Early Head Start Home Visitor Doula, Ounce of Prevention Fund, Chicago, IL

Early Head Start Home Visitor Doula

Posted on: September 19, 2014
Posted by: Ounce of Prevention Fund

POSITION SUMMARY

The Early Head Start Doula Home Visitor develops and maintains supportive strength based, culturally sensitive relationships with pregnant women and their families by providing education, physical and emotional support during all trimesters, labor and postpartum. The EHS Doula Home Visitor is responsible for ensuring that pregnant women and their families receive comprehensive home visiting and doula services to ensure the optimal development of pregnant women and their newborn babies helping them to establish healthy parent-child relationships. The EHS Doula Home Visitor ensures compliance with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and EHS Services to Pregnant Women requirements.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND KEY TASKS

Program Implementation:

• Recruit and enroll families into the Doula Home Visiting Program
• Maintain a caseload of 12 pregnant women providing regular doula home visiting and 24/7 availability for attending births
• Ensure the EHS Services for Pregnant Women standards along with appropriate Head Start Program Performance Standards are in compliance
• Established trusting, nurturing relationships with pregnant women and their families
• Assist pregnant women in establishing goals and a birth plan for the Family Partnership Agreement and creating a plan for the accomplishment of the goals
• Provide ongoing support and guidance regarding the mental health and developmental needs of pregnant women
• Assists pregnant women and their families in accessing and documenting all needed health services including pre-natal visits, well child check ups, and mother post partum well being care
• Aid in the preparation of the pregnant woman and her family for the labor and delivery utilizing appropriate doula techniques both during home visits and in group based services
• Develop and facilitate prenatal education, advocacy and support parent groups
• Participate in Doula Trainings, conferences, workshops, IBTI training and other trainings as required by the program
• Obtain the needed community resources services and linkages for pregnant women
• Acts as an advocate for the pregnant woman; interprets and explains medical procedures
• Provide regular "first months of life" doula post partum home visits to all doula program mothers and newborns until they are enrolled in a cluster site or other infant child care programs
• Assist program mothers in transitioning into EHS child care programs or other infant child care programs
• Assist with community outreach efforts targeting local hospitals, clinics and community service organizations
• Participate in regular reflective supervision and staff meetings as required by the program
• Maintain and document all services in the family files and ensures up to date program files for each pregnant woman in the caseload
• Enter participant information and other required program information into the MIS system in a timely manner
• Work within the guidance of DONA's scope of practice and code of ethics. Refer to the DONA web site: www.DONA.org
• Participate in Research planning and evaluation efforts
• Perform other duties as assigned within the scope of the job description

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Associates Degree in Social Work, Early Childhood Education, Child Development or related field required. Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Early Childhood Education, Child Development or related field preferred.

REQUIRED WORK EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS/ABILITIES

• At least 3 years experience working in early childhood/family support, or home visiting programs required
• At least 2 years direct experience with Head Start preferred
• Ability to establish supportive, meaningful relationships with pregnant women, families and their infants
• Knowledge of principles and practices of infant and child development and family practice
• Ability to use reflective supervision
• Ability to work within a team
• Knowledge of community resources and the capacity to develop community cooperation to ensure that pregnant women receive comprehensive services

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Basic Knowledge of the computer
• Ability to use cell phones and other technology
• Available on call 24 hours for labor and delivery
• Knowledgeable about Head Start and Early Head Start guidelines
• Ability to travel to homes throughout the program's target communities, make home visits and climb stairs

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online at https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=10836001