Child Welfare Senior Specialist

Position Overview

Under direction, this position will provide experienced professional child welfare services involving psychiatric hospital care programs for children and youth with special needs. The role facilitates the provision of treatment services, service resources, and support for youth returning to their preadmission or new placement, based on the level of service intensity. The position will make recommendations in partnership with internal and external entities regarding a youth’s and family’s needs outside of DCFS care.

It also manages a system to track referrals, inter‑agency engagement, psychiatric hospital engagement, and inter‑agency engagement to determine outcomes, analyze data, and identify trends. This position offers a great opportunity for someone passionate about children and interested in ensuring youth receive appropriate resources and supports while minimizing the extended use of crisis resources or psychiatric hospitals. The role is part of a program that offers a competitive compensation plan, excellent benefits, and a pension program.

• Serves as Regional Psychiatric Clinical Specialist.
• Monitors and assesses psychiatric hospital care programs to ensure compliance with state regulations and best practice care, as well as compliance with standards regarding appropriate clinical capacity, admission requirements, and overall performance.
• Provides input into ongoing quarterly clinical staffings.
• Reviews management reports regarding psychiatric hospital care program performance and monitors corrective action plans, advising on and directing implementation of appropriate corrective action.
• Identifies significant developments, patterns of performance problems, or other program issues and submits reports to appropriate Department staff to ensure that DCFS management and agency managers are aware of deficiencies and program weaknesses.
• Tracks referrals, intra‑agency engagement, psychiatric hospital engagement, and inter‑agency engagement to determine outcomes.
• Serves as liaison between various agencies, hospitals, and DCFS staff to maintain a supportive network of care and support through relationships with hospitals, providers, and internal or external partners.