Job Information
Save The Children Family Service Coordinator in Ville Platte, Louisiana
Description
Position Title: Family Service Coordinator
Employee Type: Full-Time Regular
Supervisor Title: Center Director or Manager, Parent, Family & Community Engagement (PFCE)
Division: U.S. Programs & Advocacy
Staff whose work requires or potentially could require any in-person interaction with Save the Children colleagues, partners, or beneficiaries must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 unless otherwise required by law. Save the Children complies with federal, state, and local laws with regard to accommodations related to this policy.
Summary
The Family Service Coordinator (FSC) manages a caseload of families participating in the Head Start and/or Early Head Start program, providing ongoing support, in partnership with families, that is responsive to their needs. The FSC develops trusting partnerships with families. You will support families in using family strengths to build skills for self-sufficiency, improved quality of life and parenting interactions that help children become ready for school and life.
The FSC assists families in identifying and reaching their own goals. In collaboration from families, other program team members and community partners, and will support families in developing skills for leadership and advocacy for their children. You will document all family development services to show a clear picture of the families’ needs, strengths and growth.
You’ll have direct responsibility for tasks associated with the Eligibility, Recruitment, Selections, Enrollment and Attendance (ERSEA) requirements of the Head Start Program Performance Standards, including the proper determination of family eligibility, ongoing recruitment and selection of families, preservation of full enrollment and support for regular attendance of children.
As a front line representative of Save the Children, the FSC is required to ensure the safety and security of Head Start children and families with whom he/she has contact, and adhere to the agency’s values of Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity and Integrity.
As a Save the Children employee who will come into contact with children on a routine basis, you are expected to help prevent child abuse in every situation by striving to minimize risk to children through mental awareness and good practice. You must take positive steps to protect children who may be a subject of concern, and report and respond to any instance of child abuse.
What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
Engage families as full partners in assessing their needs and strengths, and prioritizing their needs and interests according to their own values; ensure there is an appropriate fit between families’ needs and interests and program
In coordination with the Manager of PFCE, ensure that vacancies are filled within 30 days, eligibility is properly determined, enrollment includes 10% children with special needs, recruitment is active/ongoing and that funded enrollment is achieved and maintained.
Support each family in developing a Family Partnership Agreement so the family is able to understand and use goal development as a valuable life
Have regular home visits with families to build on competence in the areas of: understanding attachment and child development, self and family advocacy, developmental transitions, parents as a child’s first teacher, life management skills and family
Make and consistently follow up on referrals related to: Family Partnership Agreement goals, strengths/needs assessment items, children with special needs, family health, job and education services and other services related to wellness and family
Strengthen community collaborations to support families by: maintaining current knowledge of community resources, sharing community service information with families and building relationships during attendance of interagency meetings, community events and other scheduled meetings with community
Promote a unified approach to sharing child information with families by engaging in joint planning with teachers and other specialists to prepare for home visits and other family
Participate in multi-disciplinary team
Meet program documentation requirements by maintaining accurate, objective, complete, timely and well-organized child and family records, both electronic and hard
Actively participate in opportunities for continuous professional
Perform other related duties as
Required Qualifications
Associate’s degree in family and child development, early childhood development, social work or adult learning; or within eighteen months of hire, at a minimum, a credential or certification in social work, human services, family services, counseling or a related
Professional proficiency in MS Office suite
Professional proficiency in written and spoken English.
Demonstrated knowledge of administration, budgeting, purchasing systems management, and public relations skills.
Demonstrated experience developing consistent, stable and supportive relationships with young children.
Proven ability to exercise professional judgment and evaluation before making decisions.
Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, children, parents and outside agencies.
Demonstrated successful ability to communicate and collaborate with individuals and teams at all levels—both internal and external
Proven successful problem solving and time management skills.
Demonstrated commitment to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Preferred Qualifications
Bilingual preferred (English/Spanish or English)
Physical Requirements related to essential functions: Ability to perform medium to heavy physical work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, up to 20 pounds frequently and up to 5-10 pounds constantly, performing such activities as sitting, crawling, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting and grasping. This also includes some duties that require repetitive action and motion skills, keyboarding and computer use.
Clear pre-employment background check requirements, including local, state, and national criminal records check, sex offender registries, employment, and education verifications (including child abuse registry check if required by state regulations) and pass all state and local health requirements required post job offer and prior to employment.
This position may require the incumbent to operate a motor vehicle to fulfill certain essential functions of the job. The incumbent should maintain a valid driver’s license and remain in compliance with any Save the Children policies pertaining to the safe operation of motor vehicles.
Current and former Head Start/Early Head Start parents will receive preference for employment vacancies for which they are qualified.
Why you should join the Save the Children Team…
Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.
We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.
Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.
Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.
Qualifications
Education
Required
Associates or better in Social Work
Associates or better in Early Childhood Education
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)