Family Support Specialist

Job Summary: This is a highly responsible and professional position tasked as the first line of contact between the Coalition and the public. The position requires individuals possessing exemplary interpersonal skills and a professional demeanor. A large part of our organizational duties pertains to outreach which consists of assisting families in the office and families in our communities. Therefore, participation in our outreach events is required of all employees. This not only helps our families but builds our efforts as a unified team at the ELCFG.

Essential Functions:

The general responsibilities of the Family Support Specialist are:

•  Review parent profile to ensure all required documentation is completed during initial and re-determination process using the state-wide database system.
• Determine family eligibility and the eligibility group for the School Readiness (SR)Program.
• Verify income, family size and accurate determination of parent co-payments.
• Assist parents/guardians/caregivers with the uploading of documents in the DEL Management System.
• Scheduling & rescheduling of appointments
• Assist and support families with Voluntary Prekindergarten Program (VPK) registration
• Consult with families about needs and offer/provide Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Services, as needed.
• Termination of Client cases, as follows:
• No longer eligible at redetermination.
• Non-compliance clients from Community based agencies.
• Late redetermination clients.
• Review Provider’s Attendance Roster for accuracy and completeness, in collaboration with Finance Department.
• Communicate with the Finance Department regularly during provider payment processing to ensure any corrections related to child attendance are completed before payments are released.
• Update case files and contact parents of children terminated by child care providers for non-attendance.
• Determine pre-eligibility applications in the Single State-wide Information System for SR and VPK programs.
• Process parent/guardian/caregiver updates (i.e., provider transfers, funding transfers, county to county transfers with identified coalition) in a timely manner.
• Assist parents/guardians/caregivers with navigation of Single State-wide Information System to apply for services.
• Initiate and complete guardianship transfers.
• Provide consumer education and customized referrals to all parents/guardians/caregivers looking for child care based upon their needs and preference by phone, in-person, email, or via fax and provide other resources as necessary.
• Assist all clientele (i.e., appointments, walk-ins) with respect and keep case information confidential and only on a need-to-know basis with coalition staff, or referring agencies approved by the parent/guardian/caregiver.
• Submit and report Suspected Fraud Referrals to the Family Services Director/Director of Family Services or designee immediately.
• May be assigned tasks related to child enrollment, SR & VPK case management, CCR&R, State reporting systems (i.e., Cherwell, SharePoint, Tableau) and User Acceptance Training (UAT) as subject matter experts (SME).
• Participate in and support intra/inter departmental team and coalition special projects.
• Participate and assist with Community Outreach & Awareness events (i.e., Family Engagement)
• Interpret and effectively communicate ELCFG policy both verbally and in writing.
• Use Enhanced Field System (EFS) to properly update and maintain SR, CCRR and VPK data records for each child and his/her family.
• Create, update and maintain required information for each child served by the program by using history notes and intake files.
• Maintain accurate and complete files with integrity.
• Assist with the process and completion of Family Need Assessments, Parent/Guardian/Caregiver Surveys, Ages & Stages Screenings (ASQ), and make appropriate support service referrals to community service agencies, and child care listings
• Answer the main phone in the absence of the Program Support Specialist.
• Stay informed of all current local, state, and federal rules & regulations relating to child care/early learning, including but not limited to Family Services Policies and Procedure.
•  Adhere to the ELCFG’s standards of attendance and punctuality by being consistently present at the workstation and using time wisely.
• Adhere to the Public Records Request Protocol.
• Ensure that all information of a confidential nature is held securely.
• Communicate with parents, caregivers, providers, and community members via phone, email, fax, EFS upload and in person.
• Bilingual if applicable.

Other Duties:

The duties and responsibilities listed above are intended primarily as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties and/or responsibilities does not exclude them from the job if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the job.

Supervisory Responsibility:

None

Education, Experience, Certifications, Licenses and Registrations:

· Associate Degree in Human Services or any related field with two years related experience. The education requirement may be waived for a candidate with four or more years of related experience. Previous work with the public in a social service setting or education is preferred.

· Must possess a valid Florida Driver’s license with no record of criminal driving offenses or license suspension.

· Must successfully complete a Level 2 Background Screening Check or Level I (as required).

 

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

· Knowledge of the eligibility rules, applicable laws, regulations, and procedures governing early learning programs.

· Basic computer skills, further knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite encouraged.

· Knowledge of office procedures and equipment, including the application of electronic data processing and working in a web-based environment.

· Bilingual capability is preferred due to populations served.

· Attention to detail and a high degree of organization are required.

· Effectively communicate and present information and response to questions from diverse audiences including managers, parents, guardians, caregivers, providers and the general public.

· Ability to express ideas effectively verbally and in writing.

· Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with public, co-workers, and members of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin or disability and genetic information (including family medical history).

· Ability to achieve CCR&R Specialist Certification on the Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Evaluation within 90-days of employment.

· Ability to organize and prioritize various assignments.

· Comply and meet deadlines in a timely manner.

· Ability to interpret and apply ELCFG, state and federal rule, and Florida Statute.

Physical Skills:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee is also required to sit at a desk and use a computer. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

The physical demands and work environment described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Work Environment/Environment Conditions:

Normal office environment; may require travel.

ADA Statement:

The essential duties of this position are defined by ADA as job duties that are so fundamental to the position that the individual cannot do the job without being able to perform them. A function is considered to be essential if the performance of this function is the reason the job exists, there are a limited number of other employees who could perform the function, or if the function is specialized and the incumbent is hired on the basis of his or her skill/ability to perform the function.

Equal Opportunity Employer/ Veterans / Disability/ E-Verify Employer