ECEAP Family Support

The Family Support Person (FSP) maintains an outreach recruitment and enrollment process throughout the school year. The FSP works in partnership with the site team to encourage and plan for parent participation in their child's education. The FSP works together with families in an effort to support them in recognizing and building upon their family strengths and improving the conditions and quality of their family's life. The FSPs work will adhere to ECEAP Program Standards, Service Plans and the principles of best practice in the field of family support.

Responsibilities:

• Contributes to the development of positive communication, mutual respect, mutual support, competence and creativity among all members of the ECEAP staff.
• Organizes and conducts ongoing recruitment to ensure full enrollment in the ECEAP center. In collaboration with other site staff, participates in ongoing recruitment.
• Organizes and conducts enrollment activities, interviews parents to determine program eligibility, verifies income and obtains necessary parent permission for ECEAP activities.
• In collaboration with site staff, organizes and conducts parent orientations to ECEAP, including orienting parents to their rights and responsibilities in ECEAP and explaining relevant ECEAP policies and curriculum approaches.
• Assists families in recognizing their strengths and supports them in setting goals and planning how to meet the goals through the development of a Family Partnership Plan.
• Works in partnership with families to overcome barriers, meet their stated goals and achieve economic success and prosperity.
• Provides family support services through at least three hours contact with each family during program year.
• Works collaboratively with center mental health professional in addressing mental health issues of the enrolled children and their families.
• Visits family's home as appropriate for the purpose of enrolling children in program, interviewing parents, informing parents of school and/or community resources and providing child development and parenting information.
• Collects and identifies health and nutrition information including medical, dental, immunization records and other information from parents and health providers for the purpose of providing health summaries and information reports to center staff and coordinators and referring to health treatment as appropriate.
• Develops individualized child health and/or nutrition plans, as necessary, for the purpose of supporting the child's success in school. At the end of the school year, evaluates and documents in child's file the family's experience with working on their child's health plan.
• Provides support to families experiencing a crisis and refers them to emergency assistance and crisis intervention providers, as appropriate.
• Partners with parents for the purpose of assisting with access to health providers, obtaining exams, identifying obstacles to completing exams and securing appropriate treatment and follow-up on referrals for children.
• Promotes parent, staff and community partnerships in the ECEAP program through various methods (e.g., parent meetings, parent leadership, Parent Professional Development opportunities, newsletters, parent trainings, home visits, Policy Council, volunteer opportunities, and other strategies).
• Encourages parents to participate in the decisions concerning the education of their children and supports families involved in site leadership activities.
• Provides or assists with providing health screenings, immunization verifications, and outside agency referrals (e.g. hearing, vision, immunization compliance, height/weight) for the purpose of promoting needed treatment and complying with program requirements.
• Works with families and site team to ensure smooth transitions for children and families to before- and after-school care and between ECEAP and Kindergarten.
• In collaboration with site staff and families, plans and facilitates family events that respond to specific training interests and information requests as indicated on a Parent Interest Survey or through other parent input throughout the year.
• Works with the site team and parents to schedule family events at times that are convenient for families.
• Provides health, nutrition and oral health education to children and families including education of parents about advocating for the child's health needs.
• Provides health education materials and resources
• Maintains accurate records including enrollment information, family resource checklist, documentation of referrals made and follow-up and adult contact hours according to ECEAP program standards, compiles and submits monthly activity report information and other required records. Utilize ELMS data base for data tracking.
• Participates in interdisciplinary planning for children and families to include staffing, multidisciplinary teams, individual education plans and other cross-component coordination efforts.
• Participates in in-service staff trainings, staff meetings, and other education opportunities to gain knowledge and skills throughout the year.
• Linkages with community members and agencies in order to promote and enhance services for ECEAP families, and maintain linkages through attending pertinent community-based meetings.
• Develops and maintains an updated list of community resources including community health/oral health/nutrition resources.
• Responsible for keeping informed of ongoing program changes and updates
• Performs other duties as assigned

Job Requirements:

The following requirements are those that are normally required for performance of this position. Any disabled applicant or incumbent who does not meet one or more of the requirements, but who can perform the essential function of the job (with or without reasonable accommodations) shall be deemed to meet these requirements.

Physical Requirements:

This position normally requires the physical demands of standing, walking, bending, lifting or performing other work requiring medium physical exertion, talking and hearing and adequate vision on a regular basis to perform the job requirements. These physical demands are required up to 60% of the time. In addition, approximately 40% of the time may include lifting and carrying children, moving quickly around the room to maintain appropriate supervision and safety and sitting on the floor or in small chairs with the group.

Non-Physical Requirements:

Education

• Bachelors degree in Social Work or related field preferred
• Associates degree required, or on a professional development plan

Experience

• Two years experience working with caregivers and at risk children

Special Skills

• Possess strong behavioral management skills
• Possess good verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of child abuse and neglect issues, home visiting, parenting skills training, mental health and community resources
• Ability to work independently and as a team member
• Ability to represent the agency in a professional manner within the community
• Ability to work in a collaborative manner with referral sources
• Complete accurate paperwork in a timely manner
• Basic computer proficiency

Licensure, Registration, Certification

• Valid First Aid and CPR cards
• Valid Food Handler's card
• Valid WA drivers license, and required minimum liability insurance for WA State
• Must be deemed insurable as determined by Catholic Charities' insurance provider

Employment is conditional upon:

• Being cleared by criminal background check and fingerprinting when required

Wage Range: $19.00 to $22.00 depending on experience and education

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8am to 5pm

Benefits:

• 13 paid holidays, 12 days of vacation, 12 days of sick leave per year
• Health insurance including medical & prescription coverage, with optional dental and vision insurance plans. Majority of premiums paid by Catholic Charities
• Retirement 403(b) Plan: employee contributions commence upon employment; Catholic Charities contributes 2% of monthly income and matches up to 4% of employee contributions following 6 months of employment
• Basic Life Insurance paid 100% by Catholic Charities
• Flexible Spending Account eligibility following 6 months of employment
• Education Assistance Program reimbursing up to $5,250 per year for approved continuing education after 6 months of employment
• Additional voluntary insurances including supplemental life, accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D), critical illness, long term disability, accident, and ID theft
• Employee Assistance Program includes 3 counseling sessions per year, legal consultations, financial coaching, and other wellbeing tools
• Annual longevity awards begin at 5 years of employment

It is the practice of Catholic Charities to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, citizenship status, marital status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, sexual orientation, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Applicants from underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We gladly offer reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities to support participation in the hiring process and employment.