About the Position

The Child & Family Advocate position provides family and case management support and coaching based upon recommendations from Agape team members. The Child & Family Advocate will act as a community organizer and serve as a referral source for families, be the liaison for intensive case management, and develop and implement intervention strategies for students and families. The Child & Family Advocate is required to operate consistently within the program standards, mission, and guidelines as outlined by the Agape Youth and Family Center’s Policy Manual.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build rapport with students and their families, as well as schools and other social service providers
• Provide direct support, coaching, mentoring, and intervention to increase youth self-sufficiency and goal attainment
• Complete documentation including, but not limited to care and service plans, needs assessments, progress notes, and protocols for crisis-oriented measures
• Research and advocate for appropriate public assistance resources for families
• Provide crisis intervention and conduct home visits, as needed
• Maintain awareness and facilitate evidence-informed training such as Darkness to Light, Mandated Reporter training, Youth Mental Health First Aid training, Parenting Classes, Cultural Sensitivity and others deemed necessary for staff and/or parents and volunteers
• Implement and train our team to facilitate SEL Curriculum for students and manage the tracking/reporting of the SEL curriculum options
• Ensure that all case files and other records strictly comply with policies, regulations, and procedures
• Supervise and provide guidelines for social work interns, as needed
• Maintain confidentiality of all sensitive information regarding families or staff members
• Serve as the onsite Mandated Reporter and social services liaison for any relevant incidents
• Actively participate in all Agape programs as relevant to the position
• Conduct small groups as it relates to social and emotional learning for children and staff
• Operate with working knowledge of policies and laws that affect immigrant children and families
• Serve as Agape representative in the community in an effort to bridge the gap between our families and community resources offered by Atlanta
• Coordinate and Serve as point of contact for community outreach partners such as Budget for Life, Counseling Organizations and Support Groups (Chris180, Ser Familia, etc.), ESL, Abriendo Puertas, GLCCC (GA Latino Complete Count Committee-Census), etc.
• Support Agape partnerships and events such as Extreme Bedroom Makeover, Partner Days of Service, and the like
• Maintain direct relationship with APS Social Work partners and school leadership, as needed
• Lead efforts on all Agape Parenting Programming that support the social and educational needs of our parents for the purpose of creating more stability in the home and family.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Graduate degree from an accredited school of social work is required, LMSW preferred,
• Experience working with underserved students and administering assessments in a social services capacity is preferred.
• Position requires clinical interviewing skills, strong crisis intervention strategies, leadership skills, flexibility, organizational abilities, and the ability to be patient and calm in stressful situations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills and organizational skills.
• Must be sensitive to the challenges of underserved families and possess the empathy and desire required to work with people of different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
• A self-motivated team player with excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to manage a variety of personalities in a positive and professional manner.
• Bilingual in Spanish required