Wendy's Wonderful Kids Family Connection Specialist

Hope for Youth is looking for a Full-Time Family Connection Specialist. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, through its signature Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, has developed and tested a Child-Focused Recruitment Model to find adoptive families for children and youth most likely to age out of the foster care system. The goal of the program is to find an appropriate, permanent and loving adoptive family for each child waiting in the foster care system.

To be a successful Family Connection Specialist you must be ready, willing and able to do the following always:

· Demonstrate working knowledge of the local child welfare system including adoptions

· Spend their time at both the County DSS building and at the HFY main office in Amityville, as well as in the community meeting with children in foster care

· Manage an active caseload of 12-15 children conducting in-person visits and transports and a total case load of 20-25 total children with (at minimum) monthly contact with each child's caseworker and post-adoption support, when needed

· Develop a comprehensive recruitment plan or enhance the existing recruitment plan for each child

· Diligently search for potential adoptive families among targeted populations and recruitment areas

· Vigorously work with and follow-up with identified contacts; assure necessary authorizations are secured throughout from DTFA, custodians, etc.

· Work directly with county custodial agency to identify, recruit and become part of each child's advocacy team, attend in quarterly calls, site visits, meetings and hearings, as needed

· Establish personal relationships with referred children and assist in readiness activities

· Maintain collaborative relationships with social workers, case managers, therapists, HFY staff and other members of case management teams, etc.; remove barriers, as needed

· Abide by the Hope For Youth's policies and procedures regarding time and place of work, supervision, reporting, confidentiality and all other aspects of employment

· Attend educational opportunities provided by HFY and DTFA, including, but not limited to: classroom training, online modules, database training, webinars, and must be available to attend the WWK Summit held in Ohio

· Timely and accurately enter data and produce reports, as needed

· Perform other resulting and necessary work to meet the needs and requirements of the clients, the program, Hope For Youth, oversight agency and any other regulatory obligations

To qualify for this job you need to be or have at minimum:

· Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or a related human service field with 2-4 years of child welfare experience, preferably in foster care adoption

· Valid NYS Driver's License in good standing with access to a reliable vehicle that can be used on a regular basis for visits

· Demonstrated ability to establish and build collaborative partnerships with child's team and community partners and

· Competence in planning, organizing, scheduling, case documentation, plus strong oral and written communication abilities with capabilities of learning databases and technology

· Must possess strong human relations skills to communicate and work effectively within a culturally diverse work environment and community

· Physical Requirements: read/write reports and log entries, walking/standing/sitting for prolonged periods, bending/stooping, kneeling/squatting, climbing stairs, reaching overhead, repetitive wrist/finger movements, ongoing access to reliable vehicle and driving own vehicle for work

Additional qualifications include:

· Valid NYS Driver's License in good standing

· Access to own reliable vehicle daily

· Non-profit work environment, especially social services, huge plus

· Ability to be flexible with scheduling.

· Physical Requirements: read/write reports and log entries, walking/standing for prolonged periods, bending/stooping, kneeling/squatting, climbing stairs, reaching overhead, repetitive wrist/finger movements, driving, and ongoing access to reliable vehicle and driving own vehicle for work.

Excellent training and leadership opportunities available throughout employment and more.

Here are some of the other benefits of working for Hope For Youth.

• Meaningful work that makes a difference in the lives of children and families of Long Island!

• Supportive like-minded, mission-driven co-workers

• Diverse Culture that promotes recognition and belonging

• Advancement and supplemental pay opportunities

• Free Training programs, Free Tuition Credits, Scholarships and Tuition Assistance

• Employees may be eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

• Special Events and Recognition Awards

• Volunteer and Internship opportunities available within

• Benefit eligibility commences on the first of the month following the first 30 days of employment - Medical, Dental, Vision - HRA with HSA and Co-pay options available.

• 91% Employer-paid medical premiums

• Generous paid time off

• Agency-funded Pension Plan

• Pre-tax savings plans: self-directed 403(b), 529, Aflac.

• Agency-paid life insurance and disability, and for some positions, long-term disability

Hope For Youth, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All positions are subject to background screening as required by law or contract, including but not limited to: Staff Exclusion List (SEL), State Central Child Abuse Registry (SCR), DMV record review, criminal records screening, reference checks, physical exam.

Learn more about Hope For Youth at: http://www.hfyny.org

Additional Pay Range Information

The salary range and/or hourly rate range listed for this position is a good faith determination of potential compensation that may be offered to a successful applicant for this position at the time of this job advertisement and may be modified in the future. When determining an employee's base salary and/or rate, several factors may be considered as applicable (e.g., years of relevant experience, education, licensing, certifications, other credentials, negotiated contracts, budget and internal equity, etc.).