Children's Shelter
PERMANENCY SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Children's Shelter, San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78208
Job Type
Full-time
Description
PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE
The
Permanency Support Specialist
is responsible for supporting The Children's Shelter's mission by providing therapeutic trauma-focused case management services to children and families receiving foster care and adoption services. The individual in this position will also strategize to promote Foster Care and Adoption Programs in the community.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Performs and accepts responsibility for all aspects of case management of children placed in the home that are assigned.Performs and accepts responsibility for all aspects of case management of foster homes that are assigned; ensures all expirable items are tracked and completed on time.Promotes the retention of current foster, respite, foster/adopt and adopt families by providing supportive services to these families.Conducts preliminary service plans for foster care and adoptive placements, completing all appropriate foster care and adoption assessment forms.Prepares children and children's prospective foster parents for placement.Coordinates foster care and foster/adoptive placements with all parties involved: e.g., birth parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, other caseworkers, etc.Develops children's permanency planning goals, treatment goals and treatment plans for with other parties involved.Conducts supportive casework (crisis intervention, referrals, etc.) for children and families as needed.Provides Training Support to families.Conducts monthly and quarterly evaluations and corrective actions with foster homes to monitor for risk, safety, and compliance as needed.Assesses families and creates family development plans as needed.Ensures compliance with TDFPS Licensing, Youth for Tomorrow, and Council on Accreditation standards.Supervises children in foster care and foster/adoptive placements on an individual basis by conducting home visits and maintaining contact with the therapeutic foster or foster/adoptive parents regarding the child. Works with foster and foster/adoptive parents to ensure that children's needs are met.Maintains accurate case records, foster/adoptive parent training records and documenting the progression that foster families make toward risk reduction and obtaining required documentation, agency/state forms. All items and case records will be managed through Extended Reach (ER)Participates in interdisciplinary team meetings such as staffing's, treatment reviews, court hearings, school meetings and ARD staffing's as needed.Fulfills the annual minimum requirements for staff training with at least 20 hours a year.Participates in on-call rotation.Attends agency staff meetings and participates in program development.Completes Home Study addendums as needed.Documents work in the agency's case management system, Extended Reach, and other computer programs.Promotes positive working relationships with staff from DFPS or other agencies and community organizations.Engages in and follows strategic planning initiatives of the agency, which includes working to integrate and collaborate with other agency programs.Demonstrates strong commitment to meeting the needs of our customers (children, community members, co-workers, donors, managers, and volunteers), in a friendly, outgoing, and professional manner.Responds to customers in a timely and thorough manner; does what is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction; follows up to evaluate customer's satisfaction.Demonstrates responsibility for safety of self, co-workers, and others that might enter the work area.GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
Effectively applies the knowledge, skills, values, and ethics of social work practice with children in foster care and foster/adoptive placements, and their families.Demonstrates understanding of compliance components and minimum standards.Represents the agency in an informative, professional, and positive manner.Demonstrates ability to participate in developing community awareness of Foster Care through public speaking engagements or other marketing tools.Provides culturally appropriate services to children and their families.Works to provide a program that meets the emotional, intellectual, and social needs of both the individual and the group in accordance with the policies and philosophies of the agency.Demonstrates consistent and reliable punctuality and attendance. Attends work in accordance with agency leave policy.Contributes to building a child welfare system that is safe, secure, and stable; family centered; connected to the community; and which relies on evidence-based practice necessary to support contract services in Bexar County.Adheres to all policies and procedures of the agency and its accrediting and standard setting bodies, such as Council on Accreditation (COA) and state licensing.Maintains client confidentiality per The Children's Shelter standards and all applicable codes of ethics.Learns, understands, supports, and demonstrates The Children's Shelter mission, vision, and values.Demonstrates the Trauma Informed Care principles and practices with peers, clients, and external stakeholders.Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers and clients.Attends mandatory trainings as defined in positions training matrix by the assigned deadline.Uses outside professional collaboration and intra-agency teamwork appropriate to the agency.Avoid all conflicts of interest, real or perceived.Performs other duties as assigned to ensure continuity of operations.
Requirements
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
•Bachelor's degree in social work or other human service-related field.
•Minimum of 1 year of prior child-placing experience preferred.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
•Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
•Skilled in organizing work in a responsible way in an environment with multiple challenges and priorities.
•Knowledgeable of cultural diversity and able to provide culturally competent service to children and adults.
•Knowledgeable of principles of human development, including the importance of maintaining family relationships and issues of separation and loss.
•Ability to seek supervision and use it constructively.
•Ability to identify and respond to the training, education, and ongoing support needs of foster and adoptive parents.
•Ability to collaborate with foster and adoptive parents as members of the professional team to protect and nurture children while strengthening families.
•Bilingual (English/Spanish) strongly preferred.
•Must maintain a valid, current driver's license and auto insurance. Must have access to reliable and safe transportation. Willingness and ability to use personal vehicle for work activities.
DESCRIPTION OF WORK ENVIRONMENT
Position is assigned to the Permanency Support Program. Many work assignments are completed outside of the office setting, including visits to foster/adoptive homes. Scheduled for a minimum of 40 hours per week but may necessitate additional time in order to complete assigned work. Some weekend and evening work is required. Regular work hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, but can be adjusted due to scheduling of visits, as approved by a supervisor.
Full-time
Description
PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE
The
Permanency Support Specialist
is responsible for supporting The Children's Shelter's mission by providing therapeutic trauma-focused case management services to children and families receiving foster care and adoption services. The individual in this position will also strategize to promote Foster Care and Adoption Programs in the community.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Performs and accepts responsibility for all aspects of case management of children placed in the home that are assigned.Performs and accepts responsibility for all aspects of case management of foster homes that are assigned; ensures all expirable items are tracked and completed on time.Promotes the retention of current foster, respite, foster/adopt and adopt families by providing supportive services to these families.Conducts preliminary service plans for foster care and adoptive placements, completing all appropriate foster care and adoption assessment forms.Prepares children and children's prospective foster parents for placement.Coordinates foster care and foster/adoptive placements with all parties involved: e.g., birth parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, other caseworkers, etc.Develops children's permanency planning goals, treatment goals and treatment plans for with other parties involved.Conducts supportive casework (crisis intervention, referrals, etc.) for children and families as needed.Provides Training Support to families.Conducts monthly and quarterly evaluations and corrective actions with foster homes to monitor for risk, safety, and compliance as needed.Assesses families and creates family development plans as needed.Ensures compliance with TDFPS Licensing, Youth for Tomorrow, and Council on Accreditation standards.Supervises children in foster care and foster/adoptive placements on an individual basis by conducting home visits and maintaining contact with the therapeutic foster or foster/adoptive parents regarding the child. Works with foster and foster/adoptive parents to ensure that children's needs are met.Maintains accurate case records, foster/adoptive parent training records and documenting the progression that foster families make toward risk reduction and obtaining required documentation, agency/state forms. All items and case records will be managed through Extended Reach (ER)Participates in interdisciplinary team meetings such as staffing's, treatment reviews, court hearings, school meetings and ARD staffing's as needed.Fulfills the annual minimum requirements for staff training with at least 20 hours a year.Participates in on-call rotation.Attends agency staff meetings and participates in program development.Completes Home Study addendums as needed.Documents work in the agency's case management system, Extended Reach, and other computer programs.Promotes positive working relationships with staff from DFPS or other agencies and community organizations.Engages in and follows strategic planning initiatives of the agency, which includes working to integrate and collaborate with other agency programs.Demonstrates strong commitment to meeting the needs of our customers (children, community members, co-workers, donors, managers, and volunteers), in a friendly, outgoing, and professional manner.Responds to customers in a timely and thorough manner; does what is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction; follows up to evaluate customer's satisfaction.Demonstrates responsibility for safety of self, co-workers, and others that might enter the work area.GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
Effectively applies the knowledge, skills, values, and ethics of social work practice with children in foster care and foster/adoptive placements, and their families.Demonstrates understanding of compliance components and minimum standards.Represents the agency in an informative, professional, and positive manner.Demonstrates ability to participate in developing community awareness of Foster Care through public speaking engagements or other marketing tools.Provides culturally appropriate services to children and their families.Works to provide a program that meets the emotional, intellectual, and social needs of both the individual and the group in accordance with the policies and philosophies of the agency.Demonstrates consistent and reliable punctuality and attendance. Attends work in accordance with agency leave policy.Contributes to building a child welfare system that is safe, secure, and stable; family centered; connected to the community; and which relies on evidence-based practice necessary to support contract services in Bexar County.Adheres to all policies and procedures of the agency and its accrediting and standard setting bodies, such as Council on Accreditation (COA) and state licensing.Maintains client confidentiality per The Children's Shelter standards and all applicable codes of ethics.Learns, understands, supports, and demonstrates The Children's Shelter mission, vision, and values.Demonstrates the Trauma Informed Care principles and practices with peers, clients, and external stakeholders.Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers and clients.Attends mandatory trainings as defined in positions training matrix by the assigned deadline.Uses outside professional collaboration and intra-agency teamwork appropriate to the agency.Avoid all conflicts of interest, real or perceived.Performs other duties as assigned to ensure continuity of operations.
Requirements
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
•Bachelor's degree in social work or other human service-related field.
•Minimum of 1 year of prior child-placing experience preferred.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
•Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
•Skilled in organizing work in a responsible way in an environment with multiple challenges and priorities.
•Knowledgeable of cultural diversity and able to provide culturally competent service to children and adults.
•Knowledgeable of principles of human development, including the importance of maintaining family relationships and issues of separation and loss.
•Ability to seek supervision and use it constructively.
•Ability to identify and respond to the training, education, and ongoing support needs of foster and adoptive parents.
•Ability to collaborate with foster and adoptive parents as members of the professional team to protect and nurture children while strengthening families.
•Bilingual (English/Spanish) strongly preferred.
•Must maintain a valid, current driver's license and auto insurance. Must have access to reliable and safe transportation. Willingness and ability to use personal vehicle for work activities.
DESCRIPTION OF WORK ENVIRONMENT
Position is assigned to the Permanency Support Program. Many work assignments are completed outside of the office setting, including visits to foster/adoptive homes. Scheduled for a minimum of 40 hours per week but may necessitate additional time in order to complete assigned work. Some weekend and evening work is required. Regular work hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, but can be adjusted due to scheduling of visits, as approved by a supervisor.