Foster Care Case Manager

Foster Care Case Manager

The Foster Care Case Manager has primary responsibility for permanency planning for the children on their caseload. The Case Manager assesses the child and family and develops and implements a service plan in conjunction with available parents and other professionals and paraprofessionals. The Case Manager makes referrals for needed services. Based on assessment, service planning and provision of services, the Case Manager writes reports and makes recommendations to the Juvenile Court and the State of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as required under contract and by policy and procedure.

Essential duties and responsibilities include:

• Assesses child(ren) and birth family and develops permanency plan for each child on the caseload consistent with the legal status of the child and family and in the context of DCFS and CPA policies and procedures and COA standards.
• Develops concurrent plans for children where a specific permanency goal is uncertain or subject to change.
• Tracks major events of each case (Administrative Case Reviews, court hearings, and other meetings) and prepares written reports and documentation appropriate for each event; consistent with permanency plan, attends each event and advises court and DCFS verbally and in written reports as to progress toward goal; in particular, attends DCFS Administrative Case Reviews (ACRs) every 6 months for each child; makes appropriate recommendations as to the placement, services needs and permanency planning based on ongoing assessment of the case; advocates for clients based upon recommendations and findings in context of DCFS, CPA, COA and court requirements and expectations.
• Prepares ongoing assessments of the bio-psycho-social-educational needs of the child, addressing those needs within the network of services in the child's community.
• Completes home visits to foster homes (at least monthly or three times per month - based on client level of care) to monitor children's care (safety and well-being) and assesses reunification potential or capacity and willingness of the foster parents to become guardians or adoptive parents, if necessary.
• Submits reports and service plans regularly and as needed to DCFS and courts.
• Works with biological parents in assessing their needs and parenting abilities and provides services/service referrals to help them pursue reunification (parenting classes/coaching, mental health, substance abuse, visitation services, etc.).
• Arranges adoption counseling/training for children and families; and may complete guardianship/adoption subsidy packets, investigatory reports and legal forms for guardianship/adoption (if no Permanency Achievement Specialist).
• Supervises visitation between children and their siblings and/or natural family; assists foster parents in providing transportation for children to visits, psychosocial assessment and medical appointments; provides ongoing education, guidance, training and support to foster/adoptive parents.
• Engages in continuing education regarding the child welfare system, child development, clinical processes, DCFS/CPA policy/procedure, COA standards, court, permanency, etc. through DCFS and/or other professional organizations.
• Is available on-call for critical issues that may come up outside of normal hours.
• Maintains updated hard copy and electronic client files as required by CPA/DCFS policies and procedures, COA accreditation standards, and HIPAA requirements.
• Participates in Children's Place Association quality assurance initiatives as needed and appropriate to improve service quality and ensure compliance with policies/procedures, licensing, accreditation and contractual requirements.
• Performs other duties as necessary to meet new funding requirements or as assigned by the Foster Care Supervisor or Executive Director of Child Welfare.

Qualifications include:

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Human Services, or related field from an accredited educational program is required. Master's degree preferred.
• Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL) through DCFS is required.
• Passing of the DCFS Rule 402 Foster Home Licensing Test is required.
• Passing of the Child Care Act Test through DCFS is required.
• Experience working with children and families is preferred.
• Must have a valid Illinois driver's license and appropriate auto insurance.
• Must be able to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Must be able to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, verbal, diagram or schedule form.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point, Teams, Adobe Acrobat, Webex, Zoom, and DCFS DNET and SACWIS systems are required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.

Statement on Workplace Culture:

Employees shall respect the diversity of all individuals (e.g., clients, co-workers, stakeholders) and refrain from any form of discrimination and/or harassment based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, citizenship status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, gender identity, arrest record, victim of domestic violence and housing status, or other differences. There is also zero tolerance of abuse and/or molestation of clients and/or other individuals during work activities, as well as outside of work activities. Children's Place Association strives to cultivate a work environment that honors the voices and lived experiences of every staff member. Therefore, all employees share the responsibility of creating and cultivating a welcoming and supportive work environment.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit. The employee is also frequently required to stand, walk, talk, and hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision requirements for this job include close vision, distance vision, and color vision.

Work Environment:

The work environment described here is representative of that which an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level in the work environment is typically low. The work environment may include any or all the following: working alone; working with others; verbal contact with others; and working in a hybrid capacity that utilizes work time in both home and company office spaces.