POSITION SUMMARY

The Foster Family Program provides foster and pre-adoptive foster homes to children from birth through age 21 who have been removed from their homes and placed in foster care. Each foster parent receives training and ongoing professional support to promote a positive, successful experience. The position is responsible for recruiting and assessing prospective foster homes, which includes training and case management of the certification process. The position also requires the maintenance of each certified foster home, including recertifying each home, ensuring agency and state standards are met with their licensure.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Employees are expected to be awake and alert while working.

Participate actively in community activities and events to recruit foster parents Participate in developing an active recruitment plan for recruiting foster parents Handle inquiries and applications from potential foster parents Facilitate all orientation meetings with potential foster parents Complete all paperwork for the certification process Prepare and present GPS/MAPP training for potential foster parents Assess families ability to foster children as it relates to 12 skills of successful fostering Complete home studies for all recommended foster homes Conduct safety assessments to assure the health and safety of foster homes Facilitate CPR/First Aid process and other agency pre-certification trainings Maintain certified foster family records Handle the recertification process, including development of yearly skill development plan with each family, assessing strengths and needs of the foster home Provide ongoing training and support for certified parents in conjunction with the foster care team Check with certified families on quarterly basis to monitor strengths and needs of the foster home Coordinate annual holiday party and a foster parent appreciation event as retention efforts

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

LEADERSHIP

Functions as an independent contributor without specific responsibility to give direction or supervision to other staff.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Direction: receives guidance with respect to general objectives; in the majority of tasks and projects assigned, determine methods, work sequence, scheduling, and how to achieve objectives of assignments; operate within specific policy guidelines. May require approval before proceeding with next steps.

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Requires a Bachelors degree in human services, social work, sociology, psychology, education or related field, and at least two years of related experience.

CERTIFICATION / LICENSURE

Requires a valid drivers license.

KNOWLEDGE

Broad knowledge of a discipline such as social work, teaching, behavioral science, finance, information technology, or business administration; involving the use of a broad theoretical knowledge.

COMMUNICATION and CONTACT with OTHERS

Requires effective communication skills. Communication involves frequent contacts with clients/families, other departments, and individuals in administrative or managerial positions, communicating on information and non-controversial problems within and outside the organization and presenting information and recommendations for solutions. Represents the organization in routine public activities such as making client-related simple presentations or providing information. Interpersonal communication at this level requires effective communication skills to obtain cooperation or share/receive information which will contribute to decision making.

DECISION MAKING

Work is primarily performed independently and initiative is expected on specific aspects of the work except under unusual circumstances or conditions. Procedural guidance is available. Decisions on routine matters are appropriate at this level.

CONSEQUENCES of ERRORS

Image/Reputation: Errors could cause adverse effect to clients, could cause client- or agency-related image/reputation concerns, inaccurate reports/records, and/or could result in dissemination of inaccurate or incomplete information. Such errors may be detected inside or outside the organization and could result in obligating the organization to take a risk or some financial obligation or loss.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, understand and implement documents such as care instructions, procedure manuals, operating instructions, and safety rules. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of information/instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

ORGANIZATIONAL SCOPE and IMPACT

This position is not a functional head of a program or department.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY

No financial management responsibility.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

Proficient computer skills including Windows operating environment using MS Office applications. Demonstrated use of intermediate computer operations (basic programming, relational databases, and operating systems) and intermediate software packages, (word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, etc.).

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

Work requires 25 50% community travel/visits.

Community travel/visits require visits to client homes.

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.

Some physical exertion is required such as long periods of standing, recurring bending and lifting, and/or lifting of items up to 35 pounds and/or may be required to perform physical interventions.

EMPLOYER'S DISCLAIMER

All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. Furthermore, the agency reserves the right to add to or revise an employee's job duties at any time at its sole discretion.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" employment relationship.