Kinship Finder

Job Details:
Level: Experienced,

Job Location:

1946 Webster Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457 - Bronx, NY 10457, Position Type:
Full Time, Education Level: 4 Year Degree, Salary Range: $62,850.63 - $64,853.63 Salary/year, Kinship Home Finder

In full partnership with families & communities, Graham Windham strives to make a life-altering difference to children, youth and families affected by abuse, neglect and delinquency by providing each child we serve with a strong foundation for life: a safe, loving, permanent family and the opportunity and preparation to thrive in school and in the world. With over 600 full-time employees serving children and families in multiple programs throughout Westchester County, Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Harlem, Graham Windham provides an exciting & enriching work experience.

Graham Windham is the first organization in New York City to implement Solution
-Based Casework (SBC). Solution
-Based Casework helps children and families to be the solution to the seemingly insurmountable problems in their lives, from generational cycles of poverty, abuse, and neglect to unemployment, domestic violence, and severe health problems. By recognizing and reinforcing their innate strengths and ability to cope, we at Graham Windham empower them to take the lead in making change in their lives.

At Graham Windham our Family Foster Care programs help children to get back to their families, adopted into a new family or connected to someone who is willing to be an anchor for children, throughout their childhood and into adulthood. To help us do that, we have hundreds of loving & highly qualified foster parents primarily in Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester County- who serve as our foster children's substitute family.

The Kinship Home Finder Specialist will search for and identify maternal and paternal relatives and fictive resources for children placed in non-kinship homes in our Community foster care and TFFC programs, within 30 days of placement with Graham using the Family Finding Model. Work in collaboration with case planners to engage and support kinship families through coaching and facilitation of support groups specifically for Kinship resources.

• Identify kinship resources for children in non-kinship placements. Build relationship by having regular contact with kin/fictive resources to develop openness and trust. Builds a network with persons close to and knowledgeable about the child, and maintain regular and on-going contact with them.
• Engage in recruiting Kinship foster parents, by utilizing data base, social media, etc.
• Provides family search efforts by implementing the process of identifying, locating, and contacting persons with whom the child already has, or had, a bond or positive relationship with, with the knowledge and approval of the child’s caseworker.
• Prepares and submits reports, calendars and other deliverables as required by agency supervisor, NYC Children’s Services and/or OCFS. Assures scheduling, monitoring and tracking of all possible kinship resources.
• Facilitate and scheduled 30 day conference with case planning team to discuss the outcome or barriers in identifying kinships. Tracks all identified kinship resources until placement. Actively participate in the Initial placement conference for non-kinship cases
• Maintain and update foster parent “soft” files and CONNECTIONS records by completing related reports and inputting data in a timely fashion.
• Collaborate and work with families, case management team (Case Planner, Supervisor and/or Director) in identifying next to Kin
• Participate in weekly supervision sessions with supervisor to discuss status and progress of identifying Kinship…