Foster Care Licensing Specialist

BrightSpring Health Services; Ironton (OH); On-site; USD 46,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

StepStone Family and Youth Services, an affiliate of BrightSpring Health Services, seeks a Foster Care Licensing Specialist to recruit, educate, and support foster families, guiding them through licensing and certification to provide safe, stable, and nurturing homes for children and youth.

The ideal candidate is organized, energetic and relationship‑driven, with experience in community engagement, foster parent recruitment, and collaboration with treatment teams and community partners to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a human service field required.
• 1+ year experience in a child placing agency or related nonprofit.
• Experience in recruitment and retention of foster parents preferred.
• Strong organizing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate recruitment and awareness activities to recruit foster/adoptive parents and build community relations.
• Develop and implement recruitment plans to attract and certify qualified candidates.
• Respond to foster parent inquiries within 24 hours via phone.
• Develop strategies to support general, targeted and child-specific recruitment and marketing.
• Understand and follow all agency and state licensing requirements and ensure foster parents' compliance.
• Assist with and complete the certification process with foster parents, including required documentation.
• Complete parent interviews, background clearances, and home inspections to evaluate suitability and safety.
• Maintain foster parent files in compliance with agency and state regulations.
• Assist in placement process and matching of youth and foster parents.
• Maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.

Skills

Recruiting

Community engagement

Relationship building

Organization

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work or related field

Job description

StepStone Family & Youth Services provides trauma informed, youth centered services to children and families involved in foster care. The Foster Care Licensing Specialist plays a vital role in recruiting, educating, and supporting foster families to provide safe, stable, and nurturing homes where children and youth can heal, grow, and thrive.

We are seeking a compassionate and relationship focused Foster Care Licensing Specialist who is passionate about supporting children and families through trauma informed, strengths based, and family centered practices. This role is ideal for a professional who enjoys community engagement, foster parent recruitment, licensing coordination, and building meaningful partnerships while helping expand the network of qualified foster families.

The Foster Care Licensing Specialist is responsible for recruiting prospective foster parents, guiding families through the licensing and certification process, completing home studies, maintaining licensing compliance, and providing ongoing support to foster families. This position works closely with foster parents, treatment teams, referral sources, leadership staff, and community partners to promote placement stability and positive outcomes for youth and families.

The ideal candidate is organized, energetic, solutions focused, and committed to helping foster families feel informed, supported, and prepared throughout the licensing process while promoting safe, stable, and healing environments for every child placed in care.

Foster Care Licensing Specialist Job Locations

US-OH-IRONTON

ID

2026-194503

Line of Business StepStone Family & Youth Services

Position Type Full-Time

Pay Min USD $46,000.00/Yr.

Pay Max USD $47,000.00/Yr.

StepStone Family & Youth Services provides trauma informed, youth centered services to children and families involved in foster care. The Foster Care Licensing Specialist plays a vital role in recruiting, educating, and supporting foster families to provide safe, stable, and nurturing homes where children and youth can heal, grow, and thrive.

We are seeking a compassionate and relationship focused Foster Care Licensing Specialist who is passionate about supporting children and families through trauma informed, strengths based, and family centered practices. This role is ideal for a professional who enjoys community engagement, foster parent recruitment, licensing coordination, and building meaningful partnerships while helping expand the network of qualified foster families.

The Foster Care Licensing Specialist is responsible for recruiting prospective foster parents, guiding families through the licensing and certification process, completing home studies, maintaining licensing compliance, and providing ongoing support to foster families. This position works closely with foster parents, treatment teams, referral sources, leadership staff, and community partners to promote placement stability and positive outcomes for youth and families.

The ideal candidate is organized, energetic, solutions focused, and committed to helping foster families feel informed, supported, and prepared throughout the licensing process while promoting safe, stable, and healing environments for every child placed in care.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and engage in recruitment and awareness activities to recruit prospective foster/adoptive parents and build community awareness relations
• Develop and implement proactive, strategic recruitment plans designed to attract and certify qualified candidates, while maintaining a pipeline of both active and passive candidates for future training and certification
• Respond to foster parent inquiries within 24 hours via phone
• Develop strategies to support efforts for general, targeted and child-specific recruitment and marketing
• Understand and follow all agency and state licensing requirements and always ensure foster parents' compliance with regulations
• Assist with and complete the certification process with foster parents, including the completion of required documentation
• Complete parent interviews, background clearances, and home inspections to evaluate suitability, safety, and well-being of youth placed in the homes.
• Maintain foster parent files in compliance with agency and state regulations
• Assist in the placement process and successful matching of youth and foster parents based on the needs of referred youth and the level of training, strengths, and expertise of the foster family
• Maintain professional boundaries, conduct, confidentiality and other governmental laws and regulations, agency policy and licensure ethics
• Attend all company required meetings, in addition to community meetings to provide on-going collaboration with referral sources and community providers
• Provide support to all members of the treatment team, including case manager, therapist, foster parents, and youth to ensure needs are met and ensure placement stability
• Ensure safety and well-being of all youth in care by observing for signs of abuse and/or neglect
• Travel to affiliate locations; frequent travel associated with recruitment events required
• Participate in the developmental implementation of Corrective Action Plans for foster parents in conjunction with the program supervisor
• Provide services that respect each family and youth's cultural background, heritage and identity
• Conduct Monthly Foster Parent record reviews; 25% each month
• Conduct Monthly Foster Parent Meetings and monthly Foster Parent trainings
• See children in home once monthly, at a minimum, as needed
• Create and maintain child files and complete monthly reports for each child, as needed

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, childhood education, education counseling and psychology, or other human service, behavioral science field or public administration field
• Minimum of one year of work experience in a Child Placing Agency, the Department of Family and Children Services, or Non-Profit Agency
• One to two years of Experience in Resource Development/ Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention preferred
• One year of marketing, fundraising, and event coordination preferred
• One to five years' experience in full cycle recruiting in a fast paced, professional oriented environment preferred
• Complete Tier 1 and Tier 2 State Assessor training and maintain Assessor certification
• Have a strong recruiting mentality and a general understanding of a recruiting life cycle from sourcing/lead generation to filling positions
• Demonstrate knowledge of vast recruiting strategies, including social media platforms
• Strong attention to detail, highly organized, highly energetic, and positive and encouraging attitude
• Effective at cold calling, pursuing leads, and transforming candidates into licensed caregivers
• Ability to remain client focused and use independent judgement in problem solving required Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong project management, new business development and client retention skills a must
• A documented track record of achieving targeted objectives is required.
• Possess critical thinking skills, supported by intellectual curiosity and sound business judgment
• Outstanding telephone presence and superior written communication skills; team player and natural leader; competitive

About our Line of Business

StepStone Family and Youth Services, an affiliate of BrightSpring Health Services, provides the full spectrum of support to children in need of alternative, safer, and more positive living environments with residential and family services. StepStone connects children and youth who need homes with foster families, as well as foster care training, respite care and support services. For young adults transitioning from foster care to independent living, StepStone provides personalized guidance and training on basic life skills, including money management and education. For more information, please visit www.stepstoneyouth.com. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Salary Range

USD $46,000.00 - $47,000.00 / Year