Treatment Foster Care Specialist - Level 5/Dane County

At Wellpoint Care Network, our mission is to facilitate equity, learning, healing, and wellness by restoring the connections that help children and families thrive.

Every person deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. It’s part of human nature, and the promise of our country, that everyone be given a fair chance to be and do their best. Yet, many in our community live with unresolved childhood and generational trauma.  

That’s where we come in. We believe we can create a world where children and families have a clearer path to their fullest potential. Wellpoint Care Network has championed the restoration of families for nearly 175 years.

Job Purpose: 

Our next Treatment Foster Care Specialist – Level 5 Dane County will contribute to the mission and vision of the Agency by licensing treatment foster homes as well as place and service youth residing within their designated service area including Level 5 homes.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or equivalent human services degree and a minimum of two (2) years of post-degree experience in a social work-related field required.
• Master’s degree or higher in social work or related field preferred.
• Licensed or certified under Ch. 457, Stats., and Ch. MPSW 3,6,11,12, or 17 required. 
• Experience working with children and families in social services/foster care; preference given for treatment foster case management and licensing, family, group and individual therapy, or crisis intervention experience.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Knowledge of community resources.
• Demonstrates ability to achieve outcomes and work successfully with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrates stability and personal attributes necessary to work with other departments and staff.
•  A valid Wisconsin Driver’s License or occupational driver’s license, reliable transportation and insurance is required. Required reliable transportation to conduct on-site learning throughout the state.
• Ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills, detail oriented, highly effective verbal, and written communication skills.
• Demonstrate an ability to effective understanding and practice of cultural humility and ability work and communicate respectfully with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Proficient in the usage of computer software; demonstrate an understanding of computer file systems and databases, e.g., Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook, Teams, ADP, etc.
• Physical exam, drug screen, motor vehicle report, and background checks are required for this position.

Duties:

Program Development

•Recruits and develops Level 3-5 foster homes to plan for growth and meet the needs of purchasers and clients with a focus on Level 5 shift-staffed foster homes. 

•Pursues opportunities for geographic growth in the central region of the state.

•Independently develops and maintains external community relationships and partnerships to gain community support for foster parent recruitment and program public relations. 

•Understands the changing needs of children in out-of-home care to ensure the continuum of foster care services is available and sustainable.

Licensing Compliance

•Performs all licensure monitoring and re-licensing functions for all assigned foster homes to ensure timely movement of applicants through training, as well as ongoing compliance with licensing standards.

•Develops a thorough knowledge of and conducts all licensing and placement activities in accordance with DCF 56, DCF 54, State Statutes 48, Federal Law (MEPA), COA Standards and Agency policies and accreditation standards.

•Monitors all training attendance to ensure completion for certification and licensure purposes.

•Ensures licensing timelines are met.

Professionalism

•Maintains and develops positive professional relationships with all stakeholders including: 

• Clients
• Foster parents
• Purchasers and other customers
• Wellpoint Care Network administrators, supervisors, and staff
• DCF and county administrators
• Establish and maintain regional Agency/program presence.

Direct Services

• Documents all licensing decisions and reporting data on a regular basis for required contract reporting and strategic planning.

•        Effectively manages all aspects of the foster care placement including, but not limited to:

• Maintaining current knowledge of foster parent availability through regular review of placement openings
• Communicating comprehensive and accurate referral information to foster parents.
• Facilitating communication between referral source and foster parent
• Assessing and responding to purchaser expectations
• Coordinating pre-placement visits
• Assisting with/coordinating appropriate service needs, utilizing NM, TBRI and The Seven Essential Ingredients
• Initiating birth parent involvement
• Ensuring compliance with expectations regarding medical, dental, or psychiatry follow-up and the requirement for documentation of these appointments to foster parents and purchasers.
• Maintaining an accurate assessment of youth’s needs and representing those needs in all decision-making areas.
• Providing additional supportive contact with foster parents for the first 30-120 days of placement, at times of threatened crisis, and at junctures of critical decision-making and transitions in order to ensure placement stability.
• Establishing and maintaining therapeutic relationship with the child to appropriately assess and meet clinical and service needs.
• Updating treatment plans, goals, and diagnosis to reflect changes (strengths based, TIC infused, for example). Utilize assessment information (a current DSM V diagnosis, for example) to establish relevant, strengths orientated treatment goals.

Maintaining Files

•Provides accurate, professional, timely documentation of foster home recruitment efforts, foster home licensing activities, client treatment goals and meetings in case notes, monthly summaries, discharge summaries, and other paperwork.

•Maintains client and foster home files in accordance with program policies consistently.

•Works with the Level 3-5 team to track foster home staff training and background checks as well as foster parent training and home policies. Contribute to the completion of Level 3-5 home applications.

Agency Engagement

•Participates in assigned meetings, events and learning as required.

•Performs other duties as assigned, including serving in a coverage role for other department members.

•All employees will be evaluated on their demonstration of a consistent commitment to the Agency’s Seven Essential Ingredients, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and engagement in the strategic initiatives of the organization. This will be measured by their active participation in committees and workgroups, and by their communication and practice within their daily work and in the community.

Position Details & Extras:

• Full time.
• Onsite / Hybrid work is available with reliable broadband connection.
• Fast paced, flexible work schedule includes evenings and some weekends to accommodate program needs.
• Moderate exposure to noise.
• Subject to frequent interruptions with ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the cultural differences among diverse groups and the need to adapt service provision to match these differences in respectful ways.
•  Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) - Wellpoint employees may be eligible for loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. 
• Regular travel in personal vehicles is required with the ability to move intermittently throughout the workday.

Organizational Information: 

At Wellpoint Care Network, we have seen exactly how trauma, poverty, systemic racism, social injustices, and other barriers create instability in all areas of life. The people in our care face education and health disparities, high unemployment rates and unaffordable housing. What’s worse, many have lost connections to resources, family, friends, and other support systems. We have seen the toll it has on a person’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being to try and successfully navigate complex systems that may have failed them in the past.

We believe there is a better way. So, we have anchored ourselves in our 170 years of caring for our neighbors through modernized human services.

Wellpoint Care Network provides a rich continuum of services, including:

•        Child Welfare and Foster Care 

•        Support for youth who have aged out of care

•        Care Coordination and Wraparound services 

•        Mental health therapy and supports such as our Clinic, Family Preservation, Caregiver Support, and Integrated Community Treatment

•        Professional education and clinical consultation (for organizations, schools, and individual/family) 

Wellpoint Care also works to promote a diverse and caregiving environment to ensure that those we serve and employ are valued, accepted, respected, and treated equitably.

•        Equity means we work tirelessly toward fair and just treatment, systems, and policies. At Wellpoint Care Network, we believe that we are accountable – individually and collectively – when inequity or injustice replaces equity and inclusion. 

•        Inclusivity means that we consciously build groups that welcome and celebrate differences in age, race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, gender expression, education, socio-economic background, personal history, geographical location, marital status, parental status, and work experiences.   

Interested parties please apply online. We are committed to enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion and strongly encourage minority candidates to apply. For more information, visit our website www.wellpointcare.org.

Equal Opportunity Employer