Safety Educator

Unintentional injuries are the No. 1 cause of morbidity and death for children across all age groups in the U.S., and have a disproportionate impact in marginalized and minority populations. Most injuries are largely preventable but require widespread community awareness, parental education and action, and training for children. Effective efforts to promote safety also include ensuring adequate access to safety-related supplies and equipment. The Children’s Safety Center (CSC), based in North Omaha’s Highlander, will address these needs.
The Safety Educator will promote a culture of safety in the community, through outreach efforts to schools, churches, and other community based organizations, and by counseling parents and children about opportunities to reduce injury risk in the home and in the neighborhood. The Safety Educator will provide hands-on demonstrations of approaches to injury prevention, secure and distribute safety supplies, develop and disseminate multilingual promotional and educational materials, and align efforts with others to support a safer community for all.

• At all times employees are expected to uphold Creighton’s core values and demonstrate commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment, while adhering to all University Ethical Standards of Conduct, rules, regulations, and job requirements, including required educational trainings.
• Provide injury-prevention education and services directly to children and their families, at the CSC and throughout the community.
  • Coordinate workshops, trainings, events, and educational booths that raise awareness about preventive measures for child injuries
  • Conduct individual and group educational demonstrations to community members including but not limited to: proper use and installation of safety supplies, counseling on age-appropriate injury risks and mitigation efforts in the home, with various kinds of transportation, in school, and in the community.
  • Distribute injury prevention safety materials such as car seats, baby gates, pack-and-plays, smoke detectors, bicycle helmets, gun safety locks, etc.
  • Maintain a variety of up-to-date safety reading materials, ensuring resources are literacy and language-appropriate 
  • Contribute to presentations and media campaigns aimed at raising community awareness and appreciation for services provided by CSC
• Develop and maintain partnerships with other organizations and providers who address injury risk and prevention efforts.
  • Partner with organizations offering injury prevention and safety education and materials and conduct partner referrals for CSC visitors as appropriate
  • Maintain list of injury prevention resources, community partners, and educational events 
  • Facilitate referrals to/from CSC to/from key community partners, including tracking of referral completion rates
• Support the daily operations of the Children’s Safety Center at Highlander.
  • Maintain a clean and welcoming physical space
  • Greet and welcome visitors who come into the Highlander space
  • Ensure all materials are properly stored and secure
  • Work with Creighton student volunteers at the CSC, including training and role modeling the characteristics of culturally sensitive counseling with families and children
  • Contribute to development and maintenance of the CSC data intake structure, to support CSC quality assurance and improvement efforts
• Additional activities in support of the IPH as requested, within the community and at the university

Qualifications:

This position requires a Bachelor’s level degree relevant to health promotion, education, or social work (or equivalent work experience in a health educator capacity). They should have 1-3 years experience providing educational services to children and their families, be very familiar with the North Omaha geographic service area, with proven positive relationships with community agencies and populations. Additional qualifications that are strongly preferred:

• Experience building trusted relationships in diverse communities, and with community-based organizations
• Adaptable to the needs and expectations of a wide range of stakeholders from the university and the community
• Has a deep understanding of community needs and existing health disparities locally and nationally in order to partner in developing sustainable solutions

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

This position requires skills in managing people and programs. The following skills would also be preferred:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, a passionate and experienced communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills
• Action-oriented, adaptable, community-centered and innovative approach to community engagement
• Mission-driven and self-directed; can exercise independent judgement and decision-making authority and maintain confidentiality and manage sensitive information in an appropriate manner 
• Ability to build relationships and develop high-performing teams and set and achieve strategic objectives 
• Ability to cultivate existing relationships and establish new relationships
• Strong organizational skills 
• Foster an inclusive working environment that upholds Creighton’s core values and demonstrates commitment to valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Ability to work independently and cooperatively, with an elevated level of initiative, and as part of a team
• Ability to effectively supervise, coach, and mentor staff
• Committed to ongoing learning and self-development
• Experience with MS Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other software as required

Licenses/Certifications

• First Aid/CPR and Child Passenger Safety Technician certifications preferred. If not currently certified, will be required to complete certification during training period and maintain credentials while in this position.