Foster Home Support Specialist

Description

Mission Statement

The Children’s Network of Hillsborough is committed to working with the community to protect children and preserve families.

General Purpose of Job

Professional work providing support, advocacy, training resources, and system navigation for foster parents/caregivers.  Scope of work includes increasing overall retention and quality of foster families, enhancing the skills and competencies of caregivers, and strengthening system partnerships throughout Hillsborough County.  Foster and relative providers will be referred to as “caregivers” throughout this job description. The Foster Home Support Specialist will increase the overall retention of caregivers, improve placement stability for children in out of home care, and educate caregivers on how to successfully navigate through the C13 child welfare system of care and dependency system.  The Foster Home Support Specialist provides an opportunity to contribute to the quality of care provided to children in the dependency system by supporting caregivers and participating in the organization’s continuous quality improvement efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the Children’s Network of Hillsborough licensing team and contracted providers to support families in need of additional resources to support placement stability, family/caregiver resiliency, siblings being placed together, and trauma sensitive care resources in serving children.
• Increase overall retention and caregiver satisfaction by providing interventions and linkages as needed to support families as needed, reducing frustration related to system navigation and meeting the needs of the children in the home.  
• As requested, attend local and statewide licensing meetings and training, representing C13 caregivers and providing feedback and information to the system leaders as constituents as needed.
• Complete and submit required reports timely to Supervisor/Director.
• Knowledge of human relations, family dynamics and interviewing skills and the ability to communicate with people from all walks of life.
• Knowledge of strengths and needs of families and children.
• Understanding of the foster care system.
• Passion to engage people in foster care awareness.
• Demonstrate excellent organizational, time management, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including nighttime and weekends as needed and required.
• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural and socioeconomic differences.
• Ability to deal tactfully and respectfully with the public and co-workers.
• Ability to decipher detailed requirements for becoming a foster parent and communicate them to potential parents.
• Ability to use sound judgment in making decisions.
• Demonstrate comfort with public speaking, including to religious organizations of all kinds.
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• Performs other duties as assigned as special projects may be requested.

Working Hours

CNHC’s work week is Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week.  Your supervisor will advise you of your work hours; however, business office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. This is an in-office based position. 

Travel

Travel within Circuit 13 (Hillsborough County) is required.

Training

All employees must complete fifteen (15) hours of on-line or classroom Training on an annual basis.  If the employee is a Certified Child Welfare Professional, Training hours must total twenty (20) annually.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This job does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications

Supervisory Responsibilities

This job does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Education and Experience

Minimum High school Diploma. Previous knowledge and understanding of Hillsborough County’s system of care, the importance of co-parenting and children’s needs, is preferred.

Skills and Abilities

Must be able to operate standard modern office machinery, including fax, telephone, calculator, computer, scanner, printer, copier, and mail machine.  Excellent word processing skills.  Must be competent with Microsoft Office Suite programs, including Word, Excel, Power Point, and Outlook.  Must be competent with basic e-mail protocol and procedures including sending, receiving, replying, attachments, and meeting scheduling; excellent written and oral communication skills; effective listening skills; ability to work as a team member, and the ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.  Must possess excellent organizational skills and abide by the highest standards of confidentiality.

pre-employment requirements

Certificates, License, Registrations, backgrounds, drug screens, Etc.

• Must possess and maintain a valid Florida driver’s license with no record of criminal driving offense of license suspension. 
• Must possess means of providing job related transportation and show proof of required insurance. 
• Must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, as requested. 
• Must successfully complete and maintain FDLE clearance, Federal background and state criminal background check and sexual predator screening.

Other Requirements

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, legal documents, and/or governmental regulations.  Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.  Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, public groups, and/or boards of directors.  Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.  Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.  Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.  Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.  Ability to be proactive, as well as handle problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This job requires the ability to sit for extended periods; walk; stand; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel or crouch; talk and hear.  This job requires visual acuity sufficient to read and to operate standard modern office machines.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is administrative work in an indoor office environment with a moderate noise level (business machines, printers, computers, telephones).

ADA:    Children’s Network of Hillsborough, LLC will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

EEO:     Children’s Network of Hillsborough, LLC does not discriminate based on race, national origin, gender, religion, veteran status, or disability in employment, in provision of services, or in access to programs.

Children’s Network of Hillsborough, LLC is a Drug-Free Workplace.

Salary : $19