Community Health Worker / Family Advocate Job Description
TITLE: Community Health Worker / Family Advocate
REPORTS TO: Deputy Director CLASSIFICATION: NON-EXEMPT
SUPERVISES: N/A
HOURS: FULL TIME - 40 Hours - some evenings and weekends may be required
The position and pay rate is contingent upon Rural Health Transformation Partnerships: Collaborative Care Integration and Sustainability Fund grant funding.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
POSITION SUMMARY: The Community Health Worker (CHW) / Family Advocate serves as a trusted liaison between children, adolescents, older adults, caregivers, grandparents raising grandchildren, healthcare providers, behavioral health agencies, schools, and community organizations to improve health outcomes and reduce barriers to care across the lifespan. Working within the Voices for Children Advocacy Center (VCAC) Family Resource Center, the CHW provides trauma informed, culturally responsive outreach, education, screening, care coordination, referrals, and ongoing follow up for children, adolescents, caregivers, grandparents raising grandchildren, older adults, and other vulnerable populations. This position supports the Rural Health Transformation Partnerships: Collaborative Care Integration and Sustainability initiative by strengthening coordinated care, addressing social drivers of health, expanding access to preventive services, and supporting the long term sustainability of Community Health Worker services throughout rural communities. The CHW works within a trauma informed, Strengthening Families framework while advancing multigenerational care coordination across children, adolescents, and aging populations and supporting Medicaid supported Community Health Worker services.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB
I. Community Outreach and Engagement
- Conducts outreach to children, youth, families, caregivers, and community members throughout Genesee and Shiawassee Counties.
- Builds trusting relationships with individuals experiencing barriers to healthcare, behavioral health, and social services.
- Provides culturally responsive education on preventive health, behavioral health, chronic disease prevention, prenatal care, and available community resources.
- Represents VCAC at community events, school functions, health fairs, and partner agency activities.
II. Care Coordination and Multigenerational Navigation
- Completes screenings to identify health related social needs and barriers to care.
- Connects individuals and families with primary care providers, behavioral health services, Family Resource Center programs, food assistance, housing resources, transportation, financial supports, and other community services.
- Utilizes closed loop referral processes to ensure successful connection to services.
- Conducts follow up contacts to monitor service utilization, resolve barriers, and provide ongoing support.
- Maintains accurate documentation and case records in accordance with organizational and Medicaid requirements.
- Coordinates with Valley Area Agencies on Aging and other aging services partners to extend outreach, screening, and referral services to older adults and grandparents raising grandchildren, in direct support of the grant's multigenerational care coordination priority.
III. Collaborative and Cross Sector Partnerships
- Serves as a liaison between VCAC and healthcare providers, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Community Mental Health agencies, Area Agencies on Aging, Child and Adolescent Health Centers, schools, Michigan Hubs, and community organizations.
- Participates in multidisciplinary care team meetings, Hub meetings, Community Information Exchange (CIE) activities, and cross sector partnership initiatives.
- Supports coordinated referral pathways, shared care planning, and implementation of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with community partners.
- Culltivates direct cross sector partnerships with Area Agencies on Aging, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Community Mental Health agencies, and other regional organizations to fulfill the grant's coordination objectives, and coordinates with the Central Michigan Hub on activities affecting Shiawassee County.
IV. Prevention, Health Education, and Data Driven Quality Improvement
- Delivers evidence based and evidence informed health education to individuals and families.
- Promotes behavioral health awareness, trauma informed care, chronic disease prevention, wellness, and healthy lifestyles.
- Provides education on mindfulness, prevention strategies, financial literacy, and health literacy.
- Maintains timely and accurate documentation in electronic data systems, and tracks program outcomes, including individuals and families engaged, screenings completed, referrals initiated and successfully completed, follow up contacts, and community education activities.
- Participates in program evaluation, quality improvement initiatives, and grant reporting.
- Utilizes designated supporting technology, which may include digital screening tools, closed loop referral platforms, or the Community Information Exchange (CIE), to capture screenings, generate referrals, and confirm successful service connection, ensuring all data collection includes informed consent and complies with applicable privacy and security law.
- Collects and reports data aligned to the grant's five program priority areas: foundational infrastructure and evaluation, CHW integration for capacity building, CHW billing and sustainability, Hub partnership expansion, and preventative care access.
- Supports completion of required quarterly performance reports and participates, as directed, in MDHHS status and performance meetings.
V. Medicaid Documentation, Billing, and Program Sustainability
- Completes documentation required for Medicaid reimbursement.
- Maintains compliance with Medicaid Community Health Worker billing and documentation standards.
- Participates in billing readiness activities and supports the sustainability of Community Health Worker services.
- Maintains Michigan Community Health Worker certification or credentialing requirements, and completes required continuing education, grant related training, and organizational professional development.
- Contributes documentation and program data to support VCAC's broader Community Health Worker sustainability framework, including training, hiring, and long term billing infrastructure, consistent with grant sustainability requirements.
QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND KNOWLEDGE
Education and Licensure
- Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Human Services, Public Health, Psychology, Community Health, or a related field required
- Michigan Community Health Worker certification or willingness to obtain certification within the required timeframe.
- Valid Michigan driver's license, reliable transportation, and proof of insurance.
Knowledge
- Knowledge of community resources, healthcare systems, and social service programs.
- Knowledge of Medicaid, behavioral health systems, child welfare, or healthcare navigation preferred.
- Familiarity with Community Information Exchange (CIE) platforms or coordinated referral systems preferred.
- Familiarity with Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework and Motivational Interviewing preferred.
Skills and Abilities
- Strong relationship building and community engagement skills.
- Commitment to cultural humility, equity, and family centered practice.
- Excellent problem solving, advocacy, and communication abilities.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries.
- Strong organizational skills with attention to documentation accuracy.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and electronic documentation systems.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within interdisciplinary teams.
- Ability to lift up to 25 pounds and to sit, stand, walk, and drive for extended periods.
WORKING CONDITIONS
This position requires frequent travel throughout Genesee and Shiawassee Counties and is performed in office, school, healthcare, community, and home visit settings. The Community Health Worker will work with children, adolescents, older adults, and families experiencing significant health related social needs, requiring the ability to maintain professional boundaries and secondary trauma awareness. The position may require occasional evening hours and attendance at community events. VCAC is committed to supporting the wellbeing of its staff and maintains an organizational culture of mutual support, reflective practice, and self care.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of this position and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with the position. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.
Other Requirements:
In accordance with policies stated in the agency Personnel Policies and Recruitment, Hiring, Onboarding, and Separation policies, Voices for Children must conduct a thorough background clearance on all employees and contractors who interact with minors at their hire but no more than six (6) months prior to their first day of work with minors and on a periodic ongoing basis.
Background Clearances include, at a minimum:
- Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (www.nsopw.gov)
- Michigan State Police Sex Offender Registry
- Internet Criminal History Access Tool (ICHAT)
- MDHHS Central Registry Clearance (via email to your local DHHS office)
- National Criminal Background Check
Any person working with minors who has lived, worked, or gone to school in a state or states other than Michigan any time in the past five (5) years is required to submit sufficient historical information to allow Voices for Children to conduct similar background clearances in all states of residence during the prior five (5) year period.
Statement Regarding Background Checks and Discrimination:
Information discovered through the background check process is used solely for the purpose of evaluating a candidate's suitability for employment and will not be used to discriminate against a candidate on the basis of race, color, religion/creed, sex/gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, genetic information, marital/familial status, disability, military, veteran status, or any other protected status.
The above job description is intended to summarize the essential functions of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of miscellaneous duties and responsibilities that may be requested in the performance of this job.
Employees are occasionally required to participate in activities outside of normal business hours.
All employment relationships with VCAC are of an at-will nature, may be terminated at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. Nothing in any job description, employment agreement, personnel policy or future evaluation shall alter the at-will nature of this employment relationship.
The VCAC is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of nondiscrimination with respect to all employees and applicants for employment. All personnel actions, such as recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, layoff, recall, compensation and benefits, discipline, termination, and education, recreational, and social programs are administered without regard to sexual orientation, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability status, opposition or participation activity protected by applicable law, or membership or application for membership in a uniformed service. Employment decisions, subject to legitimate business requirements of VCAC, are based solely on an individual's qualifications, merit and performance.
Travel:
This position requires frequent travel throughout Genesee and Shiawassee Counties for outreach, home visits, and community partner meetings.
I understand my job duties as described above and I agree to abide by the duties set forth and as assigned by the Deputy Director.
Employee
Date
Supervisor
I understand that Voices for Children is an at-will employer, and my signature on this job description is not a binding contract on either the part of the Voices for Children or myself. _______ (initials)
I affirm that I am able to perform the above duties as assigned.
_______ (initials)
Pay: From $40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
