LIFE + Caregiver

This volunteer is a Service Worker. You will aid individuals and families needing assistance from COFU. You will interview clients and help with resources for problems, such as personal and family adjustments, finances, employment, education, food, clothing, housing, utilities. Handle physical and mental disabilities on a case by case basis to determine degree of assistance. Secures information such as social factors contributing to client’s situation, advises client individually, or in family setting, regarding plans for meeting needs and aids client in finding and utilizing available resources to improve their economic situation. Reports directly to the Program Director.

Duties: Refer clients to other available, appropriate community resources. Compile records. Prepare reports. Review clients work plans. Perform follow up to determine if client is accomplishing agreed upon tasks. Review status of client’s case. Enter all information regarding goals, objectives and other pertinent information into database. Determine client’s eligibility for food/clothing assistance.

Objective: Help those with the goal of self-reliance to find and take advantage of resources available to them such as job enhancement, education advancement, language skills, budgeting, parental skills, anger management, counseling, financial assistance, other food/clothing. This will be the first contact for those wishing to formally connect with the LIFE PLUS Adult Mentoring program. The goal is to aid those who want to be Learning Partners through a self-reliance process with the end goal being no reliance on social service agencies. Those who do not wish to be Learning Partners can still take advantage of self-reliance assistance through the Caregiver Referral desk.

Procedure: Be sure client has already checked in with the intake desk.

• Bring up client’s record in the CiviCore database.
• Determine if this is first or repeat visit.
• Make sure guidelines and requirements are understood by client.
• Find out most pressing current need beyond food/clothing.
• Connect client with other resources in the community.
• Enter all information into proper fields in the database for maintaining a proper file on client.
• Introduce client to the computer lab and other job and education enhancement resources available to them.
• Explain that they will be eligible for more frequent food/clothing assistance, for a limited period, if they become a Learning Partner or will connect with the Caregiver Referral system to help with the goal of self-reliance.
• Set forth clear tasks the client must accomplish before being eligible for further food/clothing assistance.
• If unable to work or change situation due to disability or age, determine how often aid is needed. Set up client for further assistance and refer to other agencies for assistance.
• Follow up by phone or face to face meeting every 2 weeks to encourage their work toward self-reliance.