Parent Advocate
About The Position
HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services (HSVS) is seeking Parent Advocates with experience supporting families and knowledge of foster care processes and ACS mandates. The role combines professional knowledge and lived experience to guide and empower parents and help them remain informed, supported, and engaged throughout the child welfare process. A one-time $1,000 sign-on bonus is contingent upon performance. The Parent Advocate tracks referrals and case assignments; supports training, including the Parenting Journey; encourages parents’ participation in Family Team Conferences; represents HSVS at meetings; helps host events celebrating birth parents; maintains resource materials; documents parent engagement; provides full disclosure and required consents; and co-facilitates quarterly birth parent round tables. The role also provides counseling, on-call assistance, intervention, negotiation, and advocacy related to birth families’ housing needs. Duties include maintaining housing resource lists, collecting documents, completing online applications and recording data in applicable housing systems, delivering completed application packets to ACS, accompanying parents to housing court and government assistance offices, meeting reporting requirements, and assisting parents with furniture shopping for new apartments after children are finally discharged from care. The employee attends required training, works independently and collaboratively, and must be able to travel within the five boroughs of NYC, Long Island, and Westchester.
Requirements
- High school diploma or GED.
- Previous experience as a parent in a child welfare case 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 the five boroughs of NYC, Long Island, and Westchester.
- Demonstrated passion for working with birth parents and at-risk teens in a child welfare setting.
- Strong belief in families’ ability to grow and change.
Nice To Haves
- Knowledge of CONNECTIONS.
- Self-motivation and strong time-management skills.
Responsibilities
- Maintain a tracking system of referrals and case assignments.
- Assist in facilitating training on topics including the Parenting Journey.
- Encourage parents’ participation in Family Team Conferences (FTCs), providing reminders and other support as needed.
- 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 round table meetings.
- Provide counseling, on-call assistance, intervention, negotiation, and advocacy regarding birth families’ 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 set by funding or regulatory agencies.
- Assist and accompany parents with furniture shopping for new apartments once children are finally discharged from care.
- Attend required training to maintain up-to-date information.
- Perform other job-related duties consistent with the scope and level of the position and applicable requirements.
Benefits
- 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, gift certificates, and more.
- One-time $1,000 sign-on bonus contingent upon performance.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
