Intact Specialist

Children’s Home & Aid; Champaign (IL); Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision insurance

3+ weeks PTO

11 paid holidays

401(k) with match

CWEL Stay Bonus

Job summary

Brightpoint invites you to join our mission-driven team to support child welfare in Illinois through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative services. The Intact Specialist will work with a reduced caseload and provide Solution-Based Casework to families at risk, ensuring safety and well-being.

The role includes court testimony, training in SBC, and opportunities for promotion within 6–12 months, with a hybrid location in Champaign and surrounding counties.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or a closely related field is required.
• CWEL, CERAP, and CANS certification required or ability to obtain within 90 days.
• Experience providing collaborative, strength-based services to kids and families preferred.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a reduced caseload of families referred for services after a child abuse/neglect investigation.
• Complete all modules of the Intact Family Services Training Series, including Solution Based Casework.
• Assess strengths and plan services using the Solution Based Casework Model with assigned families.

Skills

Effective communication

Case management

Collaboration

Culturally responsive practice

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or related field

Job description

Brightpoint (formerly known as Children's Home & Aid) invites you to join our team of mission-driven staff who share a common vision: an equitable world where all children and families thrive in strong communities. As a leader in the human services sector for 140 years, we aim to advance the well-being of children by investing in families and strengthening communities through data-informed, collaborative, and preventative solutions.

The Intact Specialist is a critical member of the region’s child welfare team, working collaboratively within and across programs to ensure a relentless focus on keeping children safe and supporting families, consistent with our agency'sBlueprint for Impact, which includes replacing what we currently think of as child welfare services with what we know to be child, family, and community well-being solutions. The Intact Family Services program provides families with intensive, trauma-informed case management services using Solution-Based Casework (SBC), an evidence-informed casework model of partnering with families to help them reach their goals. As an Intact Specialist, you will work collaboratively with a reduced case load of families who have an allegation of abuse or neglect and are at risk of having their children removed from the home as well as providing supplemental services to families assigned to Advanced and Lead Specialists. Case management services include a ssessing the needs of children and families and helping to plan services, establishing collaborative relationships with service providers and institutions that play a role in the family’s situation, monitoring the family’s progress towards their goals and providing testimony in the Juvenile Court System regarding the best interest of children and families. With support from your supervisor and the Lead Specialist on your team, you will be supported in developing the required competencies to be promoted into an Advanced Specialist position within 6-12 months of hire.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or a closely related field required.
• Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL), Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol (CERAP), and Child Abuse and Neglect (CANS) certification required, or the ability to obtain within 90 days of hire.
• Experience providing collaborative, strength-based services to kids and families preferred.
• Ability to attend in-person meetings and events as needed required.
• Valid driver's license, insurance, and a reliable vehicle required.

What You'll Do:

• Maintain a reduced caseload of families who have been referred for services following a child abuse or neglect investigation with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
• Actively participate in and successfully completes all modules of the agency’s Intact Family Services Training Series, including training in Solution Based Casework.
• Work in partnership with individual family members to assess strengths, functioning and natural support systems; implement the Solution Based Casework Model to fidelity with all assigned families.
• Work with the families and identify support systems to find solutions for all family members to ensure families remain intact and out of the care of DCFS.
• Assume responsibility for comprehensive and consistent engagement with families to include needs assessment, service planning, case coordination, monitoring for child safety, service brokerage, linkages with community resources, monitoring progress toward goals and objectives, and making recommendations for ongoing services when necessary.
• Prepare court reports, attend scheduled court dates, and testify in court regarding the best interests of the children and family upon request.
• Schedule home visits at a time that is convenient for involved parties and complete all necessary unannounced visits as practice and policy indicates.

Job details:

• Compensation:$54,361/annual fixed salary ($59,361/annual fixed salary for qualified English/Spanish bilingual candidates). The salary range provided represents our current estimate for this role at the time of posting and is subject to change. The final salary will be determined based on a range of factors, including but not limited to, a candidate's relevant experience, education, qualifications, skills, certifications, and alignment with organizational needs. We are dedicated to fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to fostering a diverse workforce while providing equal opportunities for all candidates.
• Additional Compensation:A $3,000 CWEL Stay Bonus payable in two installments: $1,500 after 6 months of consecutive employment and $1,500 after 12 months of consecutive employment. Eligibility for the bonus is contingent upon the role requiring the CWEL certification.
• Opportunity for Promotion: Eligibility for promotion into an Advanced Specialist role within 6-12 months of hire which includes a salary increase.
• Benefits: Medical/dental/vision insurance, 3+ weeks paid time off in the first year including the week between Christmas and New Year's Day (PTO increases with tenure); 11 paid holidays, supplemental insurance options, 401(k) with match (more benefits details here ).
• Location:Hybrid (remote/in office); majority of your time will be spent in Champaign, Iroquois and Vermilion Counties completing home visits to participants homes or meeting with participants in an agency office or community setting, with other opportunities to complete service documentation and other case coordination from your preferred location (in office, or remotely).
• Schedule: Full-time, salaried; general business hours with some flexibility required for accommodating client’s schedules and special projects. On call responsibilities on a shared rotation.
• We don't just hire talent-we grow it:

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.