Licensing Specialist- Part Time- Benton Harbor Area

D.A. Blodgett; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 44,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

D.A. Blodgett in Grand Rapids, MI is seeking a Foster Care Licensing Specialist to identify, recruit, and assess relatives and foster parents to provide care for children in foster care.

This role screens caregivers for licensure, including initial and ongoing certification, and ensures homes comply with licensing rules. You will train and support families to provide a safe, nurturing home, meeting each child's needs, while collaborating with MDHHS and agency partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social work or related field is required.
• DCWL Certification preferred or must obtain certification.
• Experience in child welfare or foster care is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, screen, evaluate, train, license, and maintain foster care homes to meet youth needs.
• Ensure compliance with agency and licensing guidelines and procedures.
• Maintain confidential, accurate, and timely documentation.
• Promote relative engagement, placements, and licensure.
• Assist staff to identify placements with matching criteria (sibling ties, relatives, geographic location, etc.).
• Participate in the on‑call after-hours rotation.
• Collaborate with the foster child’s team to meet needs.
• Engage caregivers to ensure ongoing compliance with foster home rules.

Skills

Communication

Detail oriented

Case management

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work or related field

DCWL Certification preferred or must obtain certification

Job description

Description

Foster Care Licensing

Licensing Specialist

Job Summary, Position Details & Job Description

JOB SUMMARY

Job Title: Foster Care Licensing Specialist

Department: Foster Care Licensing

Reports To: Foster Care Licensing Supervisor

Beginning Full Time Salary Pay Range: $43,888.00-$46,080.00

Classification: Full Time, Part Time, Hourly Salaried- Exempt

JOB DESCRIPTION

MISSION STATEMENT

To help children and empower families by providing safety, advocacy, and support.

VISION

A safe, nurturing home for every child, a supportive community for every family.

VALUES:

• Exceptional Service: Client-focused and teaming at the center of our work.
• Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion: All are welcomed, valued, and belong.
• Excellence: Ongoing commitment to learning and improvement.
• Integrity: Responsibility and ownership of our actions and results.
• Creativity: Imagination, innovation, and intelligent risk taking.
• Passion: Relentless positive energy toward our mission and vision.

SANCTUARY COMMITMENTS:

• Nonviolence: Maintaining safety for all members of the community.
• Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions so we don't hurt ourselves or others.
• Social Learning: Together we accomplish more, we care for one another.
• Democracy: Everyone has a voice, not necessarily a vote.
• Open Communication: Respecting and sharing ideas of our team.
• Social Responsibility: Say what you mean, don't be mean when you say it.
• Growth & Change: Creating hope for ourselves and the people we serve.

POSITION SUMMARY

Licensing Specialists identify, recruit, and assess relatives and foster parents to provide care for children in foster care. This includes screening and evaluating caregivers for licensure, including initial and ongoing certification, and ensure foster homes are in compliance with licensing rules. Specialists provide training and support to ensure families are providing a safe and nurturing home and are equipped to meet the child(rens) needs.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Recruit, screen, evaluate, train, license, and maintain foster care homes to meet the needs of youth we serve.
• Ensure compliance with MDHHS, BCAL, COA and agency policies and procedures.
• Ensure all required documentation is confidential, accurate, comprehensive, and timely.
• Promote and ensure relative engagement, placements, and licensure.
• Assist child welfare staff to identify placements or replacement with specific matching criteria (sibling ties, relatives, geographic location, racial identity, and best interests).
• Participate in the on call after hours rotation.
• Communicate and collaborate with the foster child's team to ensure child's needs are met.
• Cross departmental teaming to ensure the effective exchange of essential information and permanency planning.
• Engage and maintain consistent contact with caregivers to ensure open communication and ongoing compliance expectations and foster home rules.

Supervision Received: Specific Direction - Follows established work procedures. Receives periodic checks for performance. Refers unique questions/conditions to immediate supervisor.

Supervisory Responsibilities: No supervisory responsibilities.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in social work or related field.
• DCWL Certification preferred or must obtain certification.
• Child welfare experience in foster care and/or adoption preferred.
• Valid driver's license, dependable automobile with adequate insurance available.
• Ability to maintain flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends.
• Possesses good judgement and organizational skills, attentive to detail and able to meet deadlines.
• Commitment to Agency's mission, philosophy, and values.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Working Under Pressure: Ability to maintain composure when exposed to stress.
• Planning and Organizing: Ability to set priorities and allocate resources properly to effectively achieve work responsibilities and objectives.
• Detail Orientation: Pay attention to detail, accuracy, and completeness.
• Customer Service: A desire to serve others by focusing efforts on listening and responding effectively to questions, providing services, and evaluating customer satisfaction.
• Motivation: Ability to inspire and encourage others to reach a goal; maintaining a high level of productivity and self-direction.
• Integrity: Ability to adhere to organization policies and procedures, acting in a fair and just manner while maintaining confidentiality.
• Reliability: Ability to be dependable, trustworthy, and committed to doing the best job possible and completing work in a timely and consistent manner.
• Communication: Ability to effectively receive and express ideas, both written and verbal; using clear and concise vocabulary and active listening skills. Ability to communicate with small and large groups and ability to communicate with all.
• Adaptability: Ability to fit into a changing work environment, priorities or organization needs by staying open-minded and being able to change based on new information.
• Problem Solving: Ability to recognize courses of action to handle problems, gathering and organizing information, identifying cause and effect relationships, and applying contingency plans to solve those problems.
• Decision Making: Ability to select and commit to an effective course of action by understanding issues, comparing solutions, and drawing conclusions to resolve problems. Technical Skills: Ability to use technical knowledge and training to execute work; delivery high quality results.
• Accountability: Acceptance of responsibility and one's own actions.
• Integrity: Ability to adhere to organization policies and procedures, acting in a fair and just manner while maintaining confidentiality.
• Teamwork: Effectively interacts with people by being able to share and receive information that supports team goals.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

5+ hours/day

• Work in stationary position
• use hands/fingers to handle or feel
• Reach with hands and arms
• Communicate with various parties
• Visual acuity
• Read and Understand written word
• Operate computer and general office machines
• Office Environment: No exposure to extreme hear, cold, noise, chemicals, or hazardous equipment

2-5 hours/day

• Move about work area
• Drive/Travel

Less than 2 hours/day

• Ascend/Descend (stairs/ladder/ect.)
• Bend, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl
• move containers up to 20 pounds
• Medical Environment: Exposure to body fluids, radiation, medical equipment, solvents or chemicals
• Noise: Exposure to constant or intermittent extreme sounds

DABSJ strives to be a fully inclusive organization as we support a diverse group of children and families. We are building a diverse team that represents our customers and our community and recognize that each of us brings a unique perspective to the organization. We welcome differing thoughts, faiths, beliefs, groups, and lived experiences. The diversity and differences of each team member, foster parent, adoptive parent, child, and family make us #DABSJstrongertogether for children and families.

DABSJ is an equal opportunity, at-will employer, and will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment. DABSJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists; culture, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, socio-economic status, disability, or other legally protected characteristics as required by law.

This job description does not list all duties of the job. Employees may be asked by management to perform other duties as needed. The Company reserves the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment and does not infringe upon the Company's at will employment status.