The Community Navigator is the first person someone will meet when entering the Family Resource Center (FRC) and will effectively communicate with families that arrive at the FRC for intake, service, and assistance. The Navigator will oversee the daily operations of the FRC. All services will support family stabilization and child safety. Community Navigators will build relationships by attending meetings, assisting/overseeing community events, and conducting presentations to share Iris Family Support Center’s mission and programs offered. Navigators will also increase awareness and knowledge of child abuse and neglect throughout northern Indiana, educate and train educators, child-care providers, children, parents, and others on child abuse prevention topics, assist with cultivating relationships with individuals and organizations to further the mission of the organization and promote Iris Family Support Center’s programs in the community.
Essential Functions
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Provide intake and assessment of all families on caseload within required timelines.
- Successfully assess the needs of families to refer to appropriate services in the community.
- Provide ongoing case management for cases as needed in home based and office settings.
- Establish a case plan with goals, objectives, and activities with each client, reviewing and rewriting, as well as setting new goals as circumstances change. This case plan will incorporate the needs identified by the referral source as well as the needs identified by the staff and the client. This case plan will guide services.
- Assist clients with achieving goals and objectives set forth in case plan within time frame established.
- Exercise discretion and judgment in identifying plans of action to achieve goals and objectives, including day-to-day direct contact with clients, government entities, other agencies, and courts.
- Complete scheduled appointments within the parameters of the specific program involved
- Establish an emotionally supportive, non-judgmental, trusting relationship with parent(s).
- Advocate on behalf of the client and link the family to additional community resources and services.
- Assist families on how to navigate systems.
- Assist with crisis assistance as needed, such as hands-on lice treatments.
- Teach and role model parenting techniques to the family using approved methods and materials.
- Teach home management, financial management, childcare, discipline, nutrition, and personal skills as appropriate.
- Complete case notes in a detailed format.
- Complete all required paperwork in various databases within established format and deadlines.
- Work within an environment of frequently changing priorities, deadlines, and duties.
- Provide client transportation as necessary to complete goals of the program and client case plan.
- Conduct creative and persistent outreach to enroll clients into services (including, but not limited to, face-to-face visits, drop-bys, phone calls/texts, social media).
- Build relationships with community agencies
- Collaborate with community members to effectively assist families and increase neighborhood awareness.
- Responsible for knowing community resources and connecting families to resources and providing informal support.
- Comply with state guidelines and service standards for Family Resource Centers under the direction of CPCS.
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Identify, contact, and maintain knowledge of formal and informal resources in the community that provide family support and recreational activities.
- Effectively and professionally represent the agency at events, meetings, and other outreach activities.
- Effectively coordinate, plan, and attend events for the community with an emphasis on preventing child abuse and neglect. This could include events held on evenings and weekends.
- Perform regular outreach to school systems in area and schedule educational presentations for students and educators.
- Maintain a caseload as referrals are available to meet productivity requirements
- Report any case that may involve “imminent harm” or “threatened harm” to a supervisor immediately.
- Attend trainings.
- Meet with supervisor for supervision as required by service standards, department requirements and “best practices” of supervision.
- Attend court hearings, case conferences, team meetings, department meetings, and other meetings as required
- Develop, coordinate, and execute informational presentations at conferences, speaking engagements, etc.
- Research and develop curriculum and resources for child abuse prevention education topics.
- Collaborate with community leaders to create innovative opportunities for program possibilities and prevention services.
- Maintain minutes from community meetings and communicate information throughout the organization.
- Assist with audits.
Other Duties
- Performs other duties as assigned
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
