Foster Parent Recruitment & Support Specialist I - Temporary

State of Vermont; Barre Town (VT); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Part time

Job summary

State of Vermont is seeking a FP Recruitment & Retention Specialist I to support the district office in implementing the Diligent Recruitment Plans. The role involves coordinating with Resource Coordinators and District Directors to drive outreach, recruitment events, and relationship building with diverse communities.

The position emphasizes retention activities, caregiver support, communications, and collaboration with statewide teams.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate recruitment activities with district team and community partners.
• Engage in statewide recruitment planning, events, and outreach to diverse groups.
• Maintain inquiry tracking and assist in crafting targeted outreach messages.
• Support retention activities, recognition events, and caregiver communications.

Job description

Overview

The primary role of the FP Recruitment and Retention Specialist is to support and enhance the recruitment and retention efforts of the Diligent Recruitment Plans within the district office. Job duties will be coordinated with the team which includes the Resource Coordinator(s) and District Director and will include:

• Recruitment
• Actively engages in recruitment strategies as highlighted in the statewide recruitment plan; including, but not limited to:
• Planning and participating in community recruitment events and programs.
• Facilitating direct relationship building and engaging outreach to targeted groups such as BIPOC led organizations/projects, LGBTQI+ organizations, hospitals, schools, churches, faith communities, libraries, etc., in the form of mailings, presentations, providing content for newsletters, share resources for social media, etc.
• General or child specific outreach via media, social media (including Front Porch Forum), postering etc. that is approved by the System of Care Unit.
• Works with local businesses to distribute marketing materials and spread awareness.
• Participate and engage in the local Diligent Recruitment plan and/or meetings.
• Respond to and follow up to all inquiries from public about fostering, kinship or respite in conjunction with the Resource Coordinator
• May maintain the Inquiry Tracking Sheet and/or other documents used to facilitate accurate follow through and to inform future recruitment strategies
• May provide consultation to the districts when placements need occur based on their knowledge base of new inquires and foster/kinship families.
• Regularly attends statewide Recruitment and Retention meetings, RC/RRS meetings, and/or local Diligent Recruitment meetings. Actively engages and implements these strategies in the local district.*
• Coordinate/collaborate with state-wide Recruitment and Retention Specialist to collaborate on resources, strategies, events and consistent messaging.

Retention

Actively engages in retention activities as determined by District Director / Assistant District Director in coordination with the Resource Coordinator(s), including but not limited to:

• Support / organize & attend FP Recognition Events (picnics, dinners, parties). This may include gathering supplies, gifts etc and outreach to facilitate attendance.
• Help develop and provide ongoing support to local Foster &/or Kin Caregiver Support groups, meetings, and/or social media groups.
• Informed Family Service Worker of any supports available to foster and kin caregiver along with any information learned that is relevant to case planning and safety.
• Work with Resource Coordinator(s) to develop and distribute district specific information/updates, this may be in the form of a district newsletter, bulk email updates, and/or more personalized email engagement with all. Support the state-wide biweekly newsletter distributed by Central Office by contributing to the content when applicable and encouraging readership.
• Support and respond to current foster parents on a regular basis as determined by District Directors in coordination with the Resource Coordinator(s) with ongoing engagement and assessment being the focus.

Who May Apply

This position, Foster Parent Recruitment & Support Specialist I - Temporary (Job Requisition #52248), is open to all State employees and external applicants. This is a temporary position. Temporary work is typically for variable hours, and is not expected to be full-time. The State does not guarantee 40 hours of work per week.

Please note that multiple positions in the same work location may be filled from this job posting.

AHS BACKGROUND CHECKS: Candidates must pass any level of background investigation applicable to the position. In accordance with AHS Policy 4.02, Hiring Standards, Vermont and/or national criminal record checks, as well as DMV and adult and child abuse registry checks, as appropriate to the position under recruitment, will be conducted on candidates, with the exception of those who are current classified state employees seeking transfer, promotion or demotion into an AHS classified position or are persons exercising re-employment (RIF) rights.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of Vermont celebrates diversity, and is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect and meaningful inclusion that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The State does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, membership in an employee organization, family medical history or genetic information, or family or parental status. The State's employment decisions are merit-based. Retaliatory adverse employment actions by the State are forbidden.