Foster Care Recruiter/Trainer

Summary

The recruiter/trainer will recruit, train, and license families pursuing either family, therapeutic, or IAFT foster parent licensing as well as coordinating placement of foster children in their region. The recruiter/trainer coordinates and participates in ongoing training of foster parents throughout the year including model related topics, CPR and First Aid and MAR, as well as any other training needs in their region.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Complete all preservice training in required time frames. Staff will annually complete 24 hours of training.
• Responsible for recruitment of foster care referrals and developing relationships with area DSS offices and other referral sources.
• Utilize agency Teaching-Family Model pre-service training model to train foster families to assess safety, family strengths. 
• Knowledgeable of foster care and adoptions and its impact on families and children and ensure all homes meet all licensing regulations.
• Ability to understand and assist families with licensing requirements; license foster families utilizing state rules and regulations (or transfer license if applicable).
• Maintain professional contact with potential or current families in training.
• Maintain contact with families interested in becoming licensed as foster parents at weekly intervals or as determined by the trainer.
• Complete at least two in home visits with families prior to all license transfers.
• Coordinate a secondary review of all potential homes within three training sessions if necessary. 
• Ensure that all homes requesting to be licensed by the agency are staffed prior to license submission.
• Prepare training reports and reviews in a timely, clear, and concise manner including individual training plans, progress toward licensing, and other assigned reports.
• Collect and review all state and agency required documentation needed for foster parents to gain licensure and submit all documentation (to include auxiliary items not submitted to the state) to Licensing Specialist for review and submission to the state.
• Participate in the planning and delivery of services regarding training, licensing, treatment, and placement.
• Represent agency in variety of various settings; including attendance at relevant community forums, public presentations, etc.
• Assist with providing monthly in-service training and monthly support groups with the foster families and children.
• Provide case management services as needed, entering the rotation in the event of staff crisis (illness, injury, other absence) or team vacancy, when applicable.
• Lead foster parent recruitment efforts in assigned region; will develop and maintain relationships with referral sources including DSS’s, Mental Health Providers, and DJJ.
• Meet quarterly recruitment quotas for assigned region. 
• Participate in clinical staff meeting and staff all families with regional staff before licensing paperwork is submitted to inform foster care staff of foster homes current skill level and of any on-going needs.
• Demonstrate competency in appropriately evaluating needs of youth to assure best placement match with foster parent
• Staff will attend first orientation meeting and training session with foster parent. 
• Annually supervisor will attend one orientation meeting and one training session per staff.

Supervision responsibilities: None

All employees have the following expectations:

• Mission: Contribute to and enhance company mission
• Organization: Prioritize and plan work responsibilities appropriately
• Professional Development: Attend and/or successfully complete all required trainings and meetings
• Timeliness and Accuracy: Perform quality work within given deadlines and expectations with or without direct supervision
• Professionalism: Comply with all applicable policies, practices, and procedures; report all out-of-compliance and unsafe activities to supervisor; interact professionally with other employees, volunteers, families, children, and the community
• Teamwork: Serve effectively as a team contributor on all assignments
• Communication: Utilize effective communication skills both verbally and in writing; provide effective feedback and is receptive to feedback
• Leadership: Work independently while understanding the necessity for communicating and coordinating work efforts with other appropriate individuals
• Cultural Competence: Is sensitive to the cultural, ethnic and religious views of the children and families served, and in community and public contact.

Children’s Hope Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Requirements

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from accredited College in Psychology, Social Work, or related field and previous work experience in related field is required.
• Certification in a state-mandated foster parent training curriculum or the ability to gain certification is also required.
• Experience in the Teaching-Family Model preferred.
• Previous experience providing case management/supervising foster care services preferred.
• Experience recruiting or training foster parents preferred

Physical Requirements

• 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.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls, talk, and hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands or arms, stand, walk, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. 
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Specifics vision abilities required by this position include close, distance, color, and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Physical functions which are considered essential to the satisfactory performance of the job include the following: reading, typing, writing, speaking, and using the telephone and prolonged sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Employee must be able to operate a vehicle for job duties, and keep a valid NC drivers license with insurance.
• The work environment will contain slight to moderate office-related noises. The employee is not exposed to extreme weather conditions, toxic fumes, or airborne particles. 
• The employee must occasionally travel to different locations in the course of work.
• Physical functions which are considered essential to the satisfactory performance of the job include the following: public speaking, reading, typing, writing, using the telephone, driving, therapeutically restraining children and adolescents in crisis situations.