DCS PROGRAM SPECIALIST - FOSTER CARE SUPPORT - 11032026-82383

State of Tennessee; Jackson (TN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

The Foster Care Support Specialist at the State of Tennessee oversees a caseload of 25 to 35 foster homes, providing comprehensive support, monitoring, and guidance to ensure safe, stable, and compliant foster environments.

This role is located in Madison County and supports kinship and traditional placements.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree and three years of professional work in counseling or case management; two of those years must involve children and/or juveniles.
• Graduate coursework in social work, criminal justice, psychology, sociology, human services, or child development may substitute for experience on a year-for-year basis (max 1 year)
• Must be at least 21 years old; US citizen; valid driver's license; clean record with felony prohibition; drug screening; background check.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of foster homes (kinship, traditional, ICPC) and maintain accurate electronic records.
• Conduct monthly in-person home visits to ensure safety and compliance; provide guidance on foster parenting and system navigation.
• Complete monthly support calls to out-of-state homes and ensure accurate payment processes.
• Monitor and resolve payment-related matters for all caseload homes.
• Assist with approvals and ongoing support through home study processes and kinship collaboration.
• Conduct reassessments every two years and annual anniversary evaluations.
• Track and ensure compliance with required foster parent training hours.

Skills

Critical Thinking

Time Management

Monitoring

Judgment and Decision Making

Written Comprehension

Education

Bachelor's degree

Experience in counseling/case management

Tools

Personal Computer

Telephone

Fax Machine

Printer

Passenger Vehicle

Job description

State of Tennessee Job Information

Opening Date/Time 11/03/2026 12:00AM Central Time

Closing Date/Time 11/09/2026 11:59PM Central Time

Salary (Monthly) $4,608.00 - $5,751.00

Salary (Annually) $55,296.00 - $69,012.00

Job Type Full-Time

City, State Location Jackson, TN

Department Children's Services

LOCATION OF (1) POSITION(S) TO BE FILLED: DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES, MADISON COUNTY

This is a DCS Program Specialist position for the Foster Care Support division of the Statewide Specialized Support Services Team. This position is currently located in Madison County.

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and experience equivalent to three years of professional work in one or a combination of the following: counseling or case management services; program evaluation of counseling or case management services, two years of which must involve providing these services to children and/or juveniles.

Substitution of Education for Experience: Graduate course work credit received from an accredited college or university in social work, criminal justice, psychology, sociology, human services, and/or child development may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of one year, there being no substitution for the required two years of children’s services work (e.g. 36 graduate quarter hours in one or a combination of the above listed fields may substitute for one year of the required experience).

Necessary Special Qualifications

Applicants for this class must:

• Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age on the date of application;
• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Possess a valid driver's license prior to and during employment;
• Have a good moral character, as determined by investigation;
• Complete a criminal history disclosure form in a manner approved by the appointing authority;
• Have no conviction for a felony;
• Agree to release all records involving their criminal history to the appointment authority;
• Supply a fingerprint sample in a manner prescribed by the TBI for a fingerprint based criminal history records check.
• Submit to and pass a pre-employment screening test for use of illegal drugs.

Overview

The Foster Care Support Specialist is responsible for providing comprehensive support, monitoring, and guidance to foster families to ensure safe, stable, and compliant foster home environments. This position carries a caseload of 25/35 foster homes and plays a key role in licensing, evaluation, and ongoing support of both kinship and traditional foster homes.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of foster homes, including expedited kinship, kinship, traditional, and ICPC homes.
• Maintain complete and accurate electronic records for all assigned foster homes.
• Conduct monthly in person home visits to assess continued compliance and safety, identify support needs, and provide guidance related to foster parenting and system navigation.
• Complete monthly support calls to out of state homes to monitor placement stability and ensure accurate payment processes.
• Monitor and troubleshoot payment-related matters for all foster homes on the caseload.
• Assist with the approval process for newly assigned traditional homes and provide ongoing support throughout the full home study process.
• Collaborate with the kinship team to support the approval of kinship foster homes.
• Complete full approval reassessments every two years, along with required annual anniversary assessments.
• Track and ensure compliance with all required foster parent training hours.

Competencies (KSA's)

• Being Resilient
• Drives Vision and Purpose
• Customer Focus
• Communicates Effectively
• Plans and Aligns

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• Law and Government
• English Language
• Public Safety and Security

Skills

• Critical Thinking
• Judgment and Decision Making
• Quality Control Analysis
• Monitoring
• Time Management

Abilities

• Auditory Attention
• Speech Clarity
• Written Comprehension
• Speech Recognition

Tools & Equipment

• Personal Computer
• Telephone
• Fax Machine
• Printer
• Passenger Vehicle

TN Driver Standards

State of Tennessee positions that may involve driving responsibilities require candidates to meet the following minimum driver qualifications:

• A valid driver's license
• For the past five years, the candidate's driver record must not have record of the following violations: driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, license suspension for moving violations, more than 4 moving violations.

Please include your Driver's License Information under the Licenses and Certifications section of your application.

• Agencies may allow an exception based on other factors.