EHS Doula Home Visitor (2 positions)

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 new born 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.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS: The Early Head Start Doula Home Visitor reports to the Early Head Start Doula Home Visitor Supervisor.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND KEY TASKS:

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 DONAs 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 AND WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRMENTS:

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

REQUIRED SKILLS/ABILITIES:

At least 3 years experience working in early childhood/family support, or home visiting programs required
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 programs target communities, make home visits and climb stairs

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