Foster/Adopt Stability and Support Specialist
hace 27 días
Saint Louis
Job Description Summary of Position The Family Works program is an in-home parenting support intervention designed to stabilize and strengthen foster, pre-adoptive, post-adoptive, and guardianship families at risk of placement disruption. The program serves families whose capacity to meet the complex needs of children impacted by abuse and neglect has been significantly strained. Family Works Specialists hold a master’s degree in social work or a related counseling field and possess specialized training and therapeutic understanding of developmental trauma, neurobiology, attachment, and their effects on foster and adoptive children and families. Specialists provide crisis support to enrolled families as needed, which may include availability outside of standard business hours, including evenings and weekends. The program emphasizes building caregivers’ capacity to understand, accept, and effectively respond to challenging behaviors exhibited by children and youth. Through individualized support, skill development, validation, and psychoeducation, caregivers are supported in remaining emotionally present and engaged with their children—even during periods of significant behavioral difficulty—thereby creating a safe and nurturing environment for healing and growth. Family Works is grounded in the principles of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and utilizes trauma-informed strategies to promote family stability. Interventions focus on strengthening relational skills, enhancing children’s sense of safety and security, addressing developmental trauma, and fostering healthy, secure relationships within the family system. Essential Functions & Responsibilities • Utilize trauma-informed, attachment-based strategies to educate and support parents and caregivers on issues related to adoption and guardianship, including identity development, loss, grief, attachment, and developmental trauma., • Schedule and conduct appointments based on family availability; up to 20% of work hours may occur during evenings and/or weekends., • Provide direct, face-to-face interventions with children and families in home and community settings., • Respond promptly and effectively to family, providing stabilization and support., • Maintain timely, professional communication with families, agency staff, and community partners., • Collaborate with families to identify strengths, set realistic goals, and support progress toward achieving those goals., • Identify, collaborate with, and refer to collateral and community-based service providers., • Provide wraparound support by building relationships with community resources (e.g., schools, courts, camps, therapy providers) and linking families to services., • Obtain, review, and utilize psychological, medical, educational, legal, and social service records to inform interventions., • Attend and actively participate in team meetings, case conferences, and collateral meetings; most meetings are held in person., • Demonstrate cultural humility and effectively engage individuals of diverse backgrounds, including differences in race, religion, gender, gender identity and expression, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, and socioeconomic status., • Participate in training, coaching, supervision, and feedback; work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team., • Complete thorough, accurate, and timely documentation, including assessments, progress notes, activity logs, maintenance plans, and closing summaries., • Accurately complete daily billing documentation and activity logs in accordance with agency and funder requirements., • Utilize required software systems to collect and track program data, including Salesforce., • Submit internal referrals to agency services such as Educational Advocacy, trainings, support groups, and other resources., • Follow agency procedures for supervision, consultation, and communication. Education: • Master's degree in counseling, social work, or a related counseling field is required., • Background providing trauma-informed, attachment-based services to children and families impacted by abuse, neglect, adoption, foster care, or guardianship., • Ability to deliver in-home or community-based family interventions, including crisis response, care coordination, and collaboration with multidisciplinary providers., • Strong knowledge of developmental trauma, attachment-based interventions, and normative child development., • Familiarity with child welfare best practices, policies, laws, and procedures., • Ability to engage and support families effectively, including during times of crisis., • Skilled at building rapport and fostering positive relationships with children and caregivers, both in-person and via phone or virtual contact., • Competence in assessing family and relational functioning using a strengths-based approach, • Ability to evaluate risk and develop comprehensive safety plans., • Excellent verbal and written communication skills with children, families, and professionals., • Proficient in collecting, analyzing, and integrating relevant data and resources to inform interventions., • Ability to identify, coordinate with, and refer families to community-based wraparound services and supports., • Proficient with standard office technology, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, fax, copier, and mobile communication tools., • Valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle, and insurance required., • Strong organizational skills to maintain accurate, up-to-date records and documentation for all families, • This position requires an understanding of diversity (ethnic, religious, socio-economic, etc.) as well as sensitivity to the situations of the children and families the organization serves., • This position requires respect for the confidentiality of the children and families the organization serves., • This position requires passing background checks (references, Family Care Safety Registry, fingerprinting, Form 1-9, etc.)., • This position requires a clean criminal history., • Must fulfill the responsibility as a mandated reporter in the State of Missouri., • Behaves with integrity, demonstrates high ethical standards, and displays a positive image of the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition., • Demonstrates accountability for results and keeps commitments to others.