Every individual dreams that his family leads a peaceful and content life. However, there arise many scenarios that manipulate the otherwise normal routine of life and compel a person to ask for legal support from a person specializing in legal services. This person in turn helps the family to get back to the normal track of life. He is a family advocate; a person who concentrates in resolving family disputes and allowing people to live and invest life in meaningful pursuits.
A family advocate is responsible for addressing the conflicts and issues faced by a family and investigate about its reasons and repercussions. He works in behalf of the government or a nonprofit organization and acts as liaison between the family and the government/organization.
When dealing with a family with small children, the family advocate has to identify the education and healthcare requirements for the children. He listens to the conflicts between husband and wife and helps in finding an appropriate solution to it to avoid negative impact on the upbringing of children. He plans a program, a course of action that works in the favor of the family and contributes in their welfare.
The family advocate searches for educational institutes and communicates with the authorities for the admission. Another important duty of a family advocate is to engage the parents in various programs to enhance their parenting as well as personal skills. While at work, a family advocate is responsible to prepare and maintain necessary paperwork and transparency in communication with the agencies and family members.
More information about the job responsibilities of a family advocate and other details such as necessary skills and qualifications have been elaborated below for your reference.
Investigate Conflicts
The very basic responsibility of a family advocate is to identify the conflicts and its root cause. This is important to proceed further and develop an action plan that will be beneficial for the family as a whole.
Enrolling Families
The family advocate enrolls the families at the center and fills up necessary forms for records of the center. He helps the families to become comfortable with the surroundings of the center and introduces them to the staff at the center.
Develop Programs
The family advocate, according to the individual requirement of each family, devises a specific program. He has to implement the programs at the earliest and ensure that it is effective and yields positive results for the family.
Communicate Program Requirements and Specifications
The family advocate communicates about the program requirements and specifications with all the concerned parties including but not limited to teachers, rehabilitation staff, healthcare specialists, etc.
He provides material specifications to the procurement officer and ensures that adequate stocks are maintained at all times.
Monitor Progress of Family
The family advocate monitors the progress of the family undergoing through the program. He communicates with the people dealing with the family to obtain this information and depending on the feedback, he decides a further course of action.
To be a successful family advocate, a person needs to:
The minimum qualification required to become a family advocate is a bachelor's or associate degree in human services and development, child development, or a similar coursework. Experience is not a prerequisite, although it may be needed for a senior position.
A family advocate can earn an average compensation of $51,000 annually. Other allowances are dependent on the job location, responsibilities, and the organization.
Family advocate job responsibilities make you conversant with this profession and guide you to choose a specific course that allows you to pursue this profession.