Practice Specialist

Position Summary

The Practice Specialist is an experienced child welfare professional who serves in an advanced practice and leadership role, supporting the development, performance, and practice quality of case management staff across teams. While maintaining a reduced caseload to remain actively engaged in field practice, this role partners closely with the Training Manager to coach and reinforce the Florida Child Welfare Practice Model.

This position serves as a critical bridge between direct practice and organizational learning, providing mentorship, coaching, and guidance to case managers at all levels. The role requires strong critical judgment, advanced practice knowledge, and the ability to lead through influence, modeling, and collaboration.

• Consistent, high‑quality coaching and targeted support to case management staff across all teams, driving practice improvement and professional growth.
• All coaching notes and quarterly report entries completed accurately, thoroughly, and submitted within required time frames in accordance with agency standards.
• Effective cross‑team collaboration across departments.
• Support the Training Manager in the delivery, facilitation, and reinforcement of case management training initiatives.
• Provide field‑based coaching and mentorship to case managers, modeling best practices in engagement, documentation, and service coordination.
• Support onboarding and development of new staff through guided shadowing, feedback, and structured skill‑building.
• Identify individual and systemic practice gaps and communicate findings to inform training priorities.
• Co‑facilitate team meetings, case staffings, and practice development sessions as assigned.
• Maintain a reduced caseload with full adherence to agency standards for quality, compliance, and timeliness.
• Develop and implement case plans that support timely permanency outcomes while coaching staff on effective case planning, goal setting, and permanency‑focused practice.
• Conduct ongoing case reviews to ensure assessments and documentation are current and aligned with the Florida Child Welfare Practice Model, building staff competency in applying these standards independently.
• Provide safety management services, including crisis response and resource coordination, while training staff to assess risk, respond appropriately, and coordinate support effectively.
• Prepare court‑related documentation, including Judicial Review Social Study Reports (JRSSR), and guide staff to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and courtroom readiness.
• Conduct functional assessments to inform case planning and service delivery, while developing staff proficiency in gathering, analyzing, and applying assessment findings.
• Facilitate active participation of parents, caregivers, and youth in case planning, coaching staff to apply effective engagement strategies and maintain accurate, comprehensive documentation of family voice in CCWIS documentation.
• Support reunification efforts while maintaining concurrent planning when appropriate, training staff to manage both with consistency and intentionality.
• Facilitate connections with kin, fictive kin, and natural supports to promote long‑term stability, building staff competency in identifying, engaging, and sustaining those relationships.
• Promote placement stability through consistent caregiver engagement, coaching staff on strategies that strengthen caregiver relationships, address concerns proactively, and reduce placement disruption.
• Collaborate with educational liaisons to ensure school stability and academic performance, building staff capacity to assess needs, coordinate support, and ensure educational outcomes are met.
• Coordinate with Peer Family Navigators and community providers to strengthen service access, modeling effective cross‑system collaboration to case managers.
• Connect families to community‑based resources, developing staff knowledge of available services and resource navigation.
• Support life skills development for older youth, coaching staff to deliver practical, youth‑centered engagement and intervention.
• Assist with adoption readiness and finalization processes, preparing staff to manage…