Parent Advocate

Bronx, NY, United States

About Us

Good Shepherd Services is a leading multi-service agency with more than 85 programs that serve over 30,000 youth and families each year - and builds on their strengths to help them gain skills for success. At Good Shepherd we respect the dignity and worth of every person and reject intolerance, inequity and injustice in whatever form it may take. Voted one of the top 100 places to work in NYC by Crain's New York, Good Shepherd Services offers a fantastic work environment, a collaborative team dedicated to fulfilling our mission, and an amazing array of benefits. Join our team and help make a difference!

Benefits

For Full Time Employees Benefits/Perks:

Tuition Assistance Program

Generous paid time off (Including 5 Self-Care Days/Floating Holidays, 12 Sick Days, 15 Vacation Days, and 11 Holidays)

Healthcare Plans (Medical, Dental, Vision, and Pet Care)

403(b) Plan (GSS contributes 3% of your salary to your 403(b) plan after 3 years of service, with contributions increasing over time)

Overview

Title: PARENT ADVOCATE - Enhanced Family Foster Care

Reports to: EFFC Supervisor

Location: 7 West Burnside Avenue, Bronx, NY 10453

Hours: 35 Hours/Week; Non-Exempt Please note staff are required to be on site. Hybrid schedules are based on program needs.

*** Salary Range 36K-40,813 Annually***

Major Duties: Develops and maintains up to date information about housing issues, available subsidies and programs. Shares information with EFFC staff. Build relationships and support parents-in making decisions for their own families, coping with the trauma of foster care involvement, communicating effectively with those involved in their case, and maintaining relationships with their children during foster care placement

Implement the Parents Empowering Parents (PEP) model including key practices in the first 90 days of a case to orient parents to the service planning process; share Rise TIPS and other resources to support parents

Provides peer support, orientation, advocacy and select referrals to families by providing outreach and services to parents.

Orient parents to Family Time offer ideas for making the most of family visits and supervise visits periodically

Participate in assessment and engagement of parents in the initial stages of placement by accompanying Case Planners on home visits and accompanying parents to appointments

Provides expert consultation/guidance to EFFC casework staff in their work with families

Support parents in navigating resources as well as offering emotional support for parents by attending court dates but not limited to accompanying the parent to various appointments to housing court appointments and fair hearings.

Establishes and maintains linkages with various programs providing housing services including ACS HPAD, NYCHA, DHS, and various shelters, eviction prevention programs, legal services, realtors etc. Makes/assists with referrals as appropriate

Coordinates/ shares information with EFFC casework staff, other specialists and participate in case/service planning.

Prepare parents and participate alongside them in Family Team Conferences

Represents GSS at outside meetings/conferences/workshops particularly as they relate to housing and foster care issues as required by the agency.

Documents work in progress notes and/or other formats as appropriate

Perform other duties as assigned related to support parents and staff as needed

Qualifications: High School/GED Equivalent Required.

Previous life experience being impacted by the child welfare system.

A natural collaborator; able to relate to a wide variety of program participants and staff.

Able to engage and positively impact individuals

Someone who has a sincere appreciation for people and how they are each uniquely motivated

Strong interpersonal skills to assist with parent engagement and are geared towards working sensitively on topics involving trauma, stress, and healing

Good writing skills: proficient computer skills able to conduct Google searches and use Microsoft Office

Skilled at working in a fast-paced environment on multiple projects occurring simultaneously

Passion for parent leadership and preventing child welfare involvement

Able to maintain high level of confidentiality

Able to work flexible hours- some evenings will be required.

Additional Information

Good Shepherd Services is an equal opportunity employer that is proudly committed to becoming an anti-racist and multicultural organization that stands up for justice and equity. We welcome prospective employees from diverse backgrounds, for administrative support and direct service and leadership roles, who will join us on that journey, uphold our values and approach, and believe in our mission. Additionally, we aim to have a racially representative leadership and workforce that is reflective of the communities we work in partnership with.

Good Shepherd Services is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, participants, volunteers, subcontractors, and vendors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and termination of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.

We are committed to providing a workplace that is accessible and accommodating to employees with disabilities. As part of our commitment to providing a barrier-free recruitment and selection process, we will provide reasonable accommodations upon request for candidates with disabilities. If you require any accommodations to participate in the hiring process, please inform us of your needs in advance. We value diversity and inclusivity in our workplace and encourage applicants of all abilities to apply.