Family Advocate I East and Central LA

VOALA

Helping Our Most Vulnerable Change Their Life Stories

Volunteers of America is a nonprofit human services organization committed to serving people in need strengthening families and building communities. VOALA provides a variety of social services to Los Angeles area communities such as Head Start programs Upward Bound college prep programs veterans services homeless shelters lowincome housing programs as well as drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Learn more at www.voala.

PAY RATE: $21.57 $22.70 PER HOUR

BENEFITS: VOALA offers competitive medical dental vision and retirement benefits.

HEAD START/EARLY HEAD START

Through our Head Start and Early Head Start programs we work with children (ages 0 5 and their families to provide the skills confidence and stable home life necessary for a smooth transition into kindergarten and beyond. Children also receive a broad array of health services including screenings and referrals maintenance of immunization schedules nutrition assessments and followups mental health assessments as part of initial screenings and determination if developmental or physical delays are present. Children receive health and dental services and have access to ongoing and acute and routine health and dental care. Enrolled children receive healthy meals along with an assessment of their nutritional needs and the necessary followups. Nutrition education is available for parents and incorporated into daily classroom activities for the children.

Cities served include: Carson Commerce Compton Culver City Del Rey East Los Angeles El Segundo Harbor City Hawthorne South Central Los Angeles Lomita Lynwood Mar Vista Newhall North Hollywood Pacoima Palms Paramount Rancho Palos Verdes San Fernando San Pedro Santa Clarita Shadow Hills South Central Los Angeles South LA Studio City Sun Valley Sunland Sylmar Torrance Tujunga Val Verde Valencia Valley Village Wilmington.

JOB SUMMARY AND PURPOSE

The Family Advocate I recruits and enrolls children into the Head Start Program and assesses each familys strengths concerns and priorities in order to provide services that improve a familys future prospects in supporting their child through school. Using a case management methodology the Family Advocate I manages a caseload of families and assists them in all program areas and engages families in activities that support them and their childs development in becoming school ready.

The Family Advocate I supports the classroom care and supervision of children as needed. During this period the Family Advocate can provide auxiliary services such as food preparation set up and cleanup that allow the available teaching staff the ability to provide effective supervision of the children. The Family Advocate is responsible for working as a team with teachers site supervisors family service specialists and other support staff to help families make choices and decisions that will respond to each familys unique culture roles values strengths and beliefs. The Family Advocate complies with agency policies goals and objectives.

Specific Duties include:

• Establish and maintain outreach and recruitment to ensure the assigned Head Start site is fully enrolled with eligible children and monitor attendance to ensure children are actively involved in the program.
• Manage a caseload of families and assist them in getting their needs met establish ongoing goals that engage them in their childs learning and future growth.
• Initiate maintain and follow up with the referral process in conjunction with the family teachers family service specialists and service support personnel.
• Facilitate and ensure parent involvement in activities and trainings. Promote parent advocacy.
• Establish and maintain direct communication channels with the family program program staff family service specialist administration and community members.
• Accurately prepare and submit required reports and administrative forms on time.
• Other duties as may be needed to fulfill program requirements.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be able to pass a fingerprint clearance background check including criminal history personal references employment and education verifications
• Proof at the time of hire
  • TB clearance within 6 months prior
  • Annual Influenza vaccination (between Aug 1 Dec 1
  • Pertussis (whooping cough) and measles immunization
• Health examination at the time of employment
• Ability to interact with children in a very busy environment; therefore must be physically able to perform lifting 50 lbs. squatting/kneeling and move quickly.

EDUCATION:

• High School Diploma / G.E.D.
• A credential or Associates Degree in Social Services Child Development Counseling or a related field OR 2 or more years of case management experience in the Social Services field
• Complete an OHS Family Services Credential within 12 months from hire date.

EXPERIENCE:

• Direct experience working with families in an atrisk Program and evidence of interaction with culturally diverse lowincome population.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• 1year casework experience in social work human services family services counseling or a related field.
• OHS Family Services Credential
• 6 months experience in monitoring and tracking computer program data.
• 6 units of Child Development.
• Direct experience working with families in an at risk Program and evidence of interaction with culturally diverse lowincome population.
• Bilingual English /Spanish (written and verbal).
• Have an invested interest in the community for recruitment purposes.
• Demonstrate S.M.A.R.T. Goal setting for families.
• Knowledge of Data system Child Plus & for monitoring purposes.

Volunteers of America is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex national origin disability protected Veteran Status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal state or local law.

This employer participates in EVerify as required by the federal government and will provide the federal government with your Form 19 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

If EVerify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (OHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you including terminating your employment.