FOSTER CARE COORDINATOR

POSTION CLASSIFICATION DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Foster Care Coordinator

Reports To: Child Welfare Ongoing Supervisor

FLSA Status: Full-time, Exempt

Department: Social Services

Salary: $51,604.80/year  plus Health, Dental, Vision, Life, EAP, HSA Insurance, 10 paid Holidays, Paid Annual and Sick Leave and a 401K with county match.

SUMMARY:

The Foster Care Coordinator will be responsible for recruiting, assessing, evaluating and recommending foster home licensure and then matching children in need of emergency and planned temporary care with certified foster homes. This position will follow federal and state regulations to ensure all foster home meet and maintain standards to remain certified in the state of Colorado. The Foster Care Coordinator will provide monthly supervision and assessment of the certified foster homes, ensuring requirements are met to achieve/maintain certification, and providing supports to families to ensure their ability to care for children in foster care. This position will also work all incoming Interstate Compacts on the Placement of Children (ICPC’s) until closure or certification.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: (The following statements are illustrative of the essential functions of the job and do not include other assigned duties)

• Manages a specialized caseload of kinship and non-kinship family foster homes in Montezuma County; occasionally Dolores County
• Submit annual Colorado Diligent Recruitment Plan to CDHS
• Collaborating with the assigned caseworker of the children to effectively identify and secure foster care homes for children in need of temporary care
• Search, locate and record documentation of placement efforts
• Search, locate and record documentation of diligent search efforts to locate and screen family that may be available for placement
• Ensuring all requirements are met to achieve/maintain certification of home; this include timely data entry in TRAILS with efforts to certify
• Provide ongoing supportive services to foster homes
• Completes Interstate Compact Placement of Children (ICPC) timely
• Provides ongoing supervision of ICPC cases and licensure
• Takes the lead on preparing files for the yearly state audit
• Works with potential Foster Parent and current Foster Parents to obtain and maintain their certification by helping them secure appropriate training, meet deadlines and complete appropriate paperwork
• Performs Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) process at recertification
• Performs updates for Montezuma County foster homes when there is a child specific adoption update needed using the SAFE format
• Facilitates and coordinates appreciation events for foster parents
• Attends RED teams, family engagement meetings, group supervisions, staff meetings, staff training, regular supervisory meetings, and other agency or community meetings as requested
• Attends State foster care coordinator’s meetings and selected training conferences
• Understand and implement rules and regulations for Child Welfare organizations in Colorado outlined in the State of Colorado Department of Human Services Volume 7 guidelines
• Assists as needed with coordinating recruiting efforts to attract new Foster Parents including presentations to community, participation in booths at social activities and responding to inquiries
• Maintains monthly staff reports for foster homes; coordinates monthly staffing with caseworker, foster parent and other parties associated with the case; and maintains files related to foster family
• Conducts monthly home visits to assess for compliance and provide support
• Monitors federal, state and local policy, statutes and rule changes as they pertain to out of home placement practice
• Coordinate, complete and track a large volume of background checks for prospective foster parents, and address concerns with families and community partners
• Writes court reports regarding treatment plan compliance/case status; prepares case files for court hearings
• Prepares for and gives expert testimony in court as required
• Provides emergency services on an on-call basis.

• Documents all contacts and ensures that all paperwork and documentation are accurately completed and filed; completes necessary case information reports, inputs updates into database

Education:

Preferred: Bachelor degree in one of the human behavioral sciences fields; will accept Bachelor degree with a minimum of 3 credit hours in one of human behavioral sciences. Human behavioral sciences degree is defined as: Social Work, Sociology, Psychology, Guidance and Counseling and/or Child Development

Experience:

Preferred: One year of post-degree experience in casework or case management, willing to review applicants with limited experience

Special Requirements:

Valid Colorado Driver’s License and satisfactory driving record. Must pass background check, drug screen and motor vehicle record check. Must complete and pass Colorado Child Welfare Academy and maintain credit hours at 40 annually. Must complete and pass the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE).

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• General office procedures, policies and practices, as well as basic knowledge of standard office equipment to include computer, fax machine, copier, and telephone.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.
• Record keeping, filing and preparing clear and concise reports, correspondence and other written materials.
• Applicable state, federal and local ordinances, laws, rules and regulations.
• External governmental bodies and agencies related to area of assignment.
• Using tact, discretion, initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Organizing work, setting priorities, meeting critical deadlines and following up assignments with a minimum of direction.
• Must be able to communicate orally and in writing with internal staff, citizens, and other departmental staff in order to give and receive information in a courteous manner.
• Researching, compiling, and summarizing a variety of informational and statistical data and materials.
• Applying logical thinking to solve problems or accomplish tasks; understanding, interpreting and communicating complicated policies, procedures and protocols.
• Ability to act with discretion, maintain confidentiality and be professional.
• Ability to make decisions in stressful situations, ability to exercise sound judgment
• Ability to cooperate and problem solve with hostile parents, law enforcement professionals and other community organizations
• Ability to research statues, Children’s Code, and Volume VII
• Ability to work with the public and actively be willing to complete public speaking engagements

Office Technology/Computer Skills:

Must be able to effectively use modern office technology and equipment, including computers, calculators, telephone, copiers with scanning and faxing capabilities. Must have extensive experience in word processing, database manipulation, and email with a high degree of accuracy. Must be able to learn the software and programs related to the position and the County.

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, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to sit and stand for long periods of time; use hands and fingers to handle or feel; and reach with hands or arms. The employee is required to stand; walk; climb or balance; twist; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Must be able to respond to the customers’ needs and perform tasks requiring extensive hand and eye coordination.  Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse and other devices and objects. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Ability to work extended shifts and attend training when asked and the ability to work in stressful situations

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This job operates in a variety of environment that includes: office, client homes, and community agencies and may involve exposure to hazardous and/or violent environments. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. Ability to tolerate and be productive in a quiet to high noise level in the work place.  Employee will have periodic exposure to hazards in the field such as driving and inclement weather and potentially hostile clientele. Exposure to computer screens. May visit client homes and encounter a variety of housekeeping standards and household pets. May be exposed to potential communicable health conditions and angry, hostile, frustrated individuals and those with behavioral and/or cognitive challenges. May travel to rural areas.

USE OF THIS JOB DESCRIPTION

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND THE INCUMBENT IN THE POSITION. 

Nothing in this position description restricts Montezuma County Department of Social Services’ ability to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities of this job at any time.  The description reflects Montezuma County Department of Social Services assignment of essential functions.  It does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.  Critical features of this job have been described.  Those features may change at any time due to reasonable accommodation, as the needs of the Department change or other reasons deemed appropriate by Montezuma County Department of Social Services.

I have received the Foster Care Coordinator job description on ____________. I understand that I am to become familiar with its contents.

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