OCOK Kinship Family Specialist (Johnson, Parker and Tarrant County Area)

Position Function:

Responsible for initial, and on-going, searches for absent parents, maternal and paternal relatives or kinship resources as required.

Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree, in a human services field, is required.
• Experience: Two years experience working within human services required.

Functional Experience: Knowledge of good child placement practices. Skills in preparing children for permanency. Skills in developing and maintaining professional working relationships. Ability to support families dealing with separation and attachment issues. Ability to access child’s needs and process in the placement progress. Ability to maintain timely documentation and effectively manage caseload. Knowledge of agency policies, procedures and regulations. Knowledge of laws and regulations to child care, abuse, and neglect. Ability to assess current life situations of children to determine the presence of child abuse and neglect. Ability to articulate an understanding of the intersection between race and poverty and the different outcomes and conditions that exist among specific groups as compared to other groups due to unequal treatment of services. Ability to negotiate available services. Ability to gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze facts. Ability to prepare clear and concise reports. Ability to travel locally and within the region.

Working Conditions:

Position includes exposure to parents, guardians, and conservators as well as to youth with behavioral problems, including possible physical aggression. A personal vehicle is required for travel. Must possess a valid driver's license. The position is sensitive to the service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics.

Exposure to Confidential Information:

The Kinship Family Specialist will have access to confidential records including youth files, foster care and adoption records, and foster parent information. Must maintain confidentiality and follow policies related to personnel records and client records.

Key Expectations/Responsibilities:

• Maintain high ethical standards which are outlined in the ACH Child and Family Services Code of Ethics.
• A commitment to empowering others to solve their problems.
• Value a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person.
• A conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change.
• The ability to establish a respectful relationship with persons served to help them gain skills and confidence.
• The ability to work collaboratively with other personnel and/or service providers and professionals.
• The capacity to maintain a helping role and to intervene appropriately to meet service goals.
• The ability to set appropriate limits.
• Performs other duties as assigned and required to maintain unit operations.
• Attends work regularly in accordance with agency leave policy.

Implementation:

• Conducts initial and on-going searches for absent parents, maternal and paternal relatives or kinship resources as required.
• Attends initial coordination meeting for new referrals.
• Facilitates kinship meetings and identifies potential kinship and/or relative placement options, in accordance with best practices and COA standards.
• Completes health and safety inspections, when qualified, to assess the appropriateness of the placement for Relative and/or Kinship options.
• Provides support to the family to assist in meeting the needs of the child.
• Plans for and facilitates permanency and assists relative and kinship caregivers in providing a safe and nurturing environment for children in their care.
• Maintains a close working relationship with public and private agencies involved in providing services/support.
• Provides information to the case management team and internal departments on all matters related to the child, as required.
• Attends case planning conferences at required intervals.
• Conducts home visits at specified intervals, or as required.
• Provides crisis intervention, when required.
• Coordinates community resources for the benefit of children served.
• Coordinates with intake and other appropriate staff on the placement of children.
• Completes documentation and forwards reports containing descriptive, analytical and evaluative content.
• Coordinates with the Agency’s resource family services and licensing staff to ensure regulatory compliance by kinship care providers. Reviews licensing standards with kinship care providers.
• Conducts health and safety checklist of potential relative care providers to assess the safety of the environment.
• Coordinates with the case management team and staff from external public and private agencies on the delivery of services to children and families.
• Refrains from assuming any duty that is unrelated to and/or interferes with the responsibilities of the position.

Training and Supervision:

• Attend continuing education necessary to expand knowledge and maintain certifications or licenses.
• Communicate regularly with supervisor and seek supervision when appropriate.
• Participate in in-service training.

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Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree, in a human services field, is required.
• Experience: Two years experience working within human services required.

Functional Experience: Knowledge of good child placement practices. Skills in preparing children for permanency. Skills in developing and maintaining professional working relationships. Ability to support families dealing with separation and attachment issues. Ability to access child’s needs and process in the placement progress. Ability to maintain timely documentation and effectively manage caseload. Knowledge of agency policies, procedures and regulations. Knowledge of laws and regulations to child care, abuse, and neglect. Ability to assess current life situations of children to determine the presence of child abuse and neglect. Ability to articulate an understanding of the intersection between race and poverty and the different outcomes and conditions that exist among specific groups as compared to other groups due to unequal treatment of services. Ability to negotiate available services. Ability to gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze facts. Ability to prepare clear and concise reports. Ability to travel locally and within the region.