As whole family approaches in practice and policy deepen, a range of roles are emerging at all levels of organizations. Below are some roles and related competencies that can help funders understand the kinds of roles that grantees may incorporate into their programs and policy work.
Navigator
Role
- Provide coaching and case management to parents (see family-centered coaching approach)
- Develop and maintain relationships with partner organizations
- Make warm hand-offs to partner organizations and other services
- Participate in regular training to build skills
- Manage files, enter data
Competencies
- Strength-based coaching skills, including working with families from a peer-based approach
- Racial equity approach to working with families
- Knowledge of services in community
- Networking skills to work with partners
- Problem-solving and critical thinking skills
- Adaptive capacity to change direction/implement new strategies as families and programs change
- Well-organized
- Strong communication skills
Mid-level Coordinator/Manager
Role
- Develop coordination infrastructure for partnerships knitting whole family services at the front line and at the coordination level, including setting and managing regular meetings of partners
- Develop metrics to evaluate programming and establish regular review of metrics both internally and with partners
- Oversee data collection and ensure data integrity
- Develop and implement mechanisms to engage parents in program design and oversight
- Ensure front-line staff have support and information needed to do their jobs well
- Hold regular case conferencing sessions with staff to promote learning
- Ensure front-line staff have regular training in strength-based approaches to working with participants
- Elevate policy issues to senior leadership; engage in policy advocacy as needed
- Develop and implement strategies for parent engagement in program design and oversight.
Competencies
- Supervision skills and ability to coach employees
- Project management skills
- Networking skills to create partnerships
- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Evaluation and analytic skills to use data for program improvement
- Knowledge of effective parent engagement strategies
Senior Leadership
Role
- Set vision for organization that includes two-generation framework
- Work with Board on strategic planning that includes whole family considerations
- Identify organizational strengths related to whole family; identify gaps in services/approaches
- Identify and build partnerships with organizations with expertise in other areas of whole family programming; develop MOUs
- Identify funding for whole family approaches, including aligning and braiding public funds and utilizing private funds to fill gaps in programming/services.
- Engage in policy/advocacy as needed to improve funding and policies that support parents
Competencies
- In-depth knowledge of whole family principles and approaches
- Ability to set cross-department goals that encourage whole family approaches within the organization and across partners
- Ability to communicate whole family approaches and value add to Boards and external stakeholders
- Strong financial vision and management skills including knowledge of braiding multiple funding streams to support families.
State Coordinator
Role
- Develop and maintain framework for whole family approaches within state
- Educate stakeholders on whole family approaches
- Identify policy strengths and challenges related to whole family approaches
- Work across state agencies to establish a whole family policy agenda reflective of partner agencies
- Facilitate meetings
- Maintain communication across partners and more broadly with stakeholders
- Connect state agency staff and/or legislators as needed to address policy priorities
- Develop set of working principles for agencies to incorporate whole family work into systems
- Identify and secure needed data
Competencies
- Experience in two-generation or whole family strategies, preferably in policy or at the practice level
- Highly skilled at strategic partnerships and able to work across a range of stakeholders, including executive, legislative, program, and parents
- Ability to manage multiple streams of work simultaneously
- Nuanced understanding of the levers that move policy and legislation towards implementation
- Strong communication skills
Senior Agency Leader
Role
- Set vision for whole family work in the state
- Develop and agree on high-level strategy; work with partners state agencies to identify roles
- Set priority of engaging parents in design and oversight of programs and policies.
- Broadcast two-generation priority through communication channels
- Work with management team to identify strategies to embed two-generation approaches within systems
- Identify and assign staff to work groups
- Elevate federal policy issues through appropriate channels
Competencies
- Strong vision for agency communicated to all staff that incorporates whole family approaches and places family at the center of program and policy
- Ability to work cross-agency to achieve policy changes to support families and influence peers to partner and align policy
- Adaptive capacity to identify opportunities for change and encourage staff and partners to work towards that change.