EHS Advocate I

Job Description

Job Description

Organizational Summary 

Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) is a community-based nonprofit organization serving Pennsylvania and Delaware with over four decades of commitment to improving maternal and child health and early care and education. MCC’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women and parenting families and enhance school readiness for children ages 0-3. We achieve this through direct service, advocacy, and research, in collaboration with individuals, families, providers, and communities. We envision a future where parents impacted by racial and social inequities can birth with dignity, parent with autonomy, and raise babies who are healthy, growing, and thriving.

Position Summary 

The Advocate provides early learning-focused and curriculum-based home visits to pregnant women and parents of infants and toddlers to promote the families' ability to support their health improvement, social empowerment, and child's development toward school readiness. Services may include providing encouragement and guidance; direct services to identify client needs and goals around health, education, child development, and social services; and supporting clients to access needed services. 

Core Functional Responsibilities

• Obtains and maintains all required credentials and certifications such as, but not limited to, Home Visiting CDA credential (if applicable), ServSafe Certification, and First Aid license. 
• Attends orientation and ongoing training sessions on maternal and child health and wellbeing, early learning, child abuse, housing, nutrition, substance abuse, counseling, parenting, infant development, family support issues, and other training as assigned/recommended by their supervisor or other service area Coordinator. 
• Participates in outreach efforts to raise awareness and promote education of issues faced by EHS clients, identify candidates and families for enrollment, and direct them to needed EHS, health, education and social services. 
• Maintains caseload of approximately 12 prenatal clients and/or families with infants and toddlers. 
• Provides strengths-based, trauma-informed, culturally inclusive parenting support through an evidence-informed curriculum. 
• Provides intensive case management services including assessments, referrals, home visits, documentation, and follow-up to pregnant people and parenting families through weekly home visits and regular contact. 
• Utilizes a professional, culturally-sensitive, and respectful approach when visiting and addressing clients and their families at all times and during all types of communication. 
• Connects families to resources and social service networks. As applicable, supports clients in planning for their own health and social service needs by assisting clients in identifying goals, making appointments, and/or facilitating transportation to offices of service providers.
• Conducts client assessments to determine strengths and areas of need on a timely basis (according to EHS Performance Standards) and uses this information to set goals in collaboration with the family. 
• Keeps accurate records of services received by documenting all referrals, family and provider contacts. 
• Routinely uses case management databases (Child Plus, SharePoint, TS Gold) and other systems including Microsoft Office Suite. 
• Works collaboratively with Supervisor and Coordinators to encourage, monitor, and ensure timely scheduling and completion of health and/or education related appointments, such as prenatal, postpartum, well baby, well child, early intervention, physical exams, dental exams, and immunizations. 
• Refers participants needing more intensive follow-up to appropriate resources within MCC and other community agencies. 
• Encourages parent participation in all EHS events such as parent meetings, trainings, policy council meetings, outreach events, parent orientations, volunteering opportunities and socializations. 
• Assists in organizing socialization and other special events. 
• Meets with supervisor regularly and on a monthly basis to discuss clients’ progress. 

Supporting Responsibilities

• Adheres to the MCC’s security and HIPAA guidelines and ensures the appropriate handling of family sensitive information 
• Adheres to MCC’s Standard Operating Procedures and EHS program requirements
• Attends staff meetings (agencywide town hall, department and team meetings) to promote communication and execution of agency goals 
• Other duties as assigned within the scope of position expectations 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Understanding of MCC’s mission, vision, core values, goals, and objectives. 
• Knowledge of the concepts and practices associated with community health issues, particularly with pregnant people including perinatal care, parenting practices, and child development. 
• Ability to travel in and around MCC’s service areas (Pennsylvania – Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties) to conduct home visits and community outreach. 
• Knowledge of and sensitivity to issues facing the community served 
• Experience in family management procedures for determining eligibility, assessing needs, identifying resources, making referrals, following up, and documenting family interactions 
• Strong interpersonal skills as demonstrated by compassionate, courteous, cordial, cooperative, and professional interaction with diverse groups of co-workers, community partners, families, and members of the community 
• Ability to work independently with appropriate boundaries in a work-from-home environment as needed (designated workspace, securing confidential documents, availability during designated work hours) 
• Ability to effectively and accurately document case notes and family data according to established case management documentation procedures 
• Demonstrates strong verbal and written communication skills 
• Ability to operate a computer and use a variety of common software programs including Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, and customized databases. 
• Ability to organize tasks in an efficient manner and follow up and follow through with strong attention to detail 

Experience, Education and Licensure

Experience

• Six months of experience providing direct services in a community outreach setting preferred.
• Experience with community health issues
• Knowledge and experience in child development, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early childhood education.
• Experience working with maternal and child health issues preferred.
• Experience with positive parent-child interactions or Early Head Start programs preferred.

Education

• Obtaining an AA/AAS or BA/BS in Public Health, Human Services, Social Work, Human Development, Family or Child Studies, Sociology, or Psychology; or AA/AAS or BA/BS in a related field from an accredited college or university 
• Completion of the Child Development Associate (CDA) program is required within six months of hire date
• Obtaining a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential
• Bilingual preferred (Spanish, Burmese if applicable)

 

Other Position Factors

 

The other position factors described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential tasks of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the core functional responsibilities.

Maternity Care Coalition operates as a hybrid organization. The assigned work arrangement for this position may include a combination of remote and onsite work and will be determined based on operational needs, role responsibilities, and performance. Work arrangement expectations may be modified over time to meet organizational or programmatic requirements. Staff working remotely are responsible for maintaining a safe and appropriate workspace.

• Ability to engage in extended periods of sitting, computer work, and sustained concentration.
• Ability to occasionally bend, reach, lift, carry, push, or pull training materials or equipment, generally not exceeding 30 pounds.
• Possession of a valid driver’s license issued by the state of residence and the ability to successfully pass a motor vehicle record check, where driving is an essential function of the role.
• Ability to travel occasionally to attend conferences, seminars, and professional meetings.
• Ability to work non‑traditional hours on an occasional basis based on operational needs.
• Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of required post‑offer pre‑employment background clearances, as well as any additional post‑hire background, compliance, or programmatic clearances required by the organization, funders, or applicable regulations.

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Equal Opportunity Statement

Maternity Care Coalition is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.