Community Health Worker - Families Forward Resources Center

ABOUT FAMILIES FORWARD RESOURCE CENTER

Families Forward Resource Center (FFRC) is a full-service family resource center providing supportive services and programs to northeast Denver and north Aurora metro areas. Our mission is to enrich entire families through partnerships and services that create a safe, healthy, and connected community. FFRC has been serving the Far Northeast Denver and Aurora communities for over 20 years. FFRC’s flagship program, Healthy Babies, Strong Families, is dedicated to advancing Black Birthing Justice through the provision of direct services, case management, resource navigation, and group-based education and system’s level change through community partnerships, collaboration, coordination, and advocacy.

POSITION SUMMARY

Families Forward Resource Center (FFRC) is seeking two full-time Community Health Workers (CHWs) to support participants in our Healthy Babies, Strong Families program. Our team’s CHWs provide intentional, trauma-informed, and proactive case management and resource navigation services to program participants to eliminate perinatal health inequities including maternal and infant health, including the administration of appropriate screening tools and provision of evidence-based health education.

To be successful in this role, CHWs need to be dedicated to Black birthing justice, forward thinking, innovative, reflective, and detail oriented. FFRC team members are expected to commit to life-long learning to expand expertise, advance programmatic and organizational support to program participants and community and engage in quality improvement efforts to optimize supports and services.

CHWs support a team-based approach and demonstrate enthusiasm for connecting program participants to internal resources including lactation support, group education, mental wellness support, doula support, and fourth trimester care.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Healthy Babies Program Manager, the Community Health Workers will:

• Provide postpartum case management support and resource navigation
• Utilize motivational interviewing techniques to identify needs and supportive opportunities
• Complete appropriate screenings and assessments to determine direction of case management support including, but not limited to depression screening, interpersonal violence screening, and grant-specific data collection tools
• Assess client health/psychosocial/environmental needs on an ongoing basis
• Provide home visitation utilizing Parents and Teachers curriculum
• Encourage participation in internal FFRC support including lactation support, group education, mental wellness support, doula support, and fourth trimester care and coordinate warm-hand offs to team members
• Maintain regular contact with program participants including home visits, office visits, phone, text, and virtual visits
• Provide one on one evidence-based health education
• Utilize required curriculum(s) to support participants and families including, but not limited to,
• Infant feeding support including breastfeeding initiation and duration
• Safe sleep
• Tobacco cessation
• Partner involvement
• Reading
• Health insurance coverage
• Prenatal care attendance
• Postpartum visit attendance
• Preventative care visit attendance
• Well-child visit attendance
• Participate in in-person program recruitment as directed and decided with supervisor
• Attend and actively participate in community outreach events approximately two to six hours per month
• Utilize case management database for active case management, tracking, monitoring, and assessing participant engagement, support, goals, outreach, and encounters
• Complete required trainings and maintain appropriate credentials
• Maintain positive rapport with program participants, community members, organizational partners, and co­workers
• Exhibit professional demeanor with program participants, community members, organizational partners, and co-workers
• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Accountabilities

• Genuine interest and dedication to Families Forward Resource Center’s mission
• Genuine interest and dedication Black Birthing Justice
• Warm and welcoming
• Professional attitude and appearance
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong multi-tasking and time management skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel) and Google Products
• Highly organized, detail oriented, and able to work independently
• Experience and ability to identify with individuals and families on their perinatal health journeys with intentional focus on Black and African American community members as those most impacted by maternal and infant health inequities
• Collaborative team-based approach to support other FFRC programs to ensure effective communication and coordination
• Ability to adapt to changing circumstances and navigate adversity
• Participation as a FFRC team player by attending staff meetings and other organizational events
• Willingness to share knowledge to advance knowledge and skills of others
• Understand and commitment to follow all policies, procedures & protocols as set forth in the CNDC/FFRC Employee Handbook
• Conformance to a drug-free workplace, not be under the influence of alcohol and/or other illicit drugs of misuse and abuse
• A professional, positive, and polite attitude and relationship with other FFRC employees, volunteers, clients, and customers

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Experience

• Associate's Degree in Social Work, Public Health, Sociology, Psychology or related field of study
• A track record of more than five years in a related role
• Colorado Community Health Worker Credential or commensurate experience
• Demonstrated commitment to Black Birthing Justice

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Public Health, Sociology, Psychology or related field of study
• Postpartum Doula Training and Experience
• Lactation/Breastfeeding Supporting Training and Experience
• Experience as a home visitor and/or home visiting program
• Colorado Community Health Worker Credential or commensurate experience
• Demonstrated commitment to Black Birthing Justice
• Previous Health Babies, Strong Families program participant
• Shared lived experience in Black maternal health, maternal morbidity/mortality, infant mortality/morbidity, infant/child loss, loss of birthing person or partner during perinatal period, etc.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Compensation: $42,000 - $47,000 per year, based on education and experience.

This is a grant-funded position that is dependent on external funding, therefore continued employment is contingent upon the receipt of funding to cover this role.

• Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Telehealth, LifeLock, and paid time off. Benefits will become effective the first day of the month after 30 days of employment. You must work over 24 hours a week to qualify for benefits and will be prorated if you are part time.
• This role follows a hybrid work schedule, requiring in-person attendance three days a week, with two work-from-home days. Your schedule will be determined by the needs of your participants, and job requirements in which your calendar should reflect these days accordingly and shared with your supervisor. You must also be available to attend scheduled in-person events, office meetings, and check-ins, even if these fall outside your designated work-from-home days.