Family and Community Engagement Advocate (6130)

Lutheran Services Florida • Belle Glade, FL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) is seeking a Family & Community Engagement Advocate to make a positive impact on the lives of children and families within the Head Start/Early Head Start program. This role involves providing advanced social services, exercising independent judgment, and building partnerships with families to help them identify goals and access necessary support. The advocate will also be responsible for managing comprehensive family files and ensuring program compliance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Human Services, or a related human services field.
• At least two years of experience working with children and families in a social services environment.
• Certification in First Aid and CPR within three months of the date assigned to this position.
• Successful completion of a Level II background screening and drug screening prior to hiring.
• Considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of social work and human behavior.
• Knowledge of human development and health.
• Knowledge of social services and health services available in the area.
• Knowledge of computer data entry processes.
• Knowledge of family-centered practices.
• Ability to communicate ideas and instructions orally and in writing.
• Ability to write reports and business correspondence.
• Ability to speak before groups of individuals, such as Committees and Staff meetings.
• Ability to calculate amounts by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and figuring percentages.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of instructions.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to make recommendations and develop implementation strategies.
• Basic computer skills.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to our service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics and needs.

Nice To Haves

• Head Start/Early Head Start experience preferred.
• Fluent in English to Spanish and or other languages present in the local area.

Responsibilities

• Conduct eligibility, recruitment, selection, enrollment, and attendance (ERSEA) processes.
• Facilitate parent engagement activities and coordinate monthly parent committee meetings.
• Provide high-quality health, mental health, nutrition support, and resource linkage to families.
• Build partnerships with families to assist them in identifying their own goals, strengths, needed services, and support systems.
• Assist with developing and implementing family partnership agreements that outline families' strategies and timetables for achieving their own goals.
• Manage and maintain comprehensive family files, including all documentation, referrals, and data entry into ChildPlus.
• Initiate collaborative partnerships with parents to establish mutual trust and respect.
• Assess family needs for social services and develop individualized plans.
• Deliver or coordinate the delivery of needed social services through referral or direct services.
• Review and update social service plans as necessary and conduct follow-up on all referrals.
• Establish Family Partnership Agreements (FPA) with families, identifying strengths, needs, and interests to help parents develop and achieve goals within 45 days of enrollment.
• Facilitate follow-up on FPA goals with families within 90 days and on-going at a minimum of 90 days or more frequently if necessary.
• Provide comprehensive community resource information to families, individualizing to respond to their needs and concerns.
• Refer families to community agencies/programs and assess the accessibility, relevance, and usefulness of assistance received.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with community organizations responsive to the concerns of families with children birth through age 5, pregnant women, and their families.
• Participate in community awareness events.
• Report suspected child abuse and/or neglect following program procedures and Florida law.
• Serve on a community board located in the area of the assigned Head Start/Early Head Start site.
• Develop a working knowledge of community resources and visit major agencies annually for service delivery updates and resource guide updates.
• Implement, document, and report on the recruitment, selection, and enrollment of potentially eligible children, pregnant women, and their families.
• Recruit prospective families and complete the enrollment process, maintaining funded enrollment and filling 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%, following up with families experiencing participation or attendance problems.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation for parent committee meetings, including minutes, agendas, training materials, and sign-in sheets.
• Ensure elected Policy Council representatives attend monthly Program Policy Council meetings.
• Coordinate monthly parent engagement activities through support groups like AMEN and LOVE.
• Implement a comprehensive, individualized, and developmental parent engagement and education program.
• Ensure comprehensive, timely two-way communication between parents, Head Start staff, and community individuals/organizations.
• Encourage parent volunteerism and provide opportunities for parents to work together on activities they helped develop.
• 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 and from Head Start to kindergarten.
• Assist with the completion of child health screenings, other required screenings, and assessments, and be familiar with referral requirements.
• Promote child and family wellness and the establishment of a medical and dental 'home' for each child and pregnant woman.
• Provide health, safety, and family literacy activities to parents.
• Assist and support families with engaging and completing appropriate disability paperwork for their child.
• Ensure an appropriate written transition plan is prepared for all Early Head Start children six months prior to their third birthday.
• Collect child and family data and enter it into ChildPlus, monitor, update, prepare data reports, and complete all Program Information Report (PIR) indicators.
• Maintain accurate, objective, timely, and confidential records documenting all child, family, staff, and agency contacts.
• Coordinate with center staff to integrate family partnership goals with classroom efforts and ensure integrated child and family curriculum.
• Share information with teachers to ensure coordinated services that meet individual needs of children and families, while respecting confidentiality.
• Attend parent/teacher conferences and multi-team development meetings/staffings as requested.
• Participate in team management functions of planning, implementing, and evaluating family and community engagement goals and objectives.
• Participate in in-service training, workshops, conferences, and college courses to enhance skills.
• Attend all workshops and meetings as deemed necessary by the supervisor.
• Maintain strict confidentiality regarding Head Start/Early Head Start children, families, and staff.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Telehealth (24/7 online access to Doctors)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employer paid life insurance (1X salary)
• 13 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday
• Generous PTO policy (starting at 16 working days a year)
• 403(b) Retirement plan with 3% discretionary employer match OR 3% student loan repayment reimbursement
• Tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level