Weekend Advocate Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

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

• Conduct regular recurring meetings with each participant to build professional relationships and to assist with goal achievement and progression in the program.
• Responsible for regularly communicating, tracking, and following up with participants on all expectations of a participant's phase in the program.
• Using the Family Growth Assessment (FGA) tool, coach participants with a supportive yet challenging approach for creating and achieving weekly and monthly goals.
• Monitor, assist, and ensure progress in life domains and outcomes as identified in the FGA through goal setting, coaching, support, etc.
• 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.
• 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.
• Coach and collaborate with participants on caseload to enroll in Mary’s Home Academy classes and workshops.
• Assist participants with maintaining a personal schedule that meets program requirements and building a realistic family financial plan.
• 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

• 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.
• 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.
• Conduct initial Family Growth Assessment with new participant within first 60 days or by deadline of quarterly outcome reporting.
• Assure the professional, accurate and timely completion, organization, upkeep of all documentation, case notes, and participant records.
• Assess mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health of residents on caseload and establish necessary services, coaching, and support while continuing to monitor resident participation.
• Assure the provision of program information and program resources to residents on caseload.
• In collaboration with the participant, develop plans for parenting, family, legal, and safety issues with client and external family members as appropriate.
• 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.
• Maintain and develop strong relationships with community partners and resources.
• Conduct regular home reviews and drug tests for residents.

Collaboration

• Participate in the interview process of program applicants in collaboration with the Lead Family Advocate and Admissions Team.
• 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.
• Participate and contribute to the strategic planning and development of the program, processes, systems, and training with staff, volunteers, community partners, collaborators and consultants.
• 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.
• Attend and participate in program and corporate staff meetings, volunteer training, professional training, events, and other meetings relevant to professional and program development.
• Attend and participate in Mary’s Home special events and community networking meetings and events as the schedule allows.
• 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

• 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.
• Engage in supportive services as needed to address personal needs related to vicarious trauma, maintain healthy boundaries and prioritize self-care.
• Foster healthy and supportive relationships with staff, volunteers, participants, children, community partners, service providers, donors, guests and other advocates in the local community.
• Learn, understand, and adopt best practices and trauma-informed care for the residents.
• Act as a liaison between participants and staff and therapists and other community partners.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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

• Personal relationship with Jesus Christ
• Currently pursuing or have obtained a Bachelor's degree in Social Services, Behavioral Health, Family Studies, or a related field.
• Two years of experience in social work, case management, administration, coaching, and leadership preferred
• Experience working with vulnerable populations preferred
• Other Required Skills: Proficient in office management software, management reporting tools

COMPETENCIES

• Decision Making: Makes timely, informed decisions that account for facts, goals, constraints and risks.
• Problem Solving: Partners with clients to identify and resolve complex or sensitive issues, resolves difficult or complicated challenges.
• Accountability: Takes personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work and achieves results with little oversight.
• Integrity: Earns others' trust and respect through consistent honesty and professionalism in all interactions.
• 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.
• Relationship Building: Builds constructive working relationships characterized by a high level of acceptance, collaboration, and mutual respect.
• 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.
• Tact: Diplomatically handles challenging or tense interpersonal situations.
• Enforcing Policy: Enforces program guidelines and policy and initiates enforcement in a way that is perceived as fair, objective, and reasonable.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Work hours include 8 am to 5 pm weekdays, on-call phone, occasional evenings and weekends
• Travel requirements include ability to travel occasionally
• Work environment is residential community setting, standard office and occasional home office
• Physical demands include some lifting or exertion (See attached Physical Demands List)

STATUS

• Salary. Full-time. Benefits