Position Title: Mary’s Home Family Advocate
Accountable To: Lead Advocate
Status: Full Time / Hourly / 40-Hours per week
ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
Dream Centers is a faith-based non-profit organization founded in 2011 to provide health and hope to people of Colorado Springs who are working to rebuild their dreams. Mary’s Home, a program of Dream Centers, opened in 2015. Mary’s Home is a faith-based supportive housing program that provides single mother families with the opportunity to gain holistic health and sufficient career resources so as to live a stable and successful life.
JOB SUMMARY
The Family Advocate (FA) monitors all aspects of a family’s progress through the Mary’s Home Program, holding high accountability for a participant’s growth in character, career development and self-sufficiency. Family Advocates often work in emotionally charged situations that require an understanding of trauma-informed care, as well as professional maturity, in order to help families in crisis. A sense of compassion, active listening abilities, and good organizational, problem-solving, and time-management skills are also key. The Family Advocate navigates her role through three primary modalities – Coaching, Case Management, and Collaboration. The Family Advocate reports to the Mary’s Home Lead Family Advocate and is part of the Advocacy Team.
AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Coaching
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Conduct regular recurring meetings with each participant to build professional relationships and to assist with goal achievement and progression in the program.
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Responsible for regularly communicating, tracking, and following up with participants on all expectations of a participant's phase in the program.
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Using the Family Growth Assessment (FGA) tool, coach participants with a supportive yet challenging approach for creating and achieving weekly and monthly goals.
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Monitor, assist, and ensure progress in life domains and outcomes as identified in the FGA through goal setting, coaching, support, etc.
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Meet participants for additional time to assist with complex issues, to assess surfaced trauma, to provide additional coaching and support, or to engage other staff, volunteers and service providers.
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Maintains awareness of each participant’s relationships in and outside of the community; monitor healthy parenting and family patterns; maintain childcare; monitor mental health and engagement in therapy; establish needed supports; and provide support plans when necessary.
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Coach and collaborate with participants on caseload to enroll in Mary’s Home Academy classes and workshops.
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Assist participants with maintaining a personal schedule that meets program requirements and building a realistic family financial plan.
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Prepare and conduct quarterly Family Growth Assessments for each participant on caseload to check progress and set goals with participants, provide staff with participant-specific information, measure participant progress in the program, and to contribute to program outcomes.
Case Management
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Oversee each participant’s arrival into the program to include initial scheduling, move in logistics, assignment to peer support, volunteer participation, communication to staff and community, introductions, etc.
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Manage each participant’s assessment period by conducting initial orientation, communicating expectations (written and verbal) with regular follow-up, close monitoring of participants and family with regular check-ins (formal and non-formal); consult regularly with Lead Family Advocate regarding resident progress or lack thereof, etc.
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Conduct initial Family Growth Assessment with new participant within first 60 days or by deadline of quarterly outcome reporting.
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Assure the professional, accurate and timely completion, organization, upkeep of all documentation, case notes, and participant records.
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Assess mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health of residents on caseload and establish necessary services, coaching, and support while continuing to monitor resident participation.
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Assure the provision of program information and program resources to residents on caseload.
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In collaboration with the participant, develop plans for parenting, family, legal, and safety issues with client and external family members as appropriate.
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Provide professional and timely case notes in the key areas of child welfare, medical care, mental health status, faith, community, legal issues, finances, and other life domains as pertinent.
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Maintain and develop strong relationships with community partners and resources.
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Conduct regular home reviews and drug tests for residents.
Collaboration
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Participate in the interview process of program applicants in collaboration with the Lead Family Advocate and Admissions Team.
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Collaborate with staff regarding the progress, needs, supports and celebrations of all residents on caseload. Work closely with other staff and volunteers involved in resident support.
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Participate and contribute to the strategic planning and development of the program, processes, systems, and training with staff, volunteers, community partners, collaborators and consultants.
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Meet regularly with the Lead Family Advocate to review professional development, program systems, and participant progress and to address any complex or problematic issues as needed.
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Attend and participate in program and corporate staff meetings, volunteer training, professional training, events, and other meetings relevant to professional and program development.
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Attend and participate in Mary’s Home special events and community networking meetings and events as the schedule allows.
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Work in close coordination with the Advocacy Team, and other Mary’s Home, and Dream Centers staff, as well as volunteers, partners, and service providers.
- Provide leadership as assigned to volunteers and volunteer teams directly supporting the Advocacy Team.
RELATIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS
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Maintain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, be a consistent witness for Jesus Christ, maintain a Christ-like attitude with people, and uphold the Dream Centers ministry in prayer.
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Engage in supportive services as needed to address personal needs related to vicarious trauma, maintain healthy boundaries and prioritize self-care.
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Foster healthy and supportive relationships with staff, volunteers, participants, children, community partners, service providers, donors, guests and other advocates in the local community.
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Learn, understand, and adopt best practices and trauma-informed care for the residents.
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Act as a liaison between participants and staff and therapists and other community partners.
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Act as an advocate for single mothers and their children who are homeless, raising awareness of their plight and their potential, and influencing greater community involvement on their behalf.
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Uphold all ethical standards within the program through training, documentation, communications, and structure and assist with coaching staff and key stakeholders in these ethical standards.
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Build and foster a healthy, caring and professional relationship with the Program Director and other key staff to assure open communications and effective and efficient program operations.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
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Personal relationship with Jesus Christ
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Currently pursuing or have obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Social Services, Behavioral Health, Family Studies, or a related field.
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Two years of experience in social work, case management, administration, coaching, and leadership preferred
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Experience working with vulnerable populations preferred
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Other Required Skills: Proficient in office management software, management reporting tools
COMPETENCIES
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Decision Making: Makes timely, informed decisions that account for facts, goals, constraints and risks.
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Problem Solving: Partners with clients to identify and resolve complex or sensitive issues, resolves difficult or complicated challenges.
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Accountability: Takes personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work and achieves results with little oversight.
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Integrity: Earns others’ trust and respect through consistent honesty and professionalism in all interactions.
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Teachability: Willing and able to listen, heal, learn, grow, and change. Seeks to increase understanding through timely, truthful and courageous conversations.
- Initiative: Focus on desired outcomes and how best to achieve them. Ensures the job gets done.
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Relationship Building: Builds constructive working relationships characterized by a high level of acceptance, collaboration, and mutual respect.
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Stress Tolerance: Maintains composure in highly stressful or adverse situations. Lean into supports and maintain support systems.
- Trauma-Informed Care: Understands what trauma looks like, how to respond to trauma and is aware of vicarious trauma for self.
- Values Diversity: Helps to create an environment that embraces and appreciates diversity.
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Tact: Diplomatically handles challenging or tense interpersonal situations.
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Enforcing Policy: Enforces program guidelines and policy and initiates enforcement in a way that is perceived as fair, objective, and reasonable.
WORKING CONDITIONS
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Work hours include 8 am to 5 pm weekdays, on-call phone, occasional evenings and weekends
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Travel requirements include ability to travel occasionally
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Work environment is residential community setting, standard office and occasional home office
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Physical demands include some lifting or exertion (See attached Physical Demands List)
STATUS
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Salary. Full-time. Benefits
