Family Advocate

CAPE Inc Community Association for Preschool Education Livermore and Hayward CA

CAPE Inc. has a wonderful opportunity for Family Advocate Full Time (FT) in Haywardlocations

Position is Non-Exempt Full Time (40 hours/week) 12 months

Pay Rate: Commensurate with experience and education

Minimum $24.35/hour Maximum $26.00/hour

Eligible for signing bonus of $1500.00 group benefits plans including medical dental vision life insurance and retirement plan; paid Holidays vacation and sick days; educational assistance

Reports to Supervisor Support Services

Agency Overview:

CAPE Inc. headquarters is in Livermore and provides early childhood education services (Head Start and Early Head Start preschool programs) in Livermore Dublin Pleasanton and Hayward areas. CAPE offers a cohesive environment for passionate people who want to make a significant contribution to early childhood education social/emotional development and early childhood mental health.

Position Overview: Family Advocates work collaboratively as part of an integrated service team to assist enrolled families in the development of Family Partnership agreements and to provide comprehensive integrated services in the areas of child development/education health mental health nutrition parent involvement social services and disabilities services.

Essential Functions:

Family Partnerships

Meet with families regularly to establish a positive and supportive relationship

Support families in the identification of family strengths and needs and in

determining family goals

Inform families of and refer them to available community resources in the

areas of social services health mental health and career development.

Follow up on referrals to assure delivery of services

Serve as a resource for CAPE parents informing counseling and referring

through conversations at school over the phone on home visits or in the

office

Assist families in completing Family Profile and other family assessments

Assist in enrollment of eligible children

Participate in regular case management meetings

Follow up on issues identified at case management meetings

Provide written reports to the Integrated Service Team Leader monthly

Follow up on child absences as directed

Serve as an advocate for families with community agencies helping them

access resources

Assist with arranging or provide transportation to appointments when

necessary

Document referrals family contacts and home visits utilizing Child Plus

Conduct home visits with enrolled families as necessary.

Confer with site staff and Integrated Service Team Leader regarding

suspected child abuse and assist in making the report to Child Protective

Services if required.

Maintain classroom bulletin boards and parent resource centers

Nutrition

Work with family to complete Nutrition Assessment

Obtain a CCFP application from each family and income verification

Make necessary nutrition referrals i.e. WIC after consulting with

Nutrition Specialist

Health

As directed: request needed medical and dental records from providers and

refer to providers for necessary services or follow up. Assist family with

scheduling and coordinating appointments

Work with families to complete Health History

Assist with arranging transportation to appointments or provide when

necessary

Follow up and track referrals to ensure delivery of services including data

input into Child Plus

Provide health education to parents on home visits at preschool sites at

center parent meetings and at parent education meetings

Attend meetings workshops and health related trainings as requested or

appropriate

Ensure that all required screenings are performed with required time frame

Assist with the Health Fair

Mental Health

Provide referrals for counseling or therapy and document in Child Plus as

necessary

Assist families with arranging transportation or provide transportation to

appointments

Follow up on referrals to ensure delivery of services

Provide crisis intervention

Assist with preparation for parent support or education groups

General Responsibilities

Attend all staff meetings and trainings as required or requested

Assist in all major CAPE events

Assist in maintaining childrens case files

Continue career development through classes workshops etc.

Participate in regularly scheduled group supervision

Qualifications and Requirements

BA or AA degree in Early Childhood Education Social Work Psychology or related field

Demonstrated ability to work effectively with low-income adults and children and

experience with ethnic and cultural minorities

Two years related work experience

Familiarity with community resources for families and children

Possession of a valid California drivers license reliable transportation and valid vehicle

insurance

Good clerical skills and Microsoft Word/Windows and Child Plus

Ability to work within the philosophy of the CAPE program

Ability to interact effectively

Effective communication skills both oral and written

Strong analytical and organizational skills

Ability to function independently with minimum supervision

Teamwork/Effective interpersonal relationship with co-workers

Professionalism; flexibility

Comprehension of job-related responsibilities

Detail-oriented; Customer service oriented

Desirable Qualifications

Previous experience in a Head Start or State Preschool program

Bi-lingual skills; especially Spanish/English; Farsi/English Vietnamese/English preferred

Join our team today! Submit your cover letter resume and copy of transcripts to

CAPE Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer and provides the opportunity to qualified persons to seek obtain and hold employment with the Agency without discrimination on account of race religion color sex sexual orientation pregnancy national origin gender medical condition age marital status veterans or military status non-job physical or mental handicap or disability status genetic information except if there exists a lawful bona fide occupational qualification or other classification protected by applicable federal state or local laws.