Description

Reports To: Head Family Worker

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Customary Work Days: Monday through Friday (Saturday and Sunday as needed)

Customary Work Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM (Hour may vary as needed)

Position Summary

The Family Worker carries out goals, policies and activities designed to meet the social service component performance standards as outlined in the Head Start Program management plans as overseen by the Site Director. Supportive services are provided to the site in the areas of mental health, social services, family involvement, special needs and community partnerships in accordance with the Head Start performance Standards and Chicago Early Learning Manual.

Duties & Responsibilities

Communicate With Parents:

• Process family intakes, assisting parents in completing Head Start and childcare application and redeterminations for AFC, IDHS and DFSS.
• Coordinate parent meetings, workshops, committee meetings, and volunteer activities. Assist officers of parent committee, to implement Head Start programs for parent meetings.
• Serve as liaison between parents and Site Directors, relaying information to parents as appropriate.
• Build relationships with families and encourage parent participation.
• Strengthen families through the family partnership agreement process.
• Oversee the recruiting, training, and scheduling of parent volunteers.
• Keep other staff apprised of parent issues as appropriate, and assist staff in designing and implementing a comprehensive well-integrated plan for parent involvement that crosses all service areas.
• Assist parents in developing and scheduling their own social and developmental activities, encourage, and support parents in addressing community needs.
• Plan and implement family reviews.
• Recruitment plan and implementation.

Documentation:

• Maintain and assist with documentation for all relative contacts with family in Eligibility, Enrollment, Health, Social Service folders and Education folders.

Administration:

• Work closely with Site Director and other content area specialists.
• Facilitate follow-up care for children and families with medical and dental providers, CPS, and Mental Health providers.
• Actively participate in meetings, which may include management, teaching team, center, committee, parent, parent policy, family reviews, city/state, agency, and board meetings.
• For children with special needs, coordinate services with parents, CPS, DFSS , and Mental Health consultants.
• Attend internal and external professional development trainings, conferences, and workshops.
• Provide general administrative support as assigned by Site Director.

Community Relations and Partnerships:

• Build and maintain community partnerships by collaborating with Site Director in the development of partnerships with Social Service agencies, CPS and organizations within surrounding communities.

Other Duties As Assigned

Requirements

Education and/or Experience:

Bachelor’s Degree (B.S.W.) in Social Work or Bachelor’s Degree in a related field from an accredited college or university.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Cooperates successfully as a member of a team.
• Communicating effectively with others, including giving and receiving feedback on the quality of services.
• Meet any specific content area requirements.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentational skills.
• Demonstrated capability to interface and maintain effective relationships with administration, staff, consultants, regulators and founders in a team-oriented environment.
• Capacity to assume responsibility for own professional development.
• Detail oriented, logical, and methodological approach to problem solving.
• Ability to plan and schedule the work of others.
• Flexible, with the ability to work in a highly demanding, stressful environment.
• Proficiency using word-processing system.
• Ability to cooperate successfully as a member of a team.
• Ability to communicate effectively with others, including giving and receiving feedback on the quality of services.
• Meet any specific content area requirements.

Language Skills

• Ability to read English proficiently.
• Bilingual-Spanish preferred.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
• The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Specific vision requirements include the ability to see at close range.
• Fine hand manipulation (keyboarding).
• Transportation time spent between sites and to attend trainings and in-services, and on home visits.
• The employee may be required to work at multiple agency locations if necessary.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Internal office space.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to high.