Local Permanency Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Position Function :

The Local Permanency Specialist (LPS) is legally responsible for providing courtesy services/secondary casework to abused and neglected children who are in relative placements, foster homes, residential treatment facilities, independent living programs, and young adults who are participating in extended foster care in Region 3B.  The specialist interacts routinely with Texas Department of Family & Protective Services staff, clients, contract providers, civil and criminal court personnel along with community representatives, CASA, etc. The Local Permanency Specialist monitors the child’s overall wellbeing while in care. They work closely with parents, extended family, and legal parties to help secure and maintain a permanent and safe place for the children to live. Additionally, the specialist is responsible for: Completing monthly, announced and unannounced, contact with children in the conservatorship of DFPS who are placed in Region 3B, entering documentation in IMPACT, attending monthly medication reviews for children placed in residential treatment settings, assisting primary workers with family visits and subsequent placement moves as needed. LPS will assure the child's needs are being met appropriately by the authorize caregiver and/or facility staff. LPS will also provide the primary worker with written information of any meeting/staffing and provide information to assist in the completion of the child's plan of service, common application and court report. LPS will facilitate parent and/ or sibling visitation as needed.

Working Conditions : 

Position includes interaction with parents, guardians, and conservators as well as to youth with behavioral problems, including possible physical aggression. A personal vehicle is required for travel.

Exposure to Confidential Information :

The Local Permanency Specialist will have access to confidential records including youth files, foster care and adoption records, and foster parent information. Must maintain confidentiality and follow policies related to personnel records and client records.

Key Expectations/Responsibilities :

· Provides time limited services to meet the specific needs of children in substitute care and their placement providers by identifying problem areas, assisting the primary worker in the development of treatment plans, and using appropriate and necessary resources to minimize risk and provide for safety of the child; and maintains contact with caregivers and children through home visits in order to achieve treatment goals. 

· Assists the primary worker with appropriate legal action by preparing affidavits and other documents as needed for court related activities. 

· Enters contact, documentation information and narratives into the Information Management Protecting Adults and Children System within required agency time frames. 

· Develops and maintains effective working relationships between Child Protective Services staff and law enforcement officials, judicial officials, legal resources, medical professionals, and other community resources. Works closely with Kinship Development staff to provide and/or make referrals for services not provided thorough foster care system. Works closely with educational service providers and CPS Educational Specialist.

· Maintain high ethical standards which are outlined in the ACH Child and Family Services Code of Ethics.

· A commitment to empowering others to solve their problems.

· Value a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person.

· A conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change.

· The ability to establish a respectful relationship with persons served to help them gain skills and confidence.

· The ability to work collaboratively with other personnel and/or service providers and professionals.

· The capacity to maintain a helping role and to intervene appropriately to meet service goals.

· The ability to set appropriate limits.

· Performs other duties as assigned and required to maintain unit operations.

· Attends work regularly in accordance with agency leave policy.

Implementation :

· Receives cases from investigators after children from their homes are placed in CPS conservatorship and placed in care out of the legal region.

· Ensures all services are focused on achieving positive permanency.

· Identifying potential permanency resources for the child through ongoing contact with parents, family members, and other individuals the child and family identify as important to them.

· Meets with the caregivers/foster parents to assess risk and safety issues, identify behavior changes necessary to achieve child safety, referring parents to appropriate services to address the identified needs to move towards positive permanency.

· Collaborates with a Placement Team, including Kinship staff, for placements, as needed.

· Participates in meetings and conferences at times and places convenient for the family members, as well as everyone involved with the case.

· Visits child(ren) monthly to assess the child’s feeling of safety in their current home to plan for permanency, and to discuss their needs, wishes, and progress while in care.

· Attends and participates in court hearings as requested by the legal region. This include providing documentation for court reports and testifying in court on the child’s needs, the family’s progress, and the department’s efforts to achieve permanency.

· Works with kinship caregivers and foster parents to ensure that they have what they need to care for the child or youth placed with them. I.e; keeping them informed about developments of case, returning phone calls, and in some areas of the state being available 24/7 at certain times.

· Transitions children home during reunification services and provides support to the family until the legal case is closed.

· Supervises adoptive placements until the adoption is final.

· Documents case records by completing forms, narratives, and reports to form a written record for each client.

• Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers 

and all work-related contacts. 

• Attends work regularly in accordance with agency leave policy. 

• Attends and participates in training/meetings/staffing 's, and transitional planning 

meetings, in particular, for adolescent youth. 

Training and Supervision :

· Attend continuing education necessary to expand knowledge and maintain certifications or licenses.

· Communicate regularly with supervisor and seek supervision when appropriate.

· Participate in in-service training.

Education : A Bachelor’s degree is required. A major, or minor, in a human services field, is preferred.

Experience : The Local Permanency Specialist must have three or more years of protective services case management or and in social, human, or within social services agencies or communities providing services to families or other at-risk population.

Functional : Knowledge of good child placement practices. Skills in preparing children for permanency. Skills in developing and maintaining professional working relationships. Ability to support families dealing with separation and attachment issues. Ability to access child’s needs and process in the placement progress. Ability to maintain timely documentation and effectively manage caseload. Knowledge of agency policies, procedures, and regulations. Knowledge of laws and regulations to child care, abuse, and neglect. Ability to assess current life situations of children to determine the presence of child abuse or neglect. Ability to articulate an understanding of the intersection between race and poverty and the different outcomes and conditions that exist among specific groups as compared to other groups due to unequal treatment of services. Ability to negotiate available services. Ability to gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze facts. Ability to prepare clear and concise reports. Ability to travel locally and within the region.