English)
Experience working with immigrant or multicultural populations, preferably in community-based programs.
Pass the written test annually (for TCI)
Pass the physical test every six months (if applicable to their role) (for TCI)

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a connector and resource for the community on issues related to immigrant and Spanish-speaking populations.
Implement the CARE practice model and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) methods with fidelity and consistency.
Exhibit professionalism, punctuality, responsibility, and conduct that align with agency standards.
Participate in required meetings, trainings, and program activities as directed by the agency and grant funders.
Deliver assigned program services and fulfill all grant deliverables in accordance with agency policies.
Remains knowledgeable about services available to immigrant communities and community resources and their respective eligibility.
Assures that accurate and complete data is compiled in the reporting systems as required by the grant in order to document the compliance with the goals, objectives and quantity of services. Participates in the on-going comprehensive quality improvement process.
Conducts outreach to target populations for community resources and support. Participates and supports community events and meetings as an organization representative.
Meets goals as stated in grant/ program plan; works within programs focused on case management, education and outreach, and individual or group sessions as assigned.
Coordinates workshops through partners and/ or leads workshops on various topics as assigned.
Enters and maintains data in required systems as identified by agency and other funding sources.
Responds to request for services for Spanish-speaking individuals and families; assesses service requests are within program deliverables and agency mission; assists in referral of services to meet family need.
Responds on-call case assistance for Spanish speaking families involved with Department of Children & Family Services as assigned.
Must be certified in the CARE practice model and provide support to others consistent with CARE principles.
Must be certified in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and capable of performing crisis prevention and de-escalation techniques with fidelity to the TCI model. Expected to conduct TCI methods as required. Will actively seek to prevent behavioral crises, de-escalate crises as they occur and respond to crises in accordance with TCI guidelines.
Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Medical insurance with company funded Health Savings Account (HSA)
Dental and vision insurance
Paid vacation, sick, and personal days
10 company holidays and 1 floating holiday
Monthly cell phone reimbursement
6 weeks paid parental leave
403(b) retirement plan with up to 5% employer match
Employer-paid life insurance
Optional supplemental benefits including: voluntary life, short-term disability, long-term disability, accident, and critical illness coverage
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available to employees and their household members for additional support
Tuition reimbursement to encourage continued learning and growth
BenefitHub Perks Program offering valuable employee discounts