Parent Advocate

Position Summary: The Parent Advocate will provide concrete support to parents as they engage with the agency to plan for their children in foster care. The Parent Advocate will also provide parent support and advocacy for Children’s Aid’s case planning units. The Parent Advocate may participate in Family Team Conferences, Case Planning Meetings, Interdisciplinary Treatment Team Meetings, Family Visits, and/or accompany parents to appointments. Parent advocates will be assigned to a case planning unit and report to the unit supervisor in one of four agency foster care offices.

Essential Duties:

• Meet with parents at or near the time of Intake to Foster Care and act as a credible messenger of hope for parents planning for their children
• Participate in case planning meetings or family team conferences and ITT meetings as a support to parents, providing insight, clarification, and emotional regulation to parents to make meetings more effective and planning more successful.
• Meet with families during Family Time (Family Visiting) as a support to encourage visits and to help parents problem-solve obstacles to healthy effective time with their children.
• Accompany parents to service providers such as drug treatment, housing, mental health programs, or court as a source of encouragement and support and helping parents overcome ambivalence about starting new programming
• Coordinate with the members of the foster care teams to plan activities with parents and to outline efforts to move families to discharge more quickly.
• In-person collaboration is an essential function of this job.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience as a parent whose children were in foster care, must be beyond services not less than 2 years.
• Experience in parent advocate training through ACS, RISE, CWOP or another agency a plus.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) a plus.
• Willing to learn and practice engagement skills with families
• Flexibility and ability to work with families in their communities.
• Ability to maintain healthy boundaries and confidentiality
• Computer literate a plus.

It is the policy of Children's Aid to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and is dedicated to maintaining a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Children's Aid will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on any basis, including race, creed, color, national origin, ethnicity, alienage or citizenship status, gender/sex (including pregnancy), disability, religion, source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, familial status, caregiver status, military status, marital or partnership status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking, predisposing genetic characteristics, arrest or conviction record, credit history, unemployment status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Children’s Aid is committed to complying with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Children’s Aid will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of all allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or any violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in a confidential manner and will take appropriate corrective action, if and where warranted. Children’s Aid prohibits retaliation against employees who provide information about, complain about, or assist in the investigation of any complaint of discrimination or violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.

The incumbent is expected to work a schedule, whether in-person or hybrid, as determined by the department's needs to facilitate effective collaboration with the team. This flexibility is essential for maintaining seamless communication, fostering teamwork, and ensuring the smooth operation of the department's processes. The position's requirements are subject to periodic review and adjustment based on organizational needs and changes in work dynamics.