Occupational Grouping:Parent and Community ServicesPosition Title:Bilingual Family Development Advocate (Early Head Start)LACOE Benchmark ClassificationFamily Services AssistantProgram/Department:Early Childhood Education/Family & Community ServicesReports to:Family Development Advocate SupervisorProvides Direction to:N/ALocation:Main Office, School SitesEmployment Status:Non-exempt, 11 monthsLACOE Salary Scale Grade:Grade 19: Step 1 = $2,946.61 to Step 7 $3,158.99JOB PURPOSE:Conducts basic social casework and coordinates related parent involvement services, including guiding parents in their childrens education and development, coordinating health, nutrition, mental health, disability and parent involvement related services for families, and being the point person for family case management.POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:Under the Early Head Start Service Option, the Family Development Advocate (FDA) will provide the required family and community engagement services related to health, nutrition,mental health, disability , social services and parent involvement.
The FDA/EHS will interact with the public and provides customer service by phone, email and in person, maintains program databases and recordkeeping files, prepares correspondence, reports, records and other paperwork, provides written translation or spoken interpretation for non-English clients, provides case management services to families and children, and supports outreach, recruitment, selection and enrollment activities.ESSENTIAL DUTIES OF THE POSITION INCLUDE:* Obtain child and family information and complete service area forms accurately and completely in their entirety upon acceptance of the child and family into the program.* Identify children with special placement considerations.* Manage a caseload of up to 44 children at a given time.* Conducts family assessment of each enrolled family by identifying family strengths, interests and needs.* Assist enrolled families in developing Individualized Family Partnership Agreement Plans, research on resources and support the plans including periodic follow ups.* Conduct vision and hearing health screenings for enrolled children.* Conducts follow ups with the required health screenings per required periodicity of the Bright Futures Guidelines.* Maintain ongoing communication and follow-ups with in-house Service Area Coordinators and outside Health providers to obtain necessary health requirements.* Conducts home visits with designated site staff to follow up on required family and health services as needed.* Develop a plan of action with families who are having challenges with absences.* Participate in planning and conducting Parent Committee Meetings with Early Head Start Parent Committee and Staff.* Ensures that Parent Committee Minutes are translated and posted by the due date as required.* Participate in planning and coordinating Parent Education Workshops.* Monitor Parent Bulletin board once a month during planning meeting to ensure current events and required postings are maintained for related Early Head Start information.* Participate in Multidisciplinary Team Meetings as needed.* Work closely with service area staff to address parents concerns or complaints.* Track family goals and produce weekly, monthly and quarterly reports on family development.* Advocate on behalf of parents with public and private service agencies to acquire needed family services.* Report signs of child abuse, neglect or unsafe living conditions to the proper authorities for appropriate action to ensure the safety of children.* Use computers, especially MS Office, Email and Internet, to store data, communicate, write reports and conduct research.* Data Entry of activities as required in Child Plus data base.* Maintains orderly records, including electronically.* Provide translation and interpretation services for non-English speaking parents.* Attends staff development trainings to acquire skills and increase knowledge to enhance the quality of services.* Supports and ensures the achievement of recruitment and enrollment goals.* Assists in accomplishing the program’s non-federal match through the access of community resources (services, donations, discounts, and/or goods).* Collect, review and tabulate non-federal match documentation when administrative support does not have the capacity to complete the required report when due to fiscal department monthly .* Perform other related duties as assigned.QUALIFICATIONS:* Experience providing social services to families and basic knowledge of social work, particularly in the context of early childhood development.* Must have excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with parents, community members, and staff.* Ability to work with diverse populations, including people of various cultural, ethnic, language and socio-economic backgrounds.* Ability to handle multiple tasks and projects and to coordinate meetings.* Availability to work on weekday evenings and/or Saturdays for family development activities, as needed.* Data Entry skills and experience.* Bilingual in Spanish is required (written and orally).EXPERIENCE:* 1 year minimum experience in social work or family development, preferably in an early childhood development setting.EDUCATION:* For those hired on or after July 1, 2013, associate of Arts degree or higher in social work, social services, human services, economics, or a related field OR a Family Development Credential.
Those who have a Family Development Credential and no Associate Of Arts degree or higher are required to enroll in a program leading to an Associate Of Arts Degree or higher (bachelors or masters) in social work or a related field and complete at least three (3) semester units or 4.5 quarter units per year with a grade of C or better upon completion of the course.* Those who do not have an Associate of Arts degree and hired prior to July 1, 2013 are required to enroll in a program leading to an Associate of Arts Degree or higher (bachelors degree) in social work or a related field and complete at least three (3) semester units or 4.5 quarter units per year with a grade of C or better upon completion of the course.LICENSE/CREDENTIAL/PERMIT:* Family Development Credential achieved within the first year of employment as schedule permits by LACOE.* Completion of Child Plus data entry training within the first 6 months of employment* Valid California Drivers License and reliable transportation for field work* Must pass Department of Justice background check prior to start of employment.* Valid vision and hearing certification as certified to LACOE.TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENT:* Fifteen hours of professional development annually that builds the knowledge, experience, and competencies to improve child, family and staff outcomes.
Of this, a minimum of 50% of the 15 hours (or 7.5 hours) must be focused on the specific content area or job assignment.* Mandated trainings must be completed as part of Workforce Development Plan of PACE Education’s funding application regarding:a.
Methods to handle suspected or known child abuse and neglect cases that comply with federal, state, local and tribal laws;b.
CCLD mandated reporter training through www.mandatedreporterca.com must valid and current;c.
Care and Supervision policies and proceduresd.
Standards of conducte.
Emergency and disaster preparedness;f.
Health and Safety, and childcare requirements applicable to their work, in accordance with ยง1302.47g.
Training related to Transitionh..Center for Social Emotional Foundations in Early Learning (/CSEFEL) Abriendo Puertas, or Incredible Yearsi.
Best Practice for implementing family engagement strategies in a systematic wayPHYSICAL DEMANDS:The working conditions and physical demands of this position will be those that must be met to successfully perform the essential duties of the position.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.
The physical environment the incumbent will work in is typically an office environment with moderate noise levels that would be expected in that type of work environment.* T.B.
Test within the past six months prior to employment, and every two (2) years thereafter (every 4 years for a chest X-ray).* Must pass a physical examination at the time of hire, and every 2 years thereafter* Provide proof of the following immunizations as required: Measles, Pertussis (Whooping Cough) and Influenza.* Representative physical demands of the job include: normal vision and hearing, standing for extended periods, sitting for extended periods, kneeling and stooping, manipulating objects with hands, reaching overhead, and occasionally lifting and carrying objects weighing up to 25 pounds.