Family Services Specialist - Foster Care​/Adoption

Performs responsible professional work to support and assist agency clients with personal, social, health and economic needs, by performing the following duties.

• Makes a comprehensive assessment of families/clients in crisis
• Analyzes needs and coordinates resources to support the family/client
• Develops and implements a plan of action for the family/client that directly involves family/client input
• Engages family/client and community in problem solving, conflict resolution and achieving goals to resolve the crisis
• Stabilizes and improves family/client living and interpersonal skills through counseling and referrals to collateral resources
• Executes complex and critical decisions involving families/clients in crisis, even under possible adverse conditions
• Performs scheduled and unscheduled field visits in frequently highly volatile and dangerous environments
• Participates in extensive networking and collaboration with community and professional agencies, both public and private
• Provides analysis, recommendations and testimony in complex court proceedings, requiring thorough assessment and documentation of the family/client’s situations; assists in formulating recommendations on difficult and important technical problems relating to the court action
• Interprets, implements and administers complex policies, regulations and laws, and refines established complex procedures that require frequent independent thinking and resourcefulness in a complex environment
• Other duties to provide direct or indirect service to the citizens may be assigned

• Receives and determines validity of calls from the public, mandated reports, police, schools, etc. regarding suspected abuse/neglect
• Assigns cases to Family Services workers
• Works closely with service providers
• Engages with the public in collecting information regarding suspected abuse/neglect
• Other duties as assigned

• Participates in licensing activities for prospective parents, including orientation, training and certification packet completion
• Assists in providing pre‑service and ongoing training to foster parents or prospective parents
• Evaluates and monitors foster homes for compliance with state and local guidelines
• Maintains accurate foster parent files, quarterly status reports (at a minimum) and records regarding the certification status of each foster home; tracks expiration of licensing documentation for renewal process
• Responds to licensing alerts
• Leads placement of children in foster care into appropriate foster homes
• Conducts foster home meetings in conjunction with foster home trainer and Family Service Specialists
• Maintains knowledge of all certification laws and changes; informs the appropriate personnel of changes
• Performs professional recruitment and marketing duties, including developing and implementing a strategic recruitment plan for identifying, engaging and training potentially successful foster and respite families in the community
• Performs marketing duties for recruitment, such as public speaking, social media and other creative outlets
• Performs child‑specific recruitment for some children, such as youth over the age of 13
• Coordinates training and recruitment activities in collaboration with Social Service staff
• Conducts Mutual Family Assessments with prospective foster parents who have applied to foster with the City of Lynchburg
• Performs compliance and approval duties for over 90 resource families (including extensive background checks, training, home visits and recertification)
• Works with Resource family trainer to aid in the development, delivery and evaluation for resource families
• Serves as a support for each resource family
• Other duties as assigned

• Assists in the evaluation of programs and services rendered to families/clients
• Processes financial documentation related to family/client services
• Interprets agency programs to other agencies, community groups, and associations
• Identifies homes suitable for…