Youth & Family Support Services Worker

Job Summary

This position is responsible for recruitment of potential foster homes in Racine County, licensing of those homes, re-licensure of existing foster homes, investigation of foster home complaints and concerns and matching/placement of children into appropriate foster homes, and certifying kinship care providers.

Key Responsibilities

• Recruitment of potential foster parents at assigned community functions.
• Licensure of foster homes and certification of kinship providers for children according to State and Federal standards and HSD policies.
• Processing of referrals from staff and matching of children to available homes
• Problem-solving with foster parents and investigation of licensing violations
• Consultation with referring staff
• Mediation of problem areas between agency staff and foster parents
• Advocacy and ongoing support services for foster parents and relative providers to ensure placement stability.
• Re-evaluation of foster homes prior to license expiration or when there are substantive changes in foster home household; amend or re-license to assure compliance
• Representation of the agency as necessary in court and fair hearings
• Maintenance of foster home records and unit statistics
• Interface with the Racine County Marketing Team to create print and electronic marketing pieces.
• Identify, implement and evaluate new sources for Foster Care exposure.
• Maintain up-to-date information on Foster Care website, Facebook page and other social media outlets.
• Provide support for strategic plan and process.
• For the purpose of recruiting foster families, establish and maintain community contacts such as: schools, community organizations; faith based organizations; service groups; business leaders.
• Participate in staff meetings, trainings, workshops and outreach events.
• Perform any other functions as needed by management and agency to meet marketing goals.
• Conceptualize, develop and design materials to effectively achieve desired outcomes.
• Evaluate and measure performance of marketing efforts using metrics and analytics
• Complete tasks and projects within prescribed timeline.
• Flexibility to work evenings & occasional weekends as needed, including responding to after-hours calls on a rotating basis.
• Establish a system of assessing the satisfaction of foster families that can be used to identify training, support and treatment needs. Every quarter for licensed foster homes, but monthly for newly licensed foster homes, assess a select number of foster family’s needs and strengths to assure training, support and treatment needs are being met for both foster children and foster parents.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a Human Services field (child development, criminal justice, educational psychology, vocational rehabilitation, guidance and counseling, psychology, social welfare, social work, or sociology).
• Recruitment Staff qualifications may include Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Business, Management, Education or a related field.
• Two (2) years’ work experience in making independent decisions and meeting deadlines.
• Maintain a valid Wisconsin driver’s license and automobile insurance.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within the agency, contracted partner agencies, other social service agencies, courts, schools, professionals and the community.
• Ability to work with and understand the needs of a widely diverse client population including but not limited to people experiencing problems with: abuse/neglect, AODA, mental illness, varied disabilities, parenting skills, self-esteem, problem solving skills, living arrangements, interpersonal relationships, economics and money management, self-care skills/limitations, mobility, education/training/employment.
• Ability to utilize motivational interviewing techniques.
• Ability to utilize effective time management and workload management techniques.
• Good understanding of child development.
• Ability to work at a high level of efficiency with minimal direction.
• Punctual and possesses a great work ethic.