Foster Care Case Worker

Job Description

Job Description

Summary: This position is responsible for providing case management services to youth placed in foster care and treatment foster care and their certified provider families. The Case Worker Trainee is responsible for case coordination for youth on their caseload. The hours of this position vary according to the needs of the provider families and the youth placed in the provider home.

Experience & Education: Must possess either (1) a master's degree in social work from a college or university accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a related field such as sociology, psychology, special education, or counseling, along with a student placement in casework services to children and families or one year of experience providing such services; (2) a bachelor's degree in social work or a related field, including sociology, psychology, special education, or counseling, and one year of experience providing casework services to children and families; or (3) a bachelor's degree in any field and two years of experience providing casework services to children and families. The ideal candidate will demonstrate emotional maturity, sound professional judgment, initiative, and leadership skills, along with the ability to effectively address the social, psychological, and emotional needs of children and families. Candidates must possess strong knowledge of family systems, community resources, adolescent development, and mental health issues, as well as the ability to make independent decisions, manage competing priorities, and collaborate effectively within a team environment.

Essential duties include the following. Other duties may be assigned as needed. 

Essential Job Duties

• Develops and monitors child-specific treatment plans for assigned cases; implements child-specific interventions to support the treatment goals and objectives identified in the treatment plan.
• Facilitates quarterly treatment team meetings for youth; ensures all members of the youth's treatment team are invited to participate, collects signatures of participants at team meeting and receive copies of the treatment plan review in a timely manner.
• In collaboration with DSS, coordinates and facilitates visitation for the youth with biological family, inclusive of siblings, to promote positive change and preserve family connections, heritage, culture, and religion.
• Provides case management services to youth and the resource family by coordinating services to minimize fragmentation of care, reduce barriers, and link youth with appropriate services to ensure comprehensive, continuous access to needed medical, social, educational, and other services appropriate to the needs of the youth.
• Monitors and assesses youth in placement to ensure their basic needs, developmental, psychosocial, emotional, nutritional, medical, educational and permanency needs are met.
• Attends and participates in all FPM/TDM meetings, FAPT, IEP meetings, VEMAT, BID, and court proceedings; represents HTFS in a professional manner
• Monitors youth in placement by facilitating face-to-face interviews with youth and provider family in the provider home and community in accordance with HopeTree Level System, LCPA, CARF & DMAS standards; meets with the youth privately no less than once per month.
• Educates, counsels, and guides the youth, provider and biological family by developing a supportive relationship that promotes the HopeTree Treatment Plan and the Foster Care Service Plan.
• Plans, prepares and implements independent living activities and interventions in alignment with Casey Life Skills Assessment.
• Plans, prepares and facilitates psychoeducational groups for youth and approved provider families.
• Assists in identifying placement matches for youth and approved provider families; assists with obtaining all required placement paperwork, which includes clinical information and contractual documentation.
• Plans and prepares for appropriate transition of care/discharge planning with youth and youth's treatment team.
• Immediately apprises the appropriate Agency personnel (Supervisor and/or Program Director) of any potential emergency and completes SIR documentation in a timely manner; provides SIR documentation to legal guardian and additional team members as appropriate.
• Provides ongoing training, support, guidance, and assistance to approved provider families in areas such as parenting, attachment, child development, grief and loss, trauma, independent living, conflict resolution, problem solving, communication or any other area specific to a youth's assessed needs during home visits; documents training provided in case notes and narratives.
• Establishes and maintains therapeutic relationships with youth, approved provider and biological families; maintains professional boundaries.
• Conducts monitoring visits of approved provider homes when a youth is placed in a provider home and provides documentation to Foster Home Case Worker in a timely manner. Collaborates with Foster Home Case Worker to address issues of non-compliance and development of corrective action plans.
• Collaborates with and provides consultation to approved provider families and biological families on identifying problem areas and developing plans for addressing those areas to minimize the risk of placement disruption.
• Assists approved provider families with securing resources/services for the youth as outlined in the treatment plan; supports provider family in coordinating transportation to ensure youth have access to identified resources/services.
• Maintains youth and approved provider home case records (hard file & ER file) in compliance with LCPA, CARF & HopeTree standards/policies and procedures.
• Maintains and ensures accurate, professional, and timely completion of all required reports, logs, notes, and other documentation in compliance with HopeTree & VDSS Standards.
• Provides timely updates and documentation to all treatment team members (Client, approved provider family, biological family, DSS, CSA, GAL, CASA, etc.) regarding service delivery and evaluation of youth and family's progress.
• Establishes and maintains positive, collaborative, professional relationships with the custodial agency, CASA, GAL, and other team members.
• Demonstrates a commitment to empowering the youth, approved provider families and biological families while respecting their dignity and worth through the permanency process.
• Consistently and effectively apply professional knowledge and skills in fulfilling the responsibilities of the position; exercises critical thinking.
• Provides emergency, on-call interventions on a rotating basis, and after-hours, weekends and holidays as required.
• Prepares for and engages in supervision, staff meetings and file reviews.
• Demonstrates cultural competency by respecting the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the youth, placement, and biological families with whom the agency serves.
• Establishes and demonstrates appropriate time management in carrying out his/her job; completes work within designated hours and appropriately flexes time.
• Exercises appropriate professional boundaries in relationships with co-workers, clients, provider families, and community providers.
• Demonstrates cultural competency by respecting the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the youth and families served by the agency.
• Updates professional knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining professional networks, and participating in professional organizations; completes training in the LMS in a timely manner.
• Embraces and demonstrates HopeTree Family Services' mission and core values through their words, actions and relationships with co-workers.
• Develop and maintain a positive professional relationship with referral sources, placing agencies, approved provider families, and birth families to facilitate positive change, preserve connections and achieve the child's permanency goal. 
• Prepare for and engage in supervision, staff meetings and file reviews.
• Demonstrate cultural competency by respecting the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the children and families served by the agency.
• Establish and demonstrate appropriate time management and ability to prioritize job tasks.
• Exercise appropriate professional boundaries in relationships with co-workers, clients, families, and community providers. 
• Commit to professional development and participate in educational opportunities. 
• Manage PTO appropriately and ensure coverage of tasks.
• Provide emergency, on-call interventions on a rotating basis, after-hours, weekends and holidays as required.   
• Perform other agency duties as assigned.  There are times that this position may need to carry a caseload to accommodate increasing placements during staff absence.