Family Find Resource Specialist

Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

$3000 Sign-On-Bonus

Job summary

Ada S. McKinley Community Services, Inc is seeking a dedicated individual to work closely with social service workers to locate placement options for youth. The role involves conducting extensive research and providing technical assistance to support children with problematic behavior needs.

Qualified candidates must possess a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, a CWEL license, and at least two years of experience. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are critical for success in this position.

Qualifications

• Two or more years of related experience.
• Successfully complete appropriate background check clearance and post-offer medical requirements.
• Maintain a reliable automobile with liability insurance and a good driving record.

Responsibilities

• Complete extensive research to locate absentee parents/guardians.
• Provide professional technical assistance and resource development support.
• Engage youth and families to facilitate stability and permanency.

Skills

Creative problem-solving skills

Data analysis skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or counseling

CWEL license

Rule 402 Foster Family Home Licensing Examination

Job description

$3000 Sign-On-Bonus

Basic Function

Work closely with the Social Service Workers/Supervisors to locate placement options for youth.

Reporting Relationship

Reports To

Vice President of Child Welfare Services

Supervises (Position Title)

None

Principal Duties / Responsibilities

• Complete extensive research, investigation, and outreach in locating absentee parents/guardians.
• Identify and locate potential extended family/fictive kinship relationships.
• Provide professional technical assistance and resource development support to social work staff who serve children with specialized and problematic behavior service needs.
• Assist the family social service worker with facilitating the expansion of resources needed to better serve children and their families involved in foster care.
• Travel to various locations to attend meetings, conferences, or to locate and assess family homes as needed.
• Utilize a family-centered, trauma-informed, strength-based, and EDI lens through which youth and family needs are assessed.
• Engage the youth (as age-appropriate), birth parents, family and social connections, foster parents, and staff to facilitate and support stability and permanency for the youth.
• Possess strong, creative problem-solving skills, and use non-traditional search methods to identify and locate family members and supportive connections.
• Utilize strong data analysis skills to conduct diligent search activities across multiple databases, systems, social media, and other websites.
• Complete required forms and documentation.
• Coordinate with Licensing Staff on Foster Family Home Licensing.
• Participate in Child and Family Team Meetings as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university in social work, psychology, or counseling.
• CWEL license required.
• Rule 402 Foster Family Home Licensing Examination required.
• Two or more years of related experience.
• Successfully complete appropriate background check clearance and post-offer medical requirements.
• Maintain a reliable automobile with liability insurance and a good driving record.

Additional Qualifications

• Ability to partner with persons served and their families to help them gain the skills and confidence to address their problems.

Mental / Physical Demands

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. Work requires concentration using a computer in analyzing and manipulating data. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Environmental Conditions

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Duties are performed in a typical office environment. No unusual or adverse working conditions exist.

This description documents the general contents and requirements of the job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. The principal duties and responsibilities shown are all essential job functions except for those indicated with an asterisk (*). The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.