Job Details

The Birth through Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST) represents an exciting opportunity for Tulsa. BEST is a comprehensive, continuous, and integrated approach that focuses on families to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. This strategy knits together programs and services to create a seamless continuum of support. Programs, services, community agencies, and philanthropies are partnering with Tulsa's families to build a cycle of opportunity.

With a 3% differential for bilingual positions

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Family Advocate will play a key role in advancing the goals of BEST and realizing the potential of the strategy for children and families. Family Advocates will provide personalized, ongoing support to connect families to desired programs and services and to share information about how families can support their young child's brain development. Together with other BEST implementing partners, the Family Advocate will impact thousands of children across the county and country, as other communities draw from and replicate the model.

In the initial stage of navigation, the Family Advocate will manage a monthly caseload and will be primarily responsible for contacting pregnant women recently enrolled in SoonerCare to promote awareness of and enrollment in prenatal and postpartum home visitation services and early childhood programs and services. The Family Advocate will engage expectant mothers, parents, and caregivers, develop trusting relationships, and ensure that parents and children are connected to relevant and appropriate resources. As BEST grows, Family Advocates will have the opportunity to support parents and caregivers at later phases along the birth through age eight continuum.

The following functions represent the majority of the duties performed by the position. The description is not meant to be all-inclusive or prevent other duties from being assigned when necessary:

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. Create a trusting, comfortable, and inclusive environment that fosters partnership and continual engagement with expectant mothers, parents, and other caregivers from all backgrounds through ongoing contact.
2. Triage community referrals and Medicaid/Medicare recipients by connecting to appropriate home visitation program, social worker, case manager, and/or other social and health related community agency based on client needs and program eligibility criteria.
3. Promote and ensure smooth connections, based on the desires and needs of expectant mothers, parents, and caregivers, to home visitation and other programs that serve maternal and early childhood populations (including but not limited to Children First, Positive Parenting, Parents as Teachers, Safe Care, Learning at Home, Healthy Start, Sooner Start).
4. Educate expectant mothers, parents, and caregivers about prenatal and postpartum supports, early childhood brain development, as well as strategies, programs, and services to support a young child's development.
5. Refer low-income expectant mothers, parents, and caregivers, and children in Tulsa County to medical, education, and social service providers.
6. Support management of community partner relationships by coordinating referrals to outreach programs and identifying new opportunities to partner.
7. Attend regular peer group meetings for networking and information sharing for optimal care management and navigation.
8. Keep current with community resources, relevant training related to early childhood development, protective factors, collective impact, cultural awareness, health-related social needs, etc.
9. Serve as a liaison to a variety of community agencies and networks.
10. Assist and collaborate with the Program Coordinator, Evaluator, and other pertinent staff in regards to evaluation and procedures for home visitation and referral linkage.
11. Coordinate and collaborate with Tulsa Health Department Navigators.
12. Maintain complete and accurate documentation of all activities and reports through computerized entry in accordance with program standards, guidelines, and THD requirements.
13. Attend required training in support of duties and responsibilities of this position.
14. Other duties as assigned including those required to fulfill activities in support of public health emergency operations.

Education: High school diploma required. Associates Degree preferred.

Experience: Previous experience with low-income families, home visitation programs, engaging culturally diverse families with young children in health and social services, and/or working with early childhood programs, is preferred.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Knowledge of community/county best practices related to Early Childhood and home visitation
• Knowledge of community resources and services
• Ability to practice cultural humility
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills in order to communicate effectively with peers and to maintain productive working relationships with agency partners
• Ability to prepare reports and communicate program goals and activities effectively both orally and in writing
• Skill in operating a personal computer and smartphone applications
• Bilingual (English/Spanish/Burmese) preferred

Licenses/Certification:

• Valid Oklahoma driver's license