Organizational Mission & Strategies
Young Roots Oregon (YRO) is a community-focused Oregon-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Albany that began in 2019 as a grass-roots movement. Our mission is to creatively empower young families in Linn and Benton counties to build healthy foundations. Our multi-generational vision is to give adolescent parents and their children equitable opportunities for growth through a collaborative approach of resource partnership and innovative services.
Strategies of care for young families include building equitable pathways that promote academic achievement, improving psychological and physical health, strengthening parent-child relationships, providing parent-to-parent support, brokering partnerships between parents and community agencies to expand and deepen parents’ social support network, decreasing income, food, diapering, and housing insecurities. Together, these approaches work to increase social mobility and educational and economic attainment by the parent and to minimize and prevent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress that cause life-long health disparities, child welfare interventions, foster care placements, and generational poverty, which benefits the overall health and success of our community as a whole.
Family Support & Connections Parent Mentoring Program
The Young Roots Family Support & Connections Parent Mentoring Program partners a Family Advocate/Parent Mentor with the adolescent parent to collaboratively build upon the client’s strengths and to increase their primary protective factors through the focus program and a variety of support services. Parent mentoring support is offered in both English and Spanish languages.
The Parent Mentor Program is uniquely designed for the culturally specific needs and developmental stage of adolescent parents, along with increasing the primary protective factors that are proven to prevent child abuse and neglect. The primary protective factors are described by ODHS as follows:
- 1. Family Functioning/Resiliency: Having adaptive skills and strategies to persevere in times of crisis.
- 2. Social Support: Increased awareness of informal support (from family, friends, and neighbors) that helps provide for emotional needs.
- 3. Concrete Support and Emergency Services: Increased awareness of access to tangible goods and services to help families cope with stress, particularly in times of crisis or intensified need.
- 4. Child Development and Knowledge of Parenting: Understanding and utilizing effective child management techniques and having age- appropriate expectations for children’s abilities.
- 5. Nurturing and Attachment: The emotional tie, along with a pattern of positive interaction between the parent and child, that develops over time.
- 6. Problem Solving and Communication: Family’s ability to openly share positive and negative experiences and mobilize to accept, solve, and manage problems.
Child Welfare Referrals
Child Welfare referrals will be included in the Parent Mentoring program described. Child Welfare referrals will have a higher level of care, with increased documentation and weekly communication with the case worker. Supervisor will provide training and support.
Responsibilities
1. Build strong relationships with adolescent parents and their children; cultivating an environment that empowers adolescent parents, giving them safe space to be brave in doing the hard and important work of positive internal and behavioral development and growth.
2. Provide the structured objectives stated in the Parent Mentor Program description.
3. Be an advocate within the system of care for the adolescent parent and their children, working with their Family Coach, case worker, and community partners to provide the client with the best possible support and equitable opportunities for growth and development, with family preservation and life-long stabilization always in focus.
4. Administrative Responsibilities
- Directly supervised by Blanca Sanchez, Program Director focused on supporting clients in the mothering role.
- Maintain a consistent schedule that balances time and responsibilities effectively.
- Collaborate with fellow staff members to effectively support clients holistically within the variety of Young Roots programming and direct care services.
- Maintain a positive working relationship with colleagues, clients and program partners abiding by the YRO Code of Ethics.
- Manage child welfare referrals and outreach connections, performing intake and quality of care requirements associated with each client.
- Maintain databases for tracking clients goals, progress and outcomes, along with required weekly contract communication with client case workers.
- Attend and participate in all required meetings.
- Be active in knowing and connecting clients with community resources, partnering with agencies in Linn and Benton counties.
- Participate in at least 20 hours of continued education, certification, and professional development per year.
- Perform other duties and tasks as assigned by the supervisor.
- Help maintain the physical appearance of vehicles and the Family Hub.
Qualifications
- This is a direct care role supporting young parents in the mothering role. Having experience as a mother is critical in providing empathetic peer support.
- Bilingual in Spanish and English both verbal and written translation preferred, with effective interpersonal communication skills.
- Lived experience of being a child of an adolescent parent and/or have been an adolescent parent.
- Experience in navigating government systems and working with community partners.
- Experience in supporting adolescents within an educational setting or social services; knowledgeable about the developmental stage of adolescence and can effectively relate to youth.
- Mature in conflict resolution skills, setting professional boundaries, and self care.
- Self determined and motivated; small relational team setting who relies on the support of one another, but who are also individually self sufficient and effectively self regulates employment performance.
- Ability to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, honoring differences, and being intentionally inclusive. Always.
- Maintain confidentiality and follow organizational procedures to protect and honor personal information.
- Ability to successfully complete accurate documentation and administrative tasks, i.e. Google programs, Microsoft and Adobe programs, email and phone communication, government documents, etc.
- Be a human centered leader who is open minded and a lifelong learner; caring for clients with a trauma-informed lens and with resiliency.
- Be a mandatory reporter to protect the safety of children; training and continuous support provided.
- Ability to work flexible hours to meet the needs of the program; weekends and holidays excluded.
- Certification in First Aid and CPR within 30 days of hire.
- Ability to pass a federal and state criminal history and abuse record check.
- Holds and maintains an acceptable driving record, valid driver’s license, automobile insurance, and reliable transportation; use of a personal vehicle throughout Linn County will be needed and mileage is reimbursed. Comfortable and confident in transporting youth and children.
- High school diploma or GED required with post-secondary education certification or degree preferred.
Non-Discrimination Policy
It shall be the operational policy of this Corporation not to discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, marital status, national origin, disability, or political belief. This policy includes but is not exclusive of hiring, firing, layoffs, promotions, wages, training, disciplinary action or any other terms, privileges, conditions, or benefits or employment, as well as non-discrimination in the providing of any services offered by this Corporation.
Ideal Schedule
Full Time – 40 hours
Monday through Friday 10am to 6pm, some evenings with flex time.
Holding a caseload of 8 clients, while providing peer group leadership support for one parenting class per term.
Part Time – 20 hours
Flexible within full time hours, some evenings with flex time.
Holding a caseload of 4 clients, while providing peer group leadership support for one parenting class per term.
The Parent Mentor will coordinate their own schedule based upon client availability and supervising requirements.
Holiday & Seasonal Closures
The following show dates of facility closers to plan for during the year. Full time employees are paid for all holiday and seasonal closures. Part time employees are paid for the holidays and seasonal closures that fall on their regular work schedule.
This flexible schedule does not include paid holidays except for the Winter Holiday Break. The following show dates of facility closers to plan for during the year.
- Martin Luther King, Jr Day – 3rd Monday in January
- President’s Day – 3rd Monday in February
- Spring Break – Thursday & Friday of Spring Break following the school district calendar
- Memorial Day – last Monday of the month in May
- Juneteenth – June 19th
- Independence Day – July 4th
- Labor Day – Thursday & Friday before, plus 1st Monday & Tuesday in September
- Indigenous Peoples Day – 2nd Monday in October
- Veterans Day – 2nd Friday in November
- Thanksgiving – 4th Thursday & Friday in November
- *PAID HOLIDAY BREAK* Winter Holiday Break – Christmas Day through New Years Day
Part time (under 30 hours) employees will have an additional 30 hours of Paid Time Off (PTO) each year; to renew each year on your hiring anniversary. PTO time does not roll over to the next year.
Full time (30 hours or more) employees will have an additional 50 hours of Paid Time Off (PTO) each year; to renew each year on your hiring anniversary. PTO time does not roll over to the next year.
Pay & Benefits
Hourly wage starts at $19.50 for a bilingual candidate who meets all qualifications, with an increase to $21.50 with additional expanding experience and education. Hourly wage starts at $19.00 for an English only candidate who meets all qualifications, with an increase to $21.00 with additional expanding experience and education.
YRO staff will be eligible for a 3% wage increase upon their 6 month review and 3% for their annual employment renewal.
YRO employees are provided the opportunity to utilize the KidRoots Children’s Program for one of their children to be in childcare while they are working on-site at the Family Hub. Childcare is available from 11am-2pm and 3pm to 6:00 or later depending on the event, Monday through Thursday. No additional compensation packages or benefits at this time.
Application Process
To apply, email Andrea Bartell at andreab@youngrootsoregon.org your name and answers to the following questions:
- Do you meet the outlined qualifications?
- Why are you interested in this position?
- What are your strengths and experiences that you would bring to this position?
