Family Support Officer (Family Partner)

Our School & The Family Partnership Team The Family Partner is the school’s bridge builder and navigator for parents — strengthening home–school partnership through proactive, and timely communication. FPs anticipate family needs, interpret the learning journey, connect parents with the right school teams, and streamline communication channels across the whole campus. They are navigators (not operators) who guide families through the school ecosystem. Key Goals： · Stronger home–school partnership: Parents feel informed, connected, and guided through each stage of their child’s journey · Relationship-First: Build trust and rapport. Know the family, their child, and their context · Clear, efficient communication: Promote & streamline the communication with a goal of reducing misrouting and repeat enquiries · Enhance understanding of our School’s culture & programme Key Responsibilities Parent Communication & Relationship Management · Provide warm, professional, and solution‑oriented communication to parents, aligned with the school’s ethos. · Serve as a consistent relationship point for families, especially during key transitions · Support follow‑up communication with parents (e.g. new parents, seat reservation reminders, milestone check‑ins), in coordination with the School Office. · Ensure parent concerns are clearly understood, contextualised, and appropriately escalated when needed. New Parent Onboarding & Ongoing Engagement · Lead onboarding touchpoints: pre‑start welcome, Day 2 check‑in, Day 6 follow‑up, Week 2 call, End of Month review. · Schedule a Family Connection Meeting to map goals and communication preferences. · Compile family profiles for smooth FR handover (admission → ongoing FP). · Keep waiting list families genuinely engaged (e.g., event invitations, updates). Home–School Communication (with School Office collaboration) · Promote the school’s digital platforms as the primary parent engagement channel, in alignment with the Communication Protocol. · Distill “need‑to‑know” actions for parents on a weekly or milestone basis (e.g., PTCs, reports, transitions). · Facilitate department connections by guiding parents to use general department emails for case handling and record keeping. · Promote school events using creative and innovative methods — such as short video reels, AI‑generated posters, or other engaging formats. Parent Education (Workshops, Navigation, Digital Tools) · Coach parents on using school communication APPs (e.g., School App, ManageBac). · Empower parents to support their child at home: interpret report cards, master learning apps, understand learning journeys. · Collaborate with academic team to run workshops, coffee mornings, or innovative sessions to guide parents through each stage of their child’s education. · Serve as academic & student lifecycle touchpoints: o Support families’ understanding of: § Parent–Teacher Conferences (PTCs) § Subject change & its implications § Withdrawal and graduation processes · Analyse and measure the success of each parent workshop (e.g., attendance, feedback forms, post‑workshop parent understanding) and suggest improvements for future sessions. Seat Reservation & Transition Support · Support seat reservation follow‑up by: o Understanding reasons for hesitation or delay o Providing clarification and reassurance · Support internal transitions (e.g. Year 6 progression) by explaining timelines, expectations, and next steps to families. · Proactively manage seat reservation, fee adjustment, and YALC summer. camp communication for families moving from Year 6 to Year 7. · Work with School Office (SO) and Academic teams to ensure smooth transition logistics. Individual Family Support: Fee Assistance & Scholarship/ PRS/ CORS · Proactively identify and encourage eligible families to apply. · Provide empathetic, structured guidance throughout the application process. · Collaborate closely with the School Office, providing family context and seamless handover for all administrative and meeting coordination. Complex Query & Complaint Management · Handle escalated or complex parent concerns with care and discretion. · Track all feedback using a standardised logging system. · Ensure thorough case follow‑through until resolution. · After resolution, proactively follow up with parents to confirm their concerns have been properly addressed, offering empathetic support to help comfort and guide them through any residual concerns. Exit Management · Handle reference/ recommendation letter requests from families in a timely and professional manner and liaison with Academic Team as needed. · Guide families through the withdrawal process, explaining timelines, documentation requirements, and financial implications (e.g., notice period, fee adjustments). · Conduct exit conversations with withdrawing families to understand their reasons for leaving, capture feedback, and identify areas for school improvement. Requirements: Essential Qualifications & Experience · Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Counselling, Psychology, Social Work, Education, Communication, or a related field. · Formal training or recognised coursework in counselling, family support, or student wellbeing is highly preferred. · Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in a school, educational institution, NGO, or service‑oriented organisation (experience in parent‑facing or student services roles preferred). · Demonstrated experience facilitating parent workshops, group sessions, or psychoeducational talks (e.g. parenting skills, child development, school transition, wellbeing). · Warm, empathetic, and committed to supporting families and students, with the ability to listen, de-escalate, and guide parents through sensitive situations.. · Proactive, solution‑oriented, and comfortable handling emotionally complex conversations. · Strong organisational skills. · Ability to work collaboratively with the School Office, Academic Teams, SLT, and other internal departments. Knowledge, Skills & Attributes, Systems & Analysis · Sound understanding of child development, family dynamics, and parent engagement approaches. · Ability to apply counselling-informed communication skills (e.g. active listening, reframing, boundary-setting) in a school context. · Experience designing or co-developing parent education content is an advantage. · Ability to analyse and evaluate parent workshops (attendance, feedback, learning impact) and refine future sessions. · Ability to use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Canva AI) and basic video editing is an advantage. · Experience creating simple internal promotional content (e.g., event posts, short videos) is an advantage. Communication · Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with fluency in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. · Comfortable speaking to large and small parent groups, both formally (workshops) and informally. Desirable · Background in school counselling, educational psychology, social work, family services, or community education. · Experience in event coordination (planning, logistics, and on‑day management) is highly desirable. · Experience as an emcee / host is a strong advantage – especially for parent workshops, tea gatherings, and school events. · Experience working with multicultural families in an international school setting. Interested parties please apply by filling the Job Application Form (https://work.yideamobile.com/link/97866025-756a-4178-95aa-247924add5d9) . (Personal data provided by applicants will be treated in strict confidence and used for recruitment purposes only. Applicants who does not receive a response within 2 months may consider their application unsuccessful. All applicants may be considered for other suitable positions with the Foundation and will be deleted from our records after 6 months from the date of application.) We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all the students in our care and expect all applicants to share this commitment. We align our recruitment practices to the recommendations of the International Task Force on Child Protection. Before any appointment is confirmed, we implement effective recruitment practices which include: interview, identity check, criminal record check and character/professional references. All teachers and other adults working at YCYW schools are expected to read and comply with our Child Protection Policy and Procedures and our Adult Code of Conduct for Working with Students.