HOME DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Company: The Children's Shelter
Location: San Antonio
Posted on: May 15, 2022

Job Description:

PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE
The Kinship Home Development Specialist is responsible for the coordination and implementation of verification and licensing process for kinship families. He/she promotes Kinship Foster Care and Adoption services to the community. He/she works as the primary case manager to all prospective kinship foster and adoptive parents who want to foster, or adopt children in the custody of DFPS. Responsible for all aspects of home development to include recruitment, pre-service training, and verification process.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Works directly with potential kinship families to who have temporary managing conservatorship of children in DFPS care and seek licensure.
Build collaborative relationships and serve as liaison with selected agencies, churches, community stakeholders and other collaborators with the goal of recruiting prospective kinship families.
Responsible for all initial and ongoing contacts for prospective families (providing initial screening and follow-up).
Maintains timely communication with prospect families, within 48 business hours of inquiry either by phone or email.
Maintain the family files, documents and training records and ensure they meet licensing minimum standards and agency policies and procedures.
Complete home visits and necessary interviews, background checks, and due diligence in evaluation a family for fitness.
Collaborate with HDS team to schedule and co-facilitate twice per month Inquiry Meetings either in-person of virtual.
Serve as the primary point of contact for families assigned during the home development process.
Complete prospective family home studies, and collect all pertinent information. Home studies should be completed in 30 days or less.
Schedules Home Study Review Committee to review home study at least 72 business hours before licensure.
Present all supporting documentation and case records for feedback, revisions and approval to Program Director or designee within 14 days of conducting final interview.
Document of all contacts and home visits within 72 business hours in the agency database.
Verify at minimum 2 families per month, with an average of 90 days from pre-service training.
Support and train prospective parents to care for traumatized children by offering resources and conducting pre-service training.
Attend agency staff meetings and participate in program development.
Make presentations to the general public when scheduled.
Promote positive working relationships with staff from DFPS or other agencies and community organizations.
Maintain overall compliance of 95% monthly with work assignments.
Engage in and follow strategic planning initiatives of the agency, which includes working to integrate and collaborate with other agency programs.
Demonstrates strong commitment to meeting the needs of our customers (children, community members, co-workers, donors, managers and volunteers), in a friendly, outgoing and professional manner.
Responds to customers in a timely and thorough manner; does what is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction; prioritizes customer's needs and follows up to evaluate customer's satisfaction.
Carry out and adhere to The Children's Shelter policies and procedures of Trauma Informed Care.
Responsible for own personal safety, your co-workers, and others that enter the work area.

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

Meet monthly recruitment and verification goals for new families.
Develop and strengthen community awareness through public speaking engagements, publications and other marketing tools.
Represent the agency in an informative, professional and positive manner.
Work to provide a program that meets the emotional, intellectual and social needs of both the individual and the group in accordance with the policies and philosophies of the agency.
Provide trauma informed services to children and their families.
Follow the trauma informed principals of safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, choice and self-worth.
Represent agency values of respect, compassion, optimism, integrity, excellence, innovation.
Work effectively as a member of the agency's therapeutic foster and adoption programs team.
Be consistent and reliable with punctuality and attendance.
Must have assessment and time management skills.
Contributes to building a child welfare system that is safe, secure, and stable; family centered; connected to the community; which relies on evidence-based practice necessary to support contract services in Bexar County.
Adheres to all policies and procedures of the agency and its accrediting and standard setting bodies, such as Council on Accreditation (COA) and state licensing.
Maintains client confidentiality per The Children's Shelter standards and all applicable codes of ethics
Learns, understands, supports, and demonstrates The Children's Shelter mission, vision, and values.
Demonstrates the Trauma Informed Care principles and practices with peers, clients, and external stakeholders.
Promotes and demonstrates appropriate respect for cultural diversity among coworkers and clients.
Attends mandatory trainings as defined in positions training matrix by the assigned deadline.
Uses outside professional collaboration and intra-agency teamwork appropriate to the agency.
Skilled in organizing work in an environment with multiple challenges and priorities.
Avoid all conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
Attends work in accordance with agency leave policy.
Performs other duties as assigned to ensure continuity of operations.

REQUIREMENTS

Must be bilingual in Spanish.
Requires Bachelor's Degree in education, social work, communications, public relations or social service related field.
One-year previous experience work with foster children and youth preferred.
Ability to make effective presentations to an audience, to include providing instruction and training for Pressley Ridge pre-service training or public speaking for professional engagements.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills to allow for effective interviewing and proficient home study completion.
Must acquire a working knowledge of Minimum Standards for Child Placing Agencies.
Skilled in organizing work in a responsible way in an environment with multiple challenges and priorities.
Knowledgeable of cultural diversity and able to provide culturally competent service to children and adults.
Ability to seek supervision and use it constructively.
Must be at least 21 years old and must perform with emotional maturity and stability.
Must maintain a current drivers' license and auto insurance. Must have access to reliable and safe transportation. Willingness and ability to use personal vehicle for work activities.
Knowledgeable of principles of human development, including the importance of maintaining family relationships and issues of separation and loss.
Ability to collaborate with foster and adoptive parents as members of the professional team to protect and nurture children while strengthening families.
Ability to identify and respond to the training, education and ongoing support needs of foster and adoptive parents.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Position is assigned to the Permanency Support Program in the Home Development Department. Many work assignments are completed outside of the office setting, including visits to prospective homes. Scheduled for a minimum of 40 hours per week, but business may necessitate additional time to complete assigned work. Some weekend and evening work is required. Regular work hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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Keywords: The Children's Shelter, San Antonio , HOME DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, Other , San Antonio, Texas