Parent Engagement Coordinator

JOB SUMMARY

The Parent Engagement Coordinator leads the agency’s parent engagement strategy for families with children in foster care using the PEP (Parent Engaging Parent) model. This role ensures parents receive trauma-informed, peer-driven support throughout the child welfare process. The Parent Engagement Coordinator supervises Parent Advocates, facilitates parent engagement activities, and ensures fidelity to the PEP model. The position also requires completion of RISE training and conducting 90-day assessments for parents to monitor progress toward reunification and service engagement.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Core Purpose

Parent Advocates, under the Parent Engagement Coordinator supervision, support parents whose children are in foster care to:

• Understand and navigate the foster care system
• Remain hopeful and address family challenges
• Empower parents to actively participate in case planning and make informed decisions
• Work toward the goal of safe and timely reunification

Families often face oppression, intergenerational poverty, and trauma, which impact their engagement in case planning. The Parent Engagement Coordinator ensures Parent Advocates provide options, choices, and advocacy to help parents overcome these barriers.

Key Responsibilities

1) Parent Engagement & Support

• Implement the PEP model to foster trust and collaboration between parents and Parent Advocates.
• Ensure parents understand case plans, permanency goals, and court processes.
• Conduct 90-day assessments to evaluate progress, identify barriers, and adjust engagement strategies.
• Promote meaningful family time/visitation and reduce systemic barriers.
• Serves as a Parent Advocate when needed.

2) Supervision of Parent Advocates

• Recruit, train, and supervise Parent Advocates, ensuring adherence to PEP principles.
• Provide reflective supervision and coaching on boundaries, documentation, and advocacy.
• Assign Parent Advocates to case planning units and ensure they bring parent insights to agency decision-making.

3) Training & Model Fidelity

• Complete agency mandated trainings, ACS mandated trainings, RISE training and ensure Parent Advocates receive ongoing professional development through RISE. (Parent Engagement Coordinator and all Parent Advocates will receive training and support through RISE, a parent-led NYC advocacy organization)
• Training includes motivation Interviewing, Mandated Reporter Training, healing and selfcare, child welfare policy, and advocacy networking.
• Monitor fidelity to the PEP model through observation, documentation review, and feedback loops.

4) Collaboration & Coordination • Partner with case planning team, mental health providers, and community providers to support parent engagement.

• Participate in Family Team Conferences, case reviews, and permanently planning meetings.
• Advocate for parent voice in agency decisions to secure placement with kinship resources, to accelerate safe reunification and other permanency arrangements when reunification is not possible.

5) Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate records of parent contacts, assessments, and engagement activities in Connections and external records.
• Ensure compliance with agency policies, confidentiality standards, and child welfare regulations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

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. An employee in this position is regularly required to stand; walk, use hands and fingers, handle, or feel objects; reach with hands and arms; talk and listen, and taste or smell. The employee frequently is required to walk. The employee is occasionally required to keep balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

• Computer – The Parent Engagement Coordinator must be able to use a computer and able to learn software programs.
• Office Equipment - The Parent Engagement Coordinator is required to operate a fax, copier, scan, and other office equipment.
• Communication - The Parent Engagement Coordinator needs to be able to speak, read and write fluently in the English language.
• Writing - The Parent Engagement Coordinator must be able to write in the English language using correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.
• Lifting - The Parent Engagement Coordinator may frequently lift 0-25 lbs., occasionally lift 25-50 lbs., and rarely lift over 50 lbs.
• Push/Pull - The Parent Engagement Coordinator may frequently push/pull 0-25 lbs. of force, occasionally push/pull 26-45 lbs. force, and rarely push/pull over 45 lbs.
• Sitting - The Parent Engagement Coordinator may sit 50-60% of the working day.
• Standing - The Parent Engagement Coordinator may stand 10-20% of the working day.
• Walking - The Parent Engagement Coordinator may walk 10-20% of the working day.
• Stooping -The Parent Engagement Coordinator may occasionally stoop. This is defined as bending body downward by bending spine at the waist.
• Kneeling -The Parent Engagement Coordinator may occasionally kneel. This is defined as bending legs at knees to come to rest on knee(s).
• Crouching - The Parent Engagement Coordinator may occasionally crouch. This is defined as bending body downward and forward by bending spine and legs.
• Work environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee frequently works in an office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate due to talk and movement of the program participants and other co-workers. The noise level can increase on occasion due to yelling or screaming by the participants of the programs.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Human Services, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 2 years of experience in child welfare or family support.
• Completion of RISE training (or willingness to complete upon hire).
• Familiarity with PEP model, trauma-informed care, and family engagement strategies.
• Lived experience navigating child welfare (with boundaries and ethics training).
• Bilingual (English/Spanish preferred).
• Knowledge of local resources and permanency planning processes.

Core Competencies

• Trauma-Informed Practice
• Peer Workforce Development
• Cultural Humility
• Systems Navigation
• Data Tracking & CQI

Performance Metrics

• Fidelity to PEP model
• Completion of 90-day assessments
• Parent engagement and satisfaction scores
• Timeliness of documentation

HOURS AND TIME OF WORK

The Parent Engagement Coordinator contracts for 35 hours a week Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Flexibility of schedule is a requirement of the position.

Salary : $62,000 - $65,000