Community Care Worker - Resource Family/Foster Care Licensing

MaineGuide; Augusta (ME); Hybrid; USD 31,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

13 paid holidays

3+ weeks vacation leave

Health Insurance Coverage

Job summary

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) – Office of Child & Family Services in Augusta is seeking a Community Care Worker. You will evaluate resource family home applicants, guiding them through the licensing process to provide foster, adoptive, or permanency guardianship services for children in care.

Responsibilities include conducting home studies, kinship assessments, and providing ongoing support and training to resource families, with travel within the district and occasional

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Services or Behavioral Science OR four-year combination of education, training, and/or professional experience providing services to and working directly with children and/or families.
• Experience in public contact work, information gathering, analysis, documentation, and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Conducting home studies, foster home investigations to determine possible violations, or kinship assessments for relatives and fictive kin placements.
• Assisting in securing placements for youth entering care through OCFS utilizing available resources and best placement practices.
• Providing information to teams about strengths an approved resource family can contribute toward meeting the needs of a specific child.
• Providing ongoing support to resource family applicants and approved resource families
• Recruiting and providing training and support to resource families.

Skills

Motivational interviewing

Information gathering

Recruitment workshops

Written & oral communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Services or Behavioral Science

Job description

If you are a current State of Maine employee, please submit your application through the internal application process using the Find Jobs report in PRISM. Seasonal employees who do not have PRISM access should apply through the State’s career page and indicate on the application that they have previously worked for the State.

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Department ofHealth and Human Services (DHHS)

Date: October 8, 2026

Closing Date:October 22, 2026

Job Class Code:5088

Grade:21 (Professional & Technical)

Salary:$22.51 - $31.50 per hour

Position Number:02022-7609

Location: Augusta

Currently, this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or STEM OPT extensions.

Core Responsibilities:

As a Community Care Worker, you will ensure resource family home applicants meet required standards to be approved as a licensed resource family capable of providing foster, adoptive and/or permanency guardianship services to children in care of the Department. With the Department’s focus on prioritizing placement of children with kinship families, you will be expected to explain the resource approval process to placement families and actively support these families through the steps to become an approved resource. Your duties will include:

• Conducting home studies, foster home investigations to determine possible violations, or kinship assessments for relatives and fictive kin placements
• Assisting in securing placements for youth entering care through OCFS utilizing available resources and best placement practices.
• Playing a key role in providing information to teams about strengths which an approved resource family can contribute toward meeting the needs of a specific child.
• Providing ongoing support to resource family applicants and approved resource families
• Recruiting and providing training and support to resource families.

This work requires frequent overtime, emergency kinship coverage, and other overtime according to operational need. Additionally, this position regularly travels within the geographic area served by the District Office.

Minimum Qualifications:

In order to qualify, you must have a Bachelor’s Degree in a Social Services or a Behavioral Science area -OR- a four-year combination of education, training, and/or professional experience providing services to and working directly with children and/or families. Experience must demonstrate proficiency in public contact work, information gathering, analysis, documentation, and collaboration.

The background of well-qualified candidates will demonstrate the following competencies:

• Knowledge of motivational interviewing and information gathering methods and techniques.
• Proven ability to gather and analyze information, reach valid conclusions, and make sound recommendations (please provide specific examples representative of your experience).
• Ability to develop and conduct recruitment and training workshops and meetings.
• Strong oral and written communications skills.

Thinking about applying?

Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your experience and passion set you apart.

Agency information:

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is dedicated to promoting health, safety, resilience, and opportunity for Maine people. The Department provides health and social services to approximately a third of the State's population, including children, families, older Mainers, and individuals with disabilities, mental illness, and substance use disorders. The Department also promotes public health, operates two state psychiatric hospitals, and provides oversight to health care providers.

The Office of Child & Family Services (OCFS), within DHHS is responsible for ensuring the safety, permanency and well-being of children and families through community networks, local resources, and life-long family connections throughout Maine. We have an anticipated vacancy in our Augusta office.

Application Information:

For additional information about this position please contact Lee Caron, CPS Caseworker Supervisor at 207-624-5571.

Benefits of working for the State of Maine:

No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—"Dirigo" or "I lead"—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce's health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:

• Work-Life Fit– Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave. When you or immediate members of your family are ill, utilize 12 days of sick leave per year.
• Health Insurance Coverage– The State of Maine pays85%-95% of employee-only premiums ($12,213.60 - $13,650.48