Roles and responsibilities fell into two larger general categories: administrative duties (i.e., those that do not involve direct contact with families) and direct family service duties; the majority of most frequently reported roles and responsibilities fell into the direct service category. In addition to the and responsibilities mentioned below, a high percentage of advocates also mentioned roles including: connecting families to services such as housing, clothing or transportation fulfilling a clinical role of identifying family strengths and or providing families with feedback based on clinical observations 2: Coordinator and Advocate Surveys - Most Frequently Endorsed Family Advocate Roles and Responsibilities Percent of 13 CMP Coordinators who reported Family Advocates Percent of 42 Family Advocates who selected ‘sometimes’, ‘often’ or ‘always’ Percent of 42 Family Advocates that selected ‘always/regularly’ Participates in local CMP IOG meetings 85% 62% 43% Participates in local CMP related committees or subgroups 85% 59% 32% Assists in designing programs or services for families 77% 56% 32% Sets up resources for families 77% 81% 14% Talks to families by phone to address on-going issues 77% 85% 41% Attends family meetings with providers (case conferencing without families present) 77% 52% 7% Attends family intervention planning meetings with families 77% 78% 30% Arranges appointments for families 69% 55% 2% Refers families to local services and supports 69% 83% 33% Participates in family intervention planning meetings with families and providers 69% 78% 30% Table 3: Coordinator and Advocate Surveys - Least Frequently Endorsed Roles and Responsibilities Percent of 13 Coordinators who reported Family Advocates Percent of 42 Family Advocates who selected ‘sometimes’, or ‘always’ Conducts baseline or intake assessments 31% 38% Prepares training materials for family advocates 31% 31% Leads training or classes for family advocates 31% 17% Responsible for completing and tracking records for family cases 31% --* Maintains family records in local data system 31% --* Leads group supervision of advocates 23% 21% *Frequencies were not calculated for these items due to insufficient responses.
Agency-based informal training and supervision (informal agency orientation, shadowing, mentoring, one-on-one observation) 69% (9 CMPS) Informal information-sharing (informal discussion of work-related issues among practitioners on and off the job) 62% (8 CMPS) Specialized workshops or trainings sponsored by independent training centers and consultant companies 46% (6 CMPS) The least frequently mentioned training processes (mentioned by 3 or less CMP coordinators) included university-based distance learning and certificate programs (see Table 9 below). Table 9: Advocate Survey - Most Frequently Mentioned Training Processes (42 Advocate Responses Training Process Percent Agency-based informal training and supervision (informal agency orientation, shadowing, mentoring, one-on-one observation) 44% Informal information-sharing (informal discussion of work-related issues among practitioners on and off the job) 43% Agency-sponsored formal training (formal orientation, agency in-service program) 36% Specialized workshops or trainings sponsored by independent training centers and consultant companies 29% While certificate programs was one of the least frequently mentioned training processes by coordinators, 31% of advocates did mention these programs as a training process in their counties. Advocates also mentioned using learning resources (e.g., journals, newsletters, videos, etc.) that indicate they may also be doing additional independent work toward continued training and professional development. The least frequently mentioned areas by advocates (less than 10%) included university-based distance learning programs and association-sponsored conferences.
Policy Needed – The majority of responses indicated that liability issues had not yet been discussed or addressed within CMPs of participating coordinators. One response stated that liability coverage for family advocates can be a challenge in terms of finding an agency that will assume the responsibility. Other Challenges Responses indicating other challenges were minimal but included repetitions of issues mentioned previously such as securing funding for advocacy positions and addressing other issues such as ensuring confidentiality and identifying families that have relevant personal experience. The survey also sought to understand key advocacy challenges and lessons learned, as perceived by CMP coordinators as well as local family advocates. Gathering this information will inform committee efforts to support advocacy efforts throughout the state. Family advocates were to report on the most challenging aspects of their jobs in an open-ended survey question. The most frequently reported challenges included: System Barriers – Confronting challenges from systems in terms of consistently supporting a high level of family engagement. This challenge was most often reported in terms of resource allocation, as the dedication of time and funding for advocacy work was perceived to be insufficient. General bureaucratic barriers within systems were also reported. For example, advocates reported confronting barriers when working with families to access services (e.g., family not meeting strict eligibility criteria for needed services). (9 responses) Family Engagement and Buy-in – Ensuring family engagement, consistent involvement and follow-through (9 responses) Accessing Needed Resources – Locating and securing needed resources for families (4 responses) Other challenges included team scheduling in terms of the needed time commitment for all members, and ensuring cultural competency KEY RESOURCES NEEDED TO ENHANCE FAMILY ADVOCATE WORK Gathering information about resources needed to enhance advocacy activities was another key area of interest for the committee in terms of providing future support. Coordinators most often mentioned training for family advocates, which aligns with coordinator perceptions about key challenges (discussed above). The advocate survey specifically about key training areas that would be useful for family advocates in their continued work. While each training area was indicated by close to half of advocate participants, a slight majority of advocates selected that training on child-serving systems and professional ethics/confidentiality would be beneficial.