Family & Health Services Coordinator (36029)

Lutheran Services Florida • Jacksonville, FL

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) is seeking a talented Family & Health Services Coordinator who wants to make an impact in the lives of others. The primary responsibility is performing duties that require advanced knowledge in the field of social services and using such knowledge and prior work experience to exercise discretion and independent judgment in providing the most appropriate services and support to children and families in the Head Start/Early Head Start program. This role involves facilitating parent engagement, providing high-quality health, mental health, nutrition, and disability support and resource linkage, building partnerships with families to assist them in identifying their own goals, strengths, needed services and support systems, developing and implementing family partnership agreements, and managing comprehensive family files. The coordinator will also assist with enrollment and monitor attendance for their caseload.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Health, Social Work, Human Services or 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 health, nutrition, disabilities, social work, and human behavior.
• Knowledge of human development and health.
• Knowledge of computer data entry systems and processes.
• Knowledge of family-centered wrap-around practices.
• Ability to read, write, and speak English clearly and professionally for documentation, reporting, and communication processes.
• 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.
• Intermediate computer skills, including MS Office Suite (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Demonstrate sensitivity to our service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics and needs.
• Team player with co-workers and central service office staff.
• Adherence to agency policies, procedures and performance standards.
• Effective customer service and group leadership.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

• Facilitate in parent engagement.
• Provide high-quality health, mental health, nutrition, and disability support and resource linkage.
• Build partnerships with families to assist them in identifying their own goals, strengths, needed services and support system.
• Develop, implement, and maintain family partnership agreements that outline families strategies and timetables for achieving their own goals.
• Responsible for the management and recordkeeping of the family comprehensive file to its entirety.
• Assist with enrollment and monitors attendance as part of assigned caseload.
• Initiate collaborative partnerships with parents to establish mutual trust and respect.
• Assess family needs for social services, develop individualized plans, and deliver or coordinate services.
• Conduct and document follow-up on all referrals.
• Establish and maintain 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 Family Partnership Agreement (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 of 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 assigned Head Start/Early Head Start site.
• Develop a working knowledge of community resources, and visit major agencies for service delivery updates and community resource guide updates at least annually.
• Coordinate and monitor compliance with Head Start Performance Standards and Florida licensing requirements related to child health, nutrition, and safety.
• Assist with completion, tracking, and follow-up of required health, dental, vision, developmental, and nutrition screenings and assessments.
• Coordinate implementation of individual health, nutrition, and treatment plans, including follow-up on referrals and ongoing monitoring of child needs.
• Promote child and family wellness, including establishment of medical and dental homes for children and pregnant women.
• Provide 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.
• Provide health, safety, nutrition, and family literacy education to parents through individual consultation and group activities.
• Monitor nutrition services, including CACFP documentation, meal observations, and coordination of nutrition-related supplies.
• Enter, track, and maintain accurate child and family data in Child Plus, including health records, referrals, FPAs, and service follow-up.
• Track and maintain parenting curriculum platform including on-going monitoring through monthly usage reports.
• Maintain accurate, confidential child and family files in accordance with federal, state, and agency requirements.
• Generate reports and documentation to support program monitoring, audits, PIR reporting, and CQI activities.
• Participate in internal monitoring, Quality Assurance efforts, and preparation for federal, state, and local reviews.
• Participate in team planning, implementation, and evaluation of health, nutrition, and family engagement goals.
• Collaborate with education staff to ensure integrated child and family services and coordinated school readiness efforts.
• Attend required meetings, trainings, parent conferences, and professional development activities.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and adhere to agency policies, procedures, and Standards of Conduct.
• Implement enrollment of potentially eligible children birth through age 5, pregnant women and their families in collaboration with Child Health and Safety Manager.
• Assist Recruitment and Community Relations Assistant with recruitment and enrollment efforts during peak enrollment season.
• Monitor attendance and maintain an average daily attendance above 85%.
• Follow up with any families experiencing participation or attendance problems.
• Coordinate and implement monthly parent committee meeting at assigned center site(s). Maintain accurate records and documentation.
• Ensure the elected Policy Council representative and/or alternate for assigned center site(s) are in attendance for the Program’s Policy Council monthly meeting.
• Ensure parental participation in the program’s approved parenting curriculum.
• 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 community individuals and organizations at a rate of no less than once per month or more for high risk/need families.
• 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.
• Assist 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.
• Ensure an appropriate written transition plan is prepared for all Early Head Start children, six months prior to their third birthday.
• Documents all efforts to assist families, tracks family partnership efforts and outcomes, records, monitors and follows up on referrals, and submits reports as required.
• Collect child and family data and enter into ChildPlus; monitor; update; prepare data reports for program use and complete all Program Information Report (PIR) indicators within ChildPlus.
• Maintain accurate, objective, timely and confidential records documenting all child, family, staff and agency contacts; disseminate appropriately; and document recruitment and enrollment activities.
• Coordinate with center staff to integrate family partnership goals with classroom efforts and to ensure integrated child and family curriculum.
• Share information with teachers to ensure coordinated services that meet the individual needs of children and families, while respecting family confidentiality.
• Attend parent/teacher conferences as requested.
• Attend multi-team development meetings and staffings as requested.
• Ensure an appropriate written transition plan is prepared for all children, six months prior to their third birthday.
• Perform other related duties as assigned to support program operations.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental and 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