Parent Advocate

Heartshare Human Services Of New York•Brooklyn, NY

About The Position

Heartshare St. Vincent’s Services (HSVS) seeks Parent Advocates to support and empower birth parents throughout the child welfare process. The role calls for demonstrated experience supporting families, knowledge of foster care processes and ACS mandates, and a combination of professional knowledge and lived experience. Parent Advocates help parents stay informed, supported, and engaged, and work independently and collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders. A one-time $1,000 sign-on bonus is contingent upon performance. The position includes maintaining referral and case-assignment tracking, supporting training such as the Parenting Journey, encouraging parent participation in Family Team Conferences, representing HSVS at meetings, contributing to birth-parent events, maintaining resource materials, documenting engagement through service plans, providing required disclosures and consents, and co-facilitating quarterly birth-parent roundtables. For housing-related needs, the Parent Advocate provides counseling, on-call assistance, intervention, negotiation, and advocacy. The role includes developing housing-resource lists; collecting documents; completing applications and recording information in relevant housing systems, including NYCHA and Supportive Housing systems; delivering completed application packets to ACS; accompanying parents to housing court and government-assistance offices; meeting reporting requirements; and accompanying parents shopping for furniture after their children are finally discharged from care. The employee must attend required training and may perform other related duties consistent with the position and applicable laws, regulations, and organizational policies.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
A previous child welfare case as a parent that has been closed for at least one year.
Experience working with families.
Knowledge of foster care and ACS mandates.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to travel within New York City’s five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester.
Ability to frequently stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of CONNECTIONS.
Self-motivation and strong time-management skills are highly preferred.
Demonstrated passion for working with birth parents and at-risk teens in a child welfare setting.
A strong belief in families’ ability to grow and change.

Responsibilities

Maintain a tracking system of referrals and case assignments.
Assist in facilitating training, including topics such as the Parenting Journey.
Encourage parents’ participation in Family Team Conferences (FTCs) through reminders and other appropriate support.
Represent Heartshare St. Vincent’s Services at internal and external meetings.
Contribute to hosting events and activities that celebrate birth parents.
Maintain accessible resource materials for HSVS staff and parents.
Document efforts to engage parents through service plans.
Provide birth parents with full disclosure and all required consents.
Co-facilitate quarterly birth-parent roundtable meetings.
Provide direct counseling, on-call assistance, intervention, negotiation, and advocacy regarding birth-family housing needs.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive list of available housing resources.
Collect required documentation, complete online applications, and record data in applicable housing systems, including NYCHA and Supportive Housing systems.
Deliver completed housing application packets to ACS.
Accompany parents to housing court and government-assistance offices.
Maintain reporting requirements established by funding and regulatory agencies.
Assist and accompany parents shopping for furniture for new apartments once children are finally discharged from care.
Attend required training to keep information up to date.
Perform other job-related duties consistent with the scope and level of the position and applicable laws, regulations, and organizational policies.

Benefits

One-time $1,000 sign-on bonus contingent upon performance.
Paid vacation, sick, and personal days, and holidays.
403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution.
Health, dental, vision, and life insurance.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Flexible spending accounts for dependent care, medical, parking, and transit.
Employee appreciation programs and events.
Tuition assistance program.
Professional development opportunities.
Wellhub discount.
Verizon Wireless discount.
BJ’s membership discount.
Discounts on Broadway tickets, movie tickets, theme parks, sporting events, and gift certificates.