Foster Care Programs Lead & Mentor

Description Summary : The Foster Care Supervisor provides oversight and supervision of case managers to ensure the achievement of positive outcomes for children and youth in foster care. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES include but are not limited to:

CASE MANAGEMENT AND CHILD WELFARE OUTCOMES

· Ensuring children and youth placed in specialized foster care and Home of Relative placements receive appropriate services and support.

• Ensuring children and youth reside in safe, stable, and appropriate home environments.
• Monitoring placement stability and taking timely action to address barriers to placement stability and overall well-being.
• Supporting case planning and service delivery that promotes permanency and the achievement of a permanent living arrangement.
• Monitoring the progress of assigned cases toward permanency and ensuring required case activities are completed within established timeframes.
• Ensuring case documentation, assessments, service plans, referrals, and other required records are accurate, timely, and compliant with agency and DCFS requirements.
• Reviewing placement needs and collaborating with case workers, foster parents, families, providers, and other stakeholders to address concerns and promote positive outcomes

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide consistent, structured and effective supervision to assigned case managers
• Conduct weekly individual and team supervision meetings with all direct reports
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold staff accountable for meeting programs and case related responsibilities
• Provide coaching, mentoring, training and professional development to strengthen staff knowledge and skills
• Reinforce positive performance and address performance deficiencies through appropriate corrective action and progressive discipline
• Monitor staff workload, case assignments, documentation, deadlines and overall performance
• Promote teamwork, communication, collaboration and cohesiveness among team members
• Identify staff training needs and coordinator appropriate training and professional development opportunities

OTHER EXPECTATIONS

Foster Parent and Stakeholder Relations

• Represent the foster care program professionally to children, youth, families, foster
• parents, applicants, service providers, community partners, and other stakeholders.
• Promote a customer service approach in all interactions.
• Support foster parents in addressing placement concerns, service needs, and barriers to placement stability.
• Respond to foster parent concerns in a timely and professional manner.
• Attend meetings with staff, foster parents, providers, families, and community partners as needed.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal departments and external providers.

Court and Legal Responsibilities

• Attend court hearings as required.
• Prepare, review, and ensure timely submission of court reports and other required court documentation.
• Ensure caseworkers are prepared for court proceedings and understand their responsibilities.
• Testify in court when required.
• Monitor court-related deadlines and ensure appropriate follow-up on court orders and recommendations.

Staffing, Recruitment, and Program Operations

• Participate in the recruitment, interviewing, selection, hiring, orientation, and onboarding of new staff.
• Ensure new employees receive appropriate training and orientation to foster care policies, procedures, documentation requirements, and child welfare practices.
• Develop and maintain the employee on-call schedule to ensure adequate coverage for program service needs.
• Participate in the supervisor on-call rotation.
• Provide supervisory support during emergencies and after-hours situations.
• Complete caseworker visits when additional supervisory assistance is needed.
• Monitor program operations to promote compliance, efficiency, and quality service delivery.
• Attend agency, program, and interdepartmental meetings assigned.
• Complete reports, documentation, audits, and other administrative responsibilities as required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Leadership Expectations The Foster Care Supervisor is expected to:

• Demonstrate strong leadership and professional judgment.
• Maintain a child-centered and family-focused approach to service delivery.
• Promote safety, permanency, and well-being in all case decisions.
• Maintain confidentiality and comply with applicable laws, regulations, DCFS requirements, and agency policies.
• Communicate expectations clearly and consistently.
• Address performance and operational concerns promptly.
• Model professionalism, accountability, respect, and ethical conduct.
• Promote a culture of teamwork, continuous learning, and quality improvement.

On-Call Requirement The Foster Care Supervisor participates in a rotating on-call schedule with other supervisors to ensure appropriate supervisory coverage for program emergencies and service needs outside of regular business hours. The supervisor must also be willing to assist caseworkers with home visits, placement-related matters, emergencies, and other case activities when additional supervisory support is required. Employees shall respect the diversity of all individuals (e.g., clients, co-workers, stakeholders) and refrain from any form of discrimination and/or based upon a person’s legally protected characteristics or conduct, including but not limited to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. Employees share the responsibility of creating and maintaining a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive work environment. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and/or skills required of all employees so classified . Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. EDUCATION, SKILLS, and/or EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree in Social Work or a related field from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum of 3–4 years of recent child welfare experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of supervisory experience.
• Must possess a valid Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL).
• Must possess knowledge of Illinois DCFS Rule 402 and the Child Care Act (CCA).
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with staff, foster parents,

applicants, children/youth, families, service providers, and community partners. · Strong computer literacy and proficiency with electronic case management and documentation systems.

• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, manage competing priorities, and respond effectively to child welfare emergencies.
• Must be available to participate in an on-call rotation

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

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, physical requirements may include standing, walking, and sitting; seeing; hearing and listening; clear speech; dexterity and use of hands and fingers.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment described here is representative of that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. The work environment may include any or all of the following: working alone; working with others, verbal contact with others and face-to-face contact. #J-18808-Ljbffr Envision Unlimited