Care Specialist

Anna’s House Foundation, a Faith Based Organization

The Care Specialist II reports to the Director of Children & Family Programs and partners with foster families, kinship caregivers, children, Oklahoma Human Services, and community providers to promote safe, stable, and nurturing family environments for children. This position provides comprehensive case management, caregiver support, advocacy, crisis intervention, resource navigation, and service coordination to strengthen families and improve outcomes for children.

FAMILY CASE MANAGEMENT:

• Independently manage an assigned caseload of foster families, children, and/or kinship caregivers consistent with agency caseload standards.
• Complete comprehensive family assessments utilizing strengths-based and trauma-informed practices.
• Develop, implement, monitor, and update individualized service or support plans in collaboration with caregivers, children, Oklahoma Human Services, and community partners.
• Conduct required home visits, caregiver contacts, and child contacts according to agency policy and contractual requirements.
• Monitor child safety, placement stability, caregiver well-being, and family progress toward established goals.
• Identify emerging concerns and intervene early to prevent placement disruption.
• Coordinate transitions into, within, and from care.
• Assess foster families for stress, implement de-escalation strategies.

CAREGIVER SUPPORT, SERVICE COORDINATION & ADVOCACY

• Build trusting relationships with foster parents and kinship caregivers.
• Provide coaching, education, encouragement, and problem-solving support.
• Assess caregiver stress and implement strategies to promote placement stability.
• Connect caregivers with community resources, educational opportunities, financial supports, and natural support networks.
• Advocate for children and caregivers within schools, healthcare systems, behavioral health providers, courts, and Oklahoma Human Services.
• Assist caregivers in understanding child welfare processes, court expectations, and available community resources.
• Coordinate services among schools, medical providers, behavioral health professionals, legal partners, and community agencies.
• Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure children receive appropriate services.
• Monitor referrals and follow up to ensure services are successfully connected.
• Participate in Child and Family Team Meetings and other interdisciplinary meetings.
• Participate and sometimes lead in agency groups, special projects, training initiatives, meetings, and community-building activities and volunteer program activities as assigned.

DOCUMENTATION & COMPLIANCE

• Document case activity in Extended Reach, ensuring compliance with all timelines (intake documents within 48 hours of placement; monthly visits documented within 72 hours).
• Writes annual updates for assigned families and submits to the Placement Supervisor for approval within required timeframes and without extensive correction.
• Work with Placement Supervisor and DHS in placement of children. Participate in on-call rotation with guidance and backup support.
• Assist foster parents in writing court reports and attend court hearings to advocate for the child and the foster parents.
• Returns all family, staff, and inter-agency correspondence with urgency.
• Participate and sometimes lead in agency groups, special projects, training initiatives, meetings, and community-building activities and volunteer program activities as assigned.
• Mentor Care Specialist I staff informally, but with intention to integrate into team.
• Complete required Care Specialist I & II CEUs which include advanced professional development trainings.

CASELOAD STANDARDS

Care Specialist caseloads are assigned to promote high-quality, family-centered services while ensuring manageable workloads and placement stability. Caseload assignments may include foster care case management, Kinship Navigation services, or a combination of both.

When carrying responsibilities across both programs, caseloads shall be proportionally adjusted to reflect the overall workload. Care Specialists are not expected to maintain maximum capacity in both foster care and Kinship Navigation simultaneously.

As a general guideline:

• Foster Care: Caseloads should not exceed 25 children in active placement, recognizing that children may be served across multiple foster homes and that sibling groups, travel, and case complexity influence workload.
• Kinship Navigation: Caseloads should not exceed 25 active caregiver households, consistent with the Kinship Navigation evidence-based model.
• When a Care Specialist carries responsibilities in both programs, the Director of Children & Family Programs (or designee) will assign a balanced workload based on the proportion of foster care and kinship responsibilities, family complexity, travel requirements, crisis activity, and other operational factors to ensure quality service delivery and employee sustainability.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES:

• Minimum education required, Bachelor’s degree in social work; or behavioral or social science
• Minimum of 24 months experience in children’s or family services.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with individuals from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

PREFERRED ABILITIES AND EXPERIENCE:

• Two years of experience in a position serving the foster care population
• Skilled at working in a team and place organizational success above personal success
• Ability to effectively translate between the operations of AHF and OKDHS
• Proficient at creating and tracking project schedules
• Willingness to communicate by phone or email outside of normal business hours
• Skilled at working well independently and within continuously evolving teams

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Ability to recognize early signs of foster family stress and elevate concerns appropriately.
• Foundational knowledge of trauma-informed care for children and caregivers.
• Strong organizational and documentation skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly, calmly, and professionally.
• Willingness to learn, accept feedback, and grow in practice.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and ethical standards.