Social Services Coordinator-Headstart, Early Childhood

JOB SUMMARY

A Social Service Coordinator plays a crucial role in helping individuals and families access the resources and support they need to navigate life’s challenges.

PRINCIPLE PRESPONSILBILITIES & DUTIES

• • Delivering comprehensive social services to children, families, and pregnant women in the Early Head Start and Head Start programs.
  • Providing direct services to clients in need, when deemed appropriate.
  • Serving as liaison between mental health and parent involvement consultants in the EHS/HS program
  • Developing a parent involvement curriculum for all Early Head Start/Head Start families that incorporates available on-site and off-site resources.
  • Establishing ongoing collaborative relationships with community organizations that are responsive to the needs of Early Head Start/Head Start children, and families.
  • Helping organize and oversee the procedures for program recruitment and enrollment.
  • Ensuring that EHS/HS multicultural principles are reflected in program practices.
  • Intervening in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, as mandated by Federal and State law.
  • Maintaining confidentiality of family records and information.
  • Encouraging and promoting the family’s achievement of self-sufficiency.
  • Participating in all appropriate trainings and meetings
  • Fostering the belief in parents that they are the child’s first teacher and reinforcing this concept with practical suggestions for its development.
  • Participating in the hiring of all EHS/HS staff members.
  • Stays current on new initiatives and practices in the field.
  • Participating in program annual assessment and federal reviews.
  • Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

EHS/HS Program Supervision:

• • Assisting in the development and evaluation of EHS/HS home and center-based policies and procedures.
  • Supervising the program’s family intake process, ensuring that it emphasizes early assessment and the development of a Family Partnership Agreement for every family enrolled.
  • Managing the referral of families to appropriate on-site-and off-site services in the areas of mental health, education, health, employment, etc.
  • Maintaining the programs records as completed by the Social Services staff in a timely and accurate manner.
  • Providing guidance and leadership in the planning of group socialization activities
  • Monitoring the program’s continuous outreach and recruitment activities within the Central and East Harlem community.

Supervision of Social Services Staff:

• • Guiding the staff in the assessment, intervention, and delivery of services to families in need.
  • Supporting Home Visitors and Family Assistants through meetings, some observations of home visits, group socializations, review of records and enrollment levels.
  • Supporting Home Visitors to assist parents in ways of using household resources in educational activities with their children, as needed.
  • Maintaining a system of reflective supervision with Family Assistants.
  • Meeting with Family Assistants and Home Visitors weekly to update each other on family needs and children’s progress.
  • Sharing information about Northside Center for Child Development, Inc. and the EHS/Head Start program model.
  • Assisting the Social Service Manager with evaluating social services staff yearly (formally) and regularly (informally), develops their improvement/training plans, and makes recommendations based on evaluations.
  • Modeling appropriate communication techniques.
  • Provides program orientation for new staff with the support of the Social Service Manager.
  • Assisting with the identification of training needs and the development of training to meet those needs.
  • Supervising any volunteers and social services interns and provides the necessary training, support, and feedback necessary for their professional growth. Parent Involvement:
  • Promoting a viable environment in which parents can enhance their parenting skills while receiving support in their efforts towards self-sufficiency.
  • Developing a parent involvement curriculum for all EHS/HS families that incorporates available on-site and off-site resources.
  • Coordinating parent governing activities and ensures that Class and Center meetings (for center-based families, home-based families, and pregnant women) and the Policy Council reflects the program’s mission and EHS/HS mandates.
  • Encouraging parents to attend parent meeting.

Qualifications

• • Leadership and managerial ability
  • Bachelor or Master degree in social work or related field.
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to work as part of a team, communicate effectively both orally and in writing, receive and provide feedback, and manage dynamic interchanges in meetings.
  • Experience working with families and children aged newborn to five.
  • An understanding of the Head Start philosophy and ability to implement its principle of shared authority and decision-making.

Generous PTO, Health Insurance, Dental, Vision, 503b

English and or Bilingual