Placement Finding Specialist

Purpose: The goal for the placement finder is to search for and secure appropriate placements for children and youth within the foster care system. This role involves matching children's individual needs with available foster homes, working closely with foster families, case managers, and other professionals to ensure the best care and outcomes for while promoting their well-being and permanency goals.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities include the following: (Other duties as assigned.)

• Adhere to the ethical standards of agency and those of the specific profession.
• Maintain core values and standards.
• Monitor referrals through the referrals tracking system.
• Identify cases that need a placement search at the time of intake.
• Respond promptly to placement finding referrals due to a disruption in placement.
• Locating an appropriate foster home for children needing placement that includes searching for all possible levels of care according to the child's needs (excluding residential).
• Match children with foster homes based on their specific emotional, physical, and behavioral needs.
• Familiarize and work collaboratively with the Therapeutic Foster Care Program and team members to determine placement needs and priorities for elevated needs youth.
• Facilitate regular check-in meetings with each agency (no less than monthly) to discuss open home finding referrals and any upcoming home finding needs.
• Attend family support team meetings for hard-to-place youth or youth who generates multiple placement requests.
• Alert the fostering community that a placement is being sought with a description of the child(ren).
• When time permits and when necessary, meet with and work with the child/youth and/or the youths case manager to hear their story.
• After identifying potential placement for the child, follow protocol to assure placement is secured.
• Maintain accurate and detailed documentation of efforts to secure placement for youth.
• Participate in required staff training. This includes Children's Division Basic Training within the first year of employment.
• Maintain and update the tracker for all the agency's resource homes.
• Participate in required Train the Trainer programs/training some of which are during non- traditional business hours.
• Participate in Foster Home Recruitment and Retention events, some events are during non- traditional business hours
• Must complete twenty (20) hours of continuing education/training per calendar year, three (3) of those hours must be Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging focused.

Other duties and projects as assigned.

Qualifications and Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, or related field (preferred).
• Must exhibit excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be able to define problems and challenges, collect data, and draw valid conclusions.
• Must be knowledgeable about Internet Search Engines.
• Experience with child welfare and/or justice system is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of agency vision, mission, and services.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to changing needs and time pressures.
• Ability to exercise discretion and sound judgement.
• Ability to disseminate information clearly and concisely.
• Ability to communicate professionally with coworkers and clients
• Ability to create and sustain positive working relationships with all levels of the agency; internal and external.
• Ability to use critical thinking skills in the search of placements for youth.
• Ability to respond to communication from families and professionals in a timely manner.
• Ability to respect and demonstrate understanding for individual differences.
• Ability to track placement trends, identifying any gaps in available foster homes or recurring issues.

Values: Believes in strong service provision for children and families recovering from victimization-related problems, trauma related issues, etc. Committed to advocating for what is in the best interest of children and their families and collaborating with other service providers to achieve this.

Education and/or Experience:

Bachelor's degree in social work, drug and alcohol education, counseling, psychology, education, sociology, or criminal justice.

Minimum of one year of professional employment in the delivery of protective social services, family preservation services, or targeted case management services in a public or private agency. Demonstrated experience as a positive contributor in a close team and community relationship, and with community resource mobilization.

Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals or government regulations. Ability to write reports and business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, public groups and/or clients.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions. Ability to make independent decisions through application of common sense, data, and knowledge gained through training and education. Ability to solve problems and deal with abstract and concrete variables in situations and to synthesize information consistent with the organizational strategy and mission. Strong ability to lead, organize and plan.

Computer Skills: Email, Typing, and Microsoft Word

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate effectively.

The other physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Upon request, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Positive Impacts will determine if a reasonable accommodation can be made.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to walk, sit, and use hands to finger, handle or feel. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee must lift and/or move up to 10 - 25 pounds. Specific abilities required by this job include close vision and distant vision.

Work Environment: Much of this job is performed in the community, however a significant amount of time each week is spent working on computer and paperwork in an office. Will need to transport clients to activities or appointments.

Other: Must be 21 years of age. Must possess a valid driver's license, reliable access to an automobile and valid automobile insurance is required.

Employee acknowledges and understands that Positive Impacts reserves the right to modify the contents of this job description or to assign alternate and additional duties and responsibilities as necessary. Nothing in this job description is intended to alter or alters the at-will nature of employees' employment at Positive Impacts