Child Welfare Case Manager - IL

Southwest Florida, LLC; Illinois; On-site; Full time

Job summary

A leading organization dedicated to child welfare is seeking an Independent Living Case Manager to provide case management services for youth and young adults in foster care. The role involves oversight of independent living tasks, coordination of transition planning, and direct support to ensure successful transitions into adulthood. Candidates should possess a relevant bachelor's degree and experience in child welfare, along with strong organizational and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum of one year of experience in child welfare preferred.
• Working knowledge of community services in the local area.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management services for youth and young adults.
• Conduct home visits and life skills training.
• Ensure compliance with legislative mandates.

Skills

Organizational skills

Problem-solving abilities

Effective listening skills

Verbal and written communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, sociology, or related human services degree

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Job Details

Job Location: CNSWFL Ford Street - Fort Myers, FL

Education Level: 4 Year Degree

Salary Range: $25.90 - $28.08 Hourly

Description

Job Title	Independent living Case Manager
State	Florida
Program	Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, LLC
Reports to	Independent Living Program Supervisor
FLSA Status	Non-Exempt (Hourly)
Job Description Statement	This job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity. Essential and marginal job functions are subject to modification.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Children’s Network of Southwest Florida is committed to working with the community to protect children and preserve families.

General Purpose of Job

To provide independent living overlay case management services for youth 13-17 in out of home care and provide case management services for young adults formerly in foster care who are enrolled in the Extended Foster Care (EFC) program, Post-Secondary Education Support and Services Program (PESS), or the Aftercare Support Services program. This position provides direct case work support to young adults formerly in foster care including case management, transition assistance and services, while adhering to relevant legal statutory and policy requirements governing independent living services. The purpose is to evaluate, coordinate, and ensure that the necessary services and treatment are provided; complete required independent living skills assessments and ongoing documentation; assess youth who are transitioning from out-of-home care to adulthood to ensure all needs and services are in place for a successful transition and provide direct case management services to young adults enrolled in an Independent Living Program.

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.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Independent Living Case manager responsibilities

• Oversight of all independent living related tasks for youth in out of home care to include but not limited to transition planning, life skills training, life skills assessments, home visits, participation in relevant staffings and meetings, coordination of required transition planning meetings, participation in Court proceedings, provision of statutorily required services to youth preparing to turn age 18 in foster care, and documentation of all provided services.
• Provide updates regarding independent living case activity to Child Welfare Case Manager for judicial reviews and testify in court regarding status of independent living, when needed.
• Coordination with Keys to Independence
• Participation in local youth advocacy meetings
• Direct case management support to young adults enrolled in EFC, PESS or Aftercare. Services include but are not limited to monthly home visits, completion of required independent living arrangement assessments and shared (is shared the right term?) living plans, transition planning, life skills training and assessments, completion of Judicial Reviews and Case Plans for young adults in EFC, participation in Court Proceedings for youth in EFC
• Ensure young adults in EFC are participating in a qualifying activity
• Monitor grades and progress for young adults in PESS
• Assess for the safety and wellbeing of all young adults enrolled in EFC, PESS or Aftercare and coordinate services accordingly
• Perform specialized case management activities as needed toward program compliance with legislative mandates, and DCF and/or agency initiatives
• Display understanding of, and sensitivity to, service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics
• Provide documentation and data on Independent Living activities
• Conduct regular home visits to ensure engagement and progress of youth in Extended Foster Care
• Maintain regular contact with youth in PESS to ensure engagement and progress in the program.
• Adherence of all data collection into FSFN within 48 hours
• Participate in an afterhours on-call rotation for young adults enrolled in EFC or Aftercare
• Complete required program applications, renewals, and eligibility
• Adhere to procedures and protocols related to program termination for young adults
• Participate in and respond to Quality Reviews
• Other duties may be assigned as special projects may be requested

Working Hours

CNSWFL’s work week is Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. Your supervisor will advise you of your work hours; however, business office hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. This job will require evening hours as needed.

Travel

Travel in and outside of Circuit 20 (Lee, Charlotte, Collier, and Hendry/Glades counties) is required.

Training

All non-certified Child Welfare Professionals must attend formal instruction (Phase I Child Protection Certification training program). Upon successful completion of Phase I, the candidate will enter provisional status. The candidate will be required to become fully certified within one year of the pre-service training post-test.

All Certified Child Welfare Professionals must complete twenty (20) hours of relevant in-service training on an annual basis.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Education and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in psychology, social work, sociology, or related human services degree.

• Official transcripts are a mandatory requirement

• A minimum of one (1) year of experience in child welfare is preferred
• Must have a working knowledge of community services in our local five (5) county area. Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships is also a must.

Other Qualifications

• Strong organizational and problem-solving abilities
• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with others
• Ability to work as a team member
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment
• Effective listening skills
• Verbal and written communications skills
• Must be self-motivated and have the ability to manage various work assignments simultaneously

Skills and Abilities

Must be able to operate standard modern office machinery, including fax, telephone, calculator, computer, scanner, printer, and copier. Must be competent with Microsoft Office Suite programs, including Word, Excel, and Outlook. Must be competent with basic e-mail protocol and procedures including sending, receiving, replying, attachments, and meeting scheduling, excellent written and oral communication skill. Must abide by the highest standards of confidentiality.

pre-employment requirements

Certificates, License, Registrations, backgrounds, drug screens, Etc.

• Valid driver’s license, clean driver’s license check, and proof of insurance
• Criminal background screening (Local Law Enforcement and FBI/FDLE & abuse registry)
• Drug Screening is a requirement
• Children’s Network participates in E-Verify
• Child welfare certification within one (1) year of post-test

Other Requirements

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret regulatory documents, contracts, policies, and case records. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from management, staff, clients, and outside agencies. Ability to effectively present information to children and families, management, employees, and outside agencies.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to deal with several abstract and concrete variables. Able to anticipate needs and/or problems based on current events and/or situations and to develop solutions.

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.

This job requires the ability to sit for extended periods; walk; stand; use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel or crouch; talk and hear. This job requires visual acuity sufficient to read and to operate standard modern office machines. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is administrative work in an indoor office environment with a moderate noise level (business machines, printers, computers, telephones).

ADA: Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, LLC will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

EEO: Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, LLC does not discriminate based on race, national origin, gender, religion, veteran status, or disability in employment, in provision of services, or in access to programs.

Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, LLC is a Drug-Free Workplace.

All personnel must demonstrate the following capacities: A commitment to empowering others to solve their own problems Valuing a nurturing family as the ideal environment for a person A conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change Ability to establish a respectful relationship with persons served to help them gain skills and confidence Ability to work collaboratively with other personnel and/or service providers or professionals Capacity to maintain a helping role and to intervene appropriately to meet service goals The ability to set appropriate limits Safety and permanency of children

I certify that the statements above to the best of my knowledge accurately describe the duties performed and agree that I am qualified in education and skill to meet the requirements of the position. If the employee does not agree, indicate here:

Supervisor:	Date:
Employee:	Date:
Reviewing Authority:	Date:
Do Not Agree:

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in psychology, social work, sociology, or related human services degree.
  • Official transcripts are a mandatory requirement
• A minimum of one (1) year of experience in child welfare is preferred
• Must have a working knowledge of community services in our local five (5) county area. Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships is also a must.