Program Manager

Lincoln Families is a workplace that is committed to strengths-based, culturally responsive, attachment-centered, and trauma-informed care.

Children do best when they remain in safe, stable, and familiar environments that relatives can provide. Relative caregivers are the backbone of the child welfare system, stepping up to fill the gaps when challenges take parents away from raising their children. Many are grandparents with special needs liked to age, poverty, poor health, and lack of support and resources.

Lincoln Families’ Kinship program provides supports to kin caregivers so they have the resources needed to raise their relative. Since 2001, our staff have addressed the unique needs of each caregiver and child, providing a variety of supports:

• Family Coaching - Providing advocacy and referral for financial assistance, legal supports, mental health, emergency, and education services
• Education and Skill Building - Offering programs including parenting and school advocacy to prepare and inform caregivers and youth
• Youth Engagement - Providing children and teen activity groups, social and recreational outings, tutoring, and workshop events
• Support Groups - Facilitating gatherings of caregivers to share joys and concerns, learn about resources, and support each other

Children in foster care can face exposure to alcohol and other drugs, abuse, neglect and abandonment, violence in their homes and communities, trauma from separation from birth families, and frequent changes in foster care placement. These experiences place children at greater risk of developing physical, emotional, and behavioral problems that can lead to school failure, teen pregnancy, homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration.

Research shows that living with relatives is better for children and benefits them in many ways. Of children who are not living with their biological parents, 75% of them are being raised by a relative outside of the formal foster care system. Such kin caregivers have little or no time to prepare for this new arrangement and face major barriers in accessing information, benefits, legal assistance, and services.

Reporting to the Community-Based Services Program Director, this Program Manager provides leadership, budget oversight and accountability for the Kinship Support Services program. The duties include acting as a liaison to Alameda County Department of Children and Family Services, school district(s) in our service area, funding sources, and referring/resource partners.

• Ensures quality and accountability in all program functions and services.
• Hires, assesses, supervises, and coaches staff as needed to manage the personnel and service functions of assigned programs.
• Develops and monitors program budgets; provides reports to appropriate agencies in a timely manner.
• Responsible for facilitating communication between program staff and other agency personnel.
• Liaisons with public and private agencies.
• Represents Agency in the area of public relations.
• Develops new programs, expands existing programs according to client, community interest, and needs.
• Anticipates personnel needs. Plans for future and recommends cost effective measures for site development and maintenance.
• Identifies new funding streams for program development and enhancement.
• Ensures all staff maintain HIPAA and COA compliance.
• Participates when needed in board and program committee meetings and other appropriate committee meetings (Budget, Personnel, Facilities, etc.)

A positive, relationally adept, service-oriented leader who thrives in a fast-paced, busy environment and…